Good morning. Ten years after the killing of MP Jo Cox by a right-wing extremist before the Brexit referendum, her sister Kim Leadbeater, now an MP herself, issued an urgent call. In an interview on the Today in Focus podcast, she stated that political hatred in Britain has intensified since her sister’s death, yet insisted the voices promoting division remain a minority. “They are very loud. But the rest of us then have got a duty to drown them out and tell the good stories of this country,” she said. Attention has focused on the role of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of a major social media platform, who reinstated a prominent far-right figure and promotes a transnational far-right network to his 240 million followers. While recent debate has centered on protecting children from social media harms, another concern involves online content that may encourage offline violence and contribute to hostility on British streets, especially toward people of color. Political correspondent Ben Quinn, who has covered the far right in the UK for over a decade, discussed these issues. Headlines included a Russian warship firing warning shots near a British yacht in the Channel amid tensions with Moscow. The Liberal Democrats called for the UK to rejoin the EU single market and urged greater Labour action on Europe. Iran’s foreign minister linked any US peace deal to Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. A BBC presenter praised for reaching young male viewers was reported to have a record of misogynistic comments. Hillary Clinton described Joe Biden’s reelection bid as a serious error that may have harmed his legacy. Quinn noted that recent racist incidents in Belfast, Glasgow and Southampton followed a recurring pattern of trigger events that cross borders. Far-right groups link tragedies such as the death of Henry Nowak or the stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie to immigration narratives, often ignoring specific details, and urge street protests. In Belfast this led to ethnic minority families being forced from their homes, echoing the 2024 Southport riots driven by online misinformation. Over two years the methods have shifted, with planning now more visible. After Southport, coordination occurred privately on Telegram before amplification on X, while Facebook helped organize local involvement. Following the sentencing in the Nowak case, planning appeared openly on X. Musk shared details of planned demonstrations in Britain and Northern Ireland, drawing attention from right-wing politicians in Europe. Events in Europe are also highlighted regularly online, though without similar unrest. One recurring reference is the 2022 Mannheim stabbing at a right-wing rally that killed a police officer. Musk’s activity on X has included frequent posts on perceived threats to white populations. His influence extends to UK politics through promotion of figures such as Rupert Lowe, who advocated large-scale deportations. AI-generated images, videos and songs have also been used to heighten local tensions, including memes after release of police bodycam footage.
