How the EDL is using extremist influencers to fuel misinformation and violence across the UK

By Charlie Sawyer

Published Aug 5, 2024 at 12:56 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

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Over the past six days, England has witnessed some of the most horrific and violent displays of racism and Islamophobia in recent times, with far-right mobs attacking lone individuals, mosques, and buildings housing asylum seekers. Initially commencing on Tuesday 30 July 2024 in Southport, the riots have now spread across the country. While these actions are condemnable and, for many reasons, we should not waste our breath speaking about the criminals involved, it is important to learn about exactly how members of the far-right are currently organising themselves in England and just how insidious their methods truly are.

The rioting initially began following the tragic murders of three young girls in Southport. The victims, Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were brutally stabbed in a “ferocious” knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event. Following this horrific event, misinformation and racist-fuelled hate prompted violent protests to break out. This was primarily due to the fact that the alleged perpetrator, now identified as British citizen Axel Muganwa Rudakubana from Cardiff, was wrongly identified as “Ali al-Shakati,” a Muslim migrant new to the UK—a false narrative that was quickly debunked by the police.

Social media has played an integral role in fuelling both hatred and misinformation online, a concoction that has now resulted in multiple locations across England being deemed as unequivocally unsafe for minorities, particularly Muslim communities.

One of the most important players in this case is the English Defence League (EDL), a highly influential movement known for its Islamophobic views. Many believe the EDL should be classified as a domestic terrorist organisation due to its role in initiating violence and hate.

The EDL’s moronic leader, Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has several close associates who leverage their large following on X, formerly Twitter, to fuel hate and organise violent gatherings. The EDL can’t let it be known that they are predominantly behind so much of this vitriol, and so instead rely on multiple individual far-right influencers to spread the word, thereby dodging sole blame.

Lord Simon is a user on X who is a known associate of Robinson and a prolific racist on social media. Indeed, Lord Simon was one of the first people online to re-share posts which falsely identified the Southport assailant as a Muslim migrant:

Indeed, as emphasised by the BBC’s investigation, many people initially attending the riots went under the impression that there would be peaceful protests regarding condemning violent crime and discussing illegal immigration.

And while it’s unclear who specifically began the false narratives online, or indeed who within the EDL may be responsible for feeding information to outside parties, what’s evident is that this type of racist rhetoric spreads like wildfire online and manifests itself in very real in-person violence and destruction.

Joe Mulhall, head of research at anti-racism research group Hope Not Hate, told the BBC: “There’s not been a single driving force. That reflects the nature of the contemporary far-right. There are large numbers of people engaging in activity online but there’s no membership structure or badge – there are not even formalised leaders, but they are directed by social media influencers. It’s like a school of fish rather than a traditional organisation.”

Coincidentally, Tommy Robinson decided that now would be the best time for him to indulge in a holiday. Catching a tan in Cyprus is evidently more important to the extremist leader than appearing in court in a case relating to a film played at a protest in central London.

Robinson has denied involvement in inciting violence in England, persistently stating on X that he is not the one to blame… Yeah, sure.

Today, Monday 5 August, Keir Starmer and the rest of his government met to discuss the increasing violence across England. So far, several arrests have been made in different cities, with Starmer stating in a recent address to the nation: “To those who feel targeted because of the colour of your skin or your faith: I know how frightening this must be. I want you to know this violent mob does not represent this country, and we will bring them to justice.”