Radio 43 | The rise in anti-migrant vigilantism

‘Young Bob’ is one of the young rising stars in Britain’s far-right scene. As well as having gained over 100,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), he is an ambassador for Turning Point UK (an offshoot of the far-right American organisation), an associate of the serial criminal and anti-Muslim extremist Stephen Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson), and - in a sign of the increasing acceptance of far-right views in the media - a regular guest on TalkTV. But the scene Young Bob is involved in doesn’t seem like a happy ship. Earlier this year, an undercover HOPE not hate reporter found out his real views of those he works with… 

Last month, HOPE not hate (HNH) exposed a new research unit collecting information on its perceived enemies. In this episode of Radio 43, we reveal some shocking information about the leading figures in this group and some of their disturbing online behaviour.You can read more about our investigations into them here.

The far right have long framed hate as “protecting the community”. The spate of anti-migrant protests that commenced this summer is no exception, with organisers exploiting local safety concerns through racist scapegoating. Chants of “Save our kids” mingle with “Tell the nation, remigration” and “Send them home”.In this episode of Radio 43, we look at four of these groups: The East Belfast Nightwatch First Division, Safeguard Force, Aberdeen Against Illegal Migration and The Shield.

UKIP leader Nick Tenconi is treating Britain’s anti-migrant protests as his own personal roadshow. Like a far-right whackamole, he has popped up at locations across the country, taking advantage of fired-up protesters to preach hate “in the name of God”. But, in reality, he hosts exceptionally extreme plans which promoted the deportation of one in seven of the UK population. Furthermore, he has a history of vile social media posts which objectify womenAs Tenconi seems to have become the speaker of choice for anti-migrant protests, you’ve got to wonder: do the locals know exactly who they are cheering for? 

In late June, the shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick took the stand at a conference. Addressing the crowd of Tories and radical-right political figures, he made an unusual statement. “I am what can be described as an Anglofuturist.” he said. His statement was applauded. But what did he actually mean?The movement's aims are much darker than they appear at first glance. Behind the gimmicky images of spaceships named after famous Victorians is a group of people pushing, at the very least for mass deportations, and, at worst, a whites-only nation. Anglofuturism is a gloss over disturbingly extreme ideas.

Reform UK national director Adam Bounds tried to recruit members to a "physical resistance group" for "gorillas by night tactics" and promoted far-right and conspiracy theory content. HOPE not hate has identified a now-deleted account on the messaging app Telegram as having belonged to Reform UK’s Adam Bounds.After last year’s general election, Nigel Farage promised that “those ‘bad apples’ that have crept in will be gone”. But Bounds is yet another so-called “bad apple” having worked for Farage’s party since the election. 

Ahead of the release of his latest book, How to Defeat the Far Right, HOPE not hate CEO Nick Lowles sat down in London for a conversation with award-winning journalist Ros Wynne-Jones.He talks about his 'origin story' and how he got involved with anti-racism and anti-fascism activism, through to the radicalisation of a young man during covid and just how the HOPE not Hate team identified one of the instigators of the  2025 Southport Riots.He finishes off the chat by explaining why using a helicopter might not be the best way to reach communities.To get your hands on Nick's book, How to Defeat the Far Right, visit our webstore: https://hopenothate.bigcartel.com

Organised by Stephen Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson, the "Unite the Kingdom" event attracted some of the most extreme figures in the British far right. Although the event was nominally concerned with “unity, boldness and truth”, it was marred by far-right campaigners expressing the belief that Britain is being invaded by Islam. 

While Reform UK wants to present itself as a respectable party, HOPE not hate can reveal that one of its staffers has promoted extreme far-right figures and racist views on social media.“We are going to professionalise the party,” pledged Reform UK leader Nigel Farage after last July’s general election, in which his party stood racist, anti-Muslim and antisemitic candidates. “Those few ‘bad apples’ that have crept in will be gone, will be long gone and we will never have any of their type back in our organisation. You have a 100 percent promise on that.”Alas, since then, numerous so-called “bad apples” have been selected as Reform candidates and some have been given senior positions in the party. Marking another blow to Farage’s promise, HOPE not hate can reveal that Reform’s recently-appointed “donor manager”, James Catton, has a shocking history of promoting extreme and racist content on social media. 

On both social and traditional media it’s easy to find commentary claiming that Nigel Farage’s extreme deportations policy and the recent series of anti-migrant protests represent the will of the British people.The lessons of the past two decades across Europe are clear. Social democratic parties that shift rightwards to head off a threat from the radical or far right end up losing. If Labour continues to try and occupy Reform’s space with ever more right-wing rhetoric on immigration and asylum seekers, this will only serve to legitimise Reform’s politics, increase their salience and ultimately boost its electoral success. None of this is to downplay the very real danger currently posed by the far right. It is growing in both number and strength. We saw the horrifying power of the politics of hatred last year when Britain erupted in the most widespread period of far-right violence of the whole postwar period. Street protests are growing in number and Reform, a populist radical right party, is topping the latest polls. However, it is possible to sound the alarm about its threat without simultaneously framing the far right as the voice of a “silent majority”. They are not, and doing so will only accelerate its rise.