Unite the Kingdom rally: When the far-right makes the case against itself

By George Marshall

“You either fight back, or you die”. Those were the incendiary words of Elon Musk as he

virtually addressed the crowd at Tommy Robinson’s “Unite the Kingdom” rally. In many

ways, those seven words distilled the mood of the day: a march against a self-created threat, and a determination to reclaim something they believed to have been taken from them.

Whilst for some, this was a ‘harmless’ and ‘peaceful’ protest, attempting to preserve

“identity, pride and the right to speak without fear” as Nathan King shared on TikTok, to

others it evoked visceral reactions and reflected images of the National Front marches seen in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.

When these two lines of thought arise once again, we have to wonder if Britain is actually moving forward, and consider why we find ourselves in a period of stagnation regarding tolerance once again.

With a reported 110,000 in attendance, it becomes more and more evident that the fears and hostility once used by groups like the National Front are being repackaged and dangerously released into a political climate which, at present, seems unable to challenge them.

The reasons why marches like this are harmful have already been explained many times across various media. For some, it feels pointless to keep repeating why racism, misogyny, homophobia, and other forms of hate are wrong to a group clearly unwilling to listen. In response to events like this, with the opportunities to challenge the far right becoming narrower, it may be effective to simply allow their actions (the aggression, intimidation and lying) to expose themselves for what they really are. In a time where the far right is able to get away with a number of things and where their voices are amplified by mainstream media, our approach to tackling the far right needs adjusting. As think tanks make clear the UK is lenient towards far-right extremism, we must call out their violent actions, expose how they conduct themselves to incite hate, and continue to make clear why this hate is not welcome in the politics of this country.

We must judge them by their actions and let them make the case against themselves as they create a comedy of contradictions.

The first is the ‘celebrity’ presence surrounding the rally. I have already mentioned the

surprise speech given by Elon Musk via video link, but that was not where the famous

appearances ended. Arm in arm with Robinson, we saw Katie Hopkins – her presence

alongside other notable figures highlights a return to the traditional use of spectacle to either justify the rhetoric or cover a lack of substance. The far right’s continuous reliance on loud-mouthed figures to gain attraction exposes one of this movement’s central weaknesses. It relies on theatrics and high-profile figures (despite being a movement for ‘ordinary Britons’) to justify its existence. In doing so, it also distracts from the absence of credible leadership and serious solutions to the problems it claims to care so deeply about.

In the same video where Hopkins was seen next to Robinson as they marched through the streets of London, we also saw another reason why the far right is a threat to liberal

democracy – wildly untrue lies. In that video, Robinson and the Polish MEP Dominik

Tarczyński claimed that 3 million people were participating in the rally, a figure that is not

only wildly exaggerated, but easily disproved by a number of sources which puts the

attendance at around 110,000 (less than 4% of Robinson’s claims). Those spectating the rally also say that by the time the rally had got to Trafalgar Square, most had gone. This blatant inflation of figures is not just harmless exaggeration however: it’s an obvious attempt to create the illusion of mass support. If it doesn’t show figures like Robinson to be liars in order to elevate their own credibility, then it certainly should show that the far right cannot stand on facts nor evidence. It reflects a casual willingness to lie and an absence of all forms of credibility – a recipe of disaster and something everyone should be uncomfortable with.

Yet, it wasn’t just the leading figures which showed the ‘movement’ to be what it really is

(divisive and hateful), it was also those in attendance. In the march we saw the topical use of flags to one of its highest extents after weeks where this became a heated debate. Participants created a sea of Union flags and St George’s Crosses throughout the streets of London supposedly to promote patriotism. Yet as we have seen in recent months, and clearly in the rally, these were not used as symbols of patriotism, but again as ones of exclusion and hate. As flags were being flown, participants were chanting “we want our country back” and signs reading “send them back” were being held. Here we see another problem with the far right: behind the supposed patriotism there lies deep notions of exclusion. The use of our flag to demonise others and incite hate does nothing but divide. Their actions show that they do not care about patriotism, but rather advancing an exclusionary agenda which weaponizes a symbol which is supposed to represent us all.

The incitement of violence, as well as the violence committed against police officers, also highlight how the far right is rooted in aggression and intimidation, rather than simply expressing a ‘difference of opinion’. One man interviewed at the march said that “Kier Starmer needs to be assassinated. Someone needs to shoot Kier Starmer.” With violent threats like that, we see how the far-right struggles to deal with a difference of opinion, inciting violence in a casual fashion towards those they disagree with. The normalisation of violence amongst the far right should scare us all. This is also seen in the attacks on police officers protecting the city with 26 officers injured. It is clear these individuals have a blatant disregard for law and order in the country and highlights a concerning reality: the far right rely on violence rather than argument.

Furthermore, in a march that was supposed to share the far right’s ‘deep love’ for this

country, videos from after the rally reveal participants left a trail of litter and damaged

property. It is actions like this that contradict their patriotic rhetoric and highlight they have no genuine concern for the communities and streets they claim to defend.

In the video by Nathan King I mentioned earlier, he said “what matters most today is showing who we really are: calm, proud and united.” In reality, they have done the exact opposite. On September 13th , the far right of this nation showed themselves for what they really are: violent, performative, untruthful and hypocritical. If they want to be taken seriously as Nigel Farage suggested at the Reform UK conference, then we can only judge them by the actions we saw on Saturday where they made the case against themselves.

In doing so, we have to question what went so wrong for Britain to be in the same place as it was sixty years ago.

Image: Google Creative Commons