Were the UKs far right riots caused by The Sun and Daily Mail promoting Israeli anti Palestinian racism and a false Israeli narrative that the Palestinian struggle for self determination is antisemitic and driven by ?
The recent social turmoil in the United Kingdom has garnered global attention, as footage depicting White British mobs engaging in rioting, arson, beating police officers, destroying businesses, trespassing into homes believed to be owned by Muslims, and randomly attacking individuals have gone viral.
Nevertheless, a mostly overlooked part belongs to the efforts of far-right influencers who have incited these race riots. They are attempting to establish a connection between the anti-immigrant movement and Israel, with many of them being funded advocates for the Israeli attack on Gaza.
Despite the prevalence of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab attitudes since the initiation of the West's "war on terror" in the early 2000s, particularly following the September 11 terrorist attacks, there has been a recent decrease in this discourse. Nevertheless, after the Hamas-led offensive against Israel on October 7, there was a significant increase in anti-Islamic language that reached unprecedented levels.
The Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR) reported that in 2023, they received the highest number of complaints over Islamophobic acts in its 30-year history. The majority of these complaints were received after October 7.
Based on the figures for this year, there has been a significant increase of 70% in Islamophobic occurrences during the first half of 2024. In the United Kingdom, there has been a significant increase in Islamophobia, as evidenced by data from the Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU), which shows a 365% surge in hate crimes targeting Muslims after October 7.
The data indicates a notable rise in anti-Muslim sentiment, which is closely linked to media coverage of the war between Palestine and Israel, whether on social media or in mainstream news outlets. Although numerous studies have shown the biases of the corporate media, it seems that most of the strong opinions nowadays are influenced by online platforms.
The center of attention of the racially motivated disturbances occurring in the United Kingdom is the prominent figure Tommy Robinson, who actively campaigns against Muslims. He propagated the dissemination of a fabricated Islamic name for a 17-year-old British-born follower of Christianity who fatally stabbed three youngsters in an area known as Southport, while claiming that the murderer was seeking refuge as an asylum seeker.
Soon after the phony identity was publicized and presented as proof of a problem with aggressive Muslim Asylum seekers in the UK, it was quickly debunked. However, this significant piece of false information served as the spark for the subsequent riots.
After the escalation of tensions, associating a gruesome mass stabbing incident with "illegal immigration," and advocating for action to be taken, individuals such as Tommy Robinson promptly took to the internet to disassociate themselves from the violence, while simultaneously rationalizing the riots. Interestingly, the primary issue that Robinson raised in his video on the riots did not pertain to illegal immigration, but rather focused on Hamas.
Tommy Robinson provided the following opening clarification for the xenophobic and discriminatory riots against immigrants:
‘Why are people angry? I’ll tell you why they’re angry – Cos’ Hamas were allowed to overtake London. Over take our capital city. Every week flying ISIS flags, Hamas flags. Calling for Jihad. The police did nothing. Nothing. Instead they arrested me.”
He added:
“your actions in the last three weeks or since October 7th, you’ve created thousands of Tommy Robinsons”.
This statement is credited to an individual who participated in an Israeli military tour, where he was seen wearing Israeli army t-shirts and posing on tanks in an area that is under Israeli occupation. Furthermore, he has expressed his willingness to engage in a war on behalf of Israel. However, what is the reason behind the intense fixation of this guy who identifies as a "English patriot" on relating every matter to Israel and October 7?
Tommy Robinson gained notoriety when he helped establish the openly anti-Islam 'English Defence League' (EDL), which was notorious for engaging in racial riots and marches. Notably, the co-founder of the EDL was Paul Ray, a former employee of Israeli intelligence who was tasked with infiltrating and gathering information on the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
On X (previously Twitter), the prominent rapper Lowkey provides a comprehensive account of the links between the English Defence League (EDL) and the Zionist movement. Lowkey highlights that the EDL English Defence League LTD was registered on the companies house (UK government website) by Roberta Moore, a former Israeli soldier. She was head of the EDL’s Jewish Unit, which consisted of approximately 100 people. When questioned about whether the EDL was taking advantage of the Zionist Movement, she responded:
“If anything, we are exploiting them”.
In February 2013, Roberta Moore officially renamed the EDL on Companies House as the Jewish Defence League UK. Photographs show Moore beside Meir Weinstein, the leader of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) in Canada.
Meir Kahane, a former far-right Israeli Knesset member, led the JDL, which the United States previously banned as a terrorist group. During the initial formation of the EDL, one of the prominent speakers at their demonstrations was Rabbi Nachum Shifren, who had previously served as a trainer in the Israeli military.
Lucy Brown, a former employee of Tommy Robinson, has stated that the far-right media figure was receiving a monthly payment of £10,000 from the Zionist billionaire Robert Shillman.
An investigative report by The Guardian revealed that the Canadian right-wing media organization 'Rebel News' provided Tommy Robinson with a monthly salary of £5,000, funded by Shillman. Furthermore, the Middle East Forum (MEF), a Philadelphia-based think tank with Zionist affiliations, admitted to paying Robinson at least $60,000.
Tommy Robinson has a well-documented record of obtaining financial support from Zionists. Additionally, there is a direct connection between the radical Kahanists and the racist English Defence League (EDL). Furthermore, the Israeli military invited Robinson to visit and spend time with them.
It is not surprising that he is incorporating irrelevant anti-Palestinian rhetoric into his assessment of the riots he played a role in inciting, all the while attempting to rationalize his position without completely endorsing violence.
Examining the array of other prominent far-right individuals who have emerged prominently since October 7, and who are inciting anti-Muslim emotions, it becomes evident that they consistently associate Israel with the anti-immigrant positions they advocate.
Consider the case of Douglas Murray, who was promptly transported to Tel Aviv and emerged as a famous advocate for Israel's actions in Gaza, while also endorsing deceptive October 7 propaganda. Murray suddenly appeared, presenting meticulously crafted misinformation concerning the Middle East, Muslims, Asylum Seekers, and what he refers to as Western principles. In spite of his lack of significance, he even assumed the role of hosting Piers Morgan uncensored when the show's presenter took a break.
Other individuals, like Katie Hopkins, who have also visited Israel and shared pictures of herself wearing Israeli army t-shirts, she too combines her anti-Islam and anti-immigrant views with pro-Israel arguments.
There is a deliberate intention behind Israel's actions in supporting Islamophobic media figures and utilizing right-wing influencers to promote anti-Palestinian views. This is part of a well-planned effort to generate animosity against Muslims and Asylum Seekers, while also associating this animosity with support for Israel.
Although the racist riots in the UK may not be directly caused by the financial support provided by the Zionist Lobby to far-right figures, it is undeniable that these individuals owe their existence to the substantial funding they receive. Tommy Robinson is attempting to insinuate that the riots are occurring due to Hamas gaining control of London, referring to nonviolent pro-Palestinian demonstrators. However, this assertion is largely unrelated to the true reasons behind the racist riots.
By disseminating false information that portrays all pro-Palestinian protestors as members of Hamas and suggests that they were also displaying ISIS flags, this exacerbates the situation and encourages animosity against Palestinians while bolstering support for Israel.
Inciting Islamophobia among those who already exhibit apparent racist tendencies, and channeling their fury against Palestinians, is undeniably a deliberate strategy. Despite the evident connections between the far-right and Israel, the corporate media remains largely silent on this matter.