Over the last 15 years, the British media has published many articles on Muslim extremists being allowed to settle in the UK, Dr Ilyas Mohammed writes. But the tide is now turning and the reality is that Britain has now become a hotbed for right-wing extremists from overseas.
Journalist Melanie Phillips in her book “Londonistan” argues that London has become “a global hub of the Islamic jihad.”
But her assertions about London can equally be applied to the rise of right-wing extremism in the UK. Has the UK become a hotbed for the far-right, and has the European Union’s open boarder policy allowed right-wing extremists to settle in the UK?
Far-right hotbed
Britain becoming a hub for right-wing extremism is evident by the spate of attacks on mosques, the increasing Islamophobia and its tolerance to groups such as the English Defence League (EDL). These attacks have included excrement being smeared on mosque walls and nail bombs being left inside places of worship.
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From these attacks, the most troubling are the ones that took place at the Aisha Mosque in Walsall and Kanz ul-Iman Jamia Mosque in Tipton because the individuals arrested are from the Ukraine. After being questioned by the police under the Terrorism Act 2000, one of the men, Pavlo Lapshyn was charged yesterday for the “terrorist-related” murder of 82-year-old Mohammed Saleem on April 29 in the Small Heath area of Birmingham.
The EDL is the most prolific right-wing extremist group in the UK. Its leader Tommy Robinson during his speech in Tower Hamlets in March 2011 said that the group has built a network of branches covering cities and towns all across Britain.
The EDL’s rhetoric appears to be inspiring a form of activism, which is a mixture of guerrilla warfare (leaving bombs) and protest, which often ends up in violent confrontations with Muslims, United Against Fascism (UAF) or the police. The “leaving of bombs” is interesting because it mimics what the IRA did during its violent struggle against the British establishment.
International EDL sympathisers
The EDL is not a lone wolf extremist group, in that it is ideologically connected and supported by other European and American right-wing groups and individuals. The group has a dedicated website and Facebook page designed to foster Islamophobia among the non-Muslim British population. Individuals affiliated with the group also disseminate its worldviews via online and offline platforms.
After the Oslo massacre in July 2011, which was carried out by Christian extremist Anders Brevik, the British media reported that he was connected to the EDL. Although Tommy Robinson had stated that his group had no links with Brevik, the fact remains that both share an ideology that inspires the desecration of Islamic symbols and attacks on Muslims.
The EDL has gained considerable support for its views and activities from anti-Muslim American blogger Pamela Geller and academic Robert Spencer who publish material extensively on Islam and Muslims. Both are powerhouses in the field of global Islamophobia and together launched an organization called “Stop Islamisation of America” in 2010.
Pamela Geller came to the world attention for her campaigning against the Ground-Zero Mosque, while Robert Spencer is best known for his work being heavily referenced by Anders Brevik in his manifesto entitled: “A European Declaration of Independence”. Earlier this month, Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer were invited by the EDL to foment support for its cause in the UK but they were denied entry through the intervention of Home Sectary Theresa May.
The question of whether open borders in the EU have enabled right-wing extremists to settle in the UK unchecked is a difficult one to answer. Having said this, it is clear from media reports that hate crime and right-wing extremism are on the rise in mainland Europe. The movement of individuals holding extremist ideas moving from one European country to another is made more possible by the EU’S open border policy.
This means that there is every possibility that extremists from European countries can move into the UK and become affiliated with groups such as the EDL. The likelihood of European extremists operating in the UK is made more plausible with Pavlo Lapshyn, the man who has been charged for the murder of Mohammed Saleem, even though the Ukraine is not part of the EU.
