CST BLOG – Capitolising On Violence: How British far right extremists reacted to last night’s horrific scenes in Washington D.C.
https://cst.org.uk/news/blog/0000/00/00/capitolising-on-violence-how-british-far-right-extremists-reacted-to-last-nights-horrific-scenes-in-washington-d-c

The horrific scenes at the Capitol were looked on with glee and envy by far right extremists in the UK who also dream of dismantling democracy. Our blog post shows examples of some of these responses, including calls for Parliament to be occupied & threats to British politicians.

This is yet another example of why internet regulation is urgently needed to help control the spread of online extremism, as Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu described today. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/extremism-online-police-definition-freedom-expression-basu-b1779631.html

One of the prevailing reactions from British far right extremists to events in Washington D.C. has been calls for similar events to take place here in the UK, either at Parliament or Downing Street.

Individuals on the anonymous imageboard site 4Chan, where extreme antisemitism, racism, misogyny, homophobia and hate are standard, were doing the same, specifically on British threads on the “politically incorrect” message board.

Antisemitism was not central to the protests in Washington D.C., nevertheless, it is unsurprising that some far right extremists are using what took place to promote antisemitism. In this example, a user posted in Britfam labelling the Prime Minister Boris Johnson a “nervous Yid”

In June last year, CST’s Hate Fuel report exposed the shocking extent of terror incitement and anti-Jewish hate created and circulated by right wing extremists on social media.
https://cst.org.uk/news/blog/2020/06/11/hate-fuel-the-hidden-online-world-fuelling-far-right-terror

It showed how this is a global movement of like-minded activists inciting each other on alternative social media platforms, in which, crucially, far right activists in the United States often take the lead in influencing British neo-Nazis.

Individuals on these alternative platforms are constantly looking for ways to exploit and influence online debate over mainstream politics by injecting their extremist views.

This problem persists, and the images and media from Washington D.C. have been swiftly transformed into a steady stream of far right, conspiracy-driven propaganda. As CST has constantly highlighted, this is a global problem requiring global solutions.