Putin's Allies: Farage, Hopkins and Romanian Tate Stir Chaos in UK

Nigel Farage, Andrew Tate, and Katie Hopkins’s pro-Putin rhetoric and inflammatory statements align with Russian disinformation tactics, contributing to societal division and destabilisation in the UK

In the aftermath of a tragic knife attack at a children's dance class in Southport, the United Kingdom has been engulfed in violent anti-immigration riots. These riots, fuelled by false information disseminated on social media, have spread across towns and cities, leading to over 90 arrests and widespread chaos. This article delves into the origins of the riots, the key influencers who propagated misinformation, the responses from political figures, and the broader geopolitical implications, including potential links to Russian interference.

The unrest began with a post by controversial figure Andrew Tate on July 29, which falsely claimed: "ILLEGAL MIGRANT STABS 6 LITTLE GIRLS. WAKE UP." This inflammatory statement quickly went viral, garnering millions of impressions and igniting anger and fear. Despite prompt corrections that the suspect was a 17-year-old born in Cardiff of Rwandan heritage, the damage was done. Tate's post had already catalysed a wave of xenophobic and Islamophobic rhetoric.

Many responded to Tate's misinformation, attempting to correct the narrative. One user noted: "The Southport killer is 17, was born in Cardiff and is of Rwandan heritage. Andrew Tate, along with other right-wingers, spread disinformation about the killer being an illegal immigrant and/or a Muslim, which emboldened far-right thugs to attack a mosque yesterday in Southport." Despite these efforts, the false narrative persisted, driven by the influential voices of right-wing figures.

Marc Owen Jones, a prominent analyst, highlighted the disinformation campaign's key spreaders, including Tate, Darren Grimes, Europe Invasion, and others. Jones noted that posts speculating the attacker was a Muslim, migrant, refugee, or foreigner received at least 27 million impressions. He identified various accounts that perpetuated the false narrative, including @Cobratate, @darrengrimes_ of GB News, @EuropeInvasionn, and @afowler06. Jones pointed out that some accounts even fabricated an Arabic-sounding name for the attacker, further fuelling the xenophobic narrative.

Political figures have not been blameless in this situation. Nigel Farage, known for his controversial statements, has repeatedly made remarks that stoke racial hatred. Farage defended a UKIP candidate's use of a racial slur to describe Chinese people, used antisemitic tropes, and launched an anti-immigration poster compared to Nazi propaganda. His rhetoric has emboldened far-right sentiments and contributed to the toxic atmosphere.

Boris Johnson has also faced criticism for his inflammatory comments. He referred to Muslim women wearing burqas as looking like "letterboxes" and "bank robbers," used derogatory terms to describe African communities, and made insensitive comments about Nigerian stereotypes. Johnson's statements have perpetuated harmful stereotypes and undermined efforts to combat racism.

Priti Patel and Suella Braverman (both former UK Home Secretaries under Conservatives) have made statements that critics argue incite racism. Patel called the removal of a slave trader's statue "utterly disgraceful" and criticised footballers for taking the knee, while Braverman referred to migrants as an "invasion" and highlighted British Pakistani men as predominantly responsible for grooming gangs. These statements have been seen as legitimizing xenophobic sentiments and stoking racial tensions.

The situation in the UK echoes a broader pattern of misinformation and disinformation campaigns, which often have geopolitical implications. Russian "active measures," a term used to describe covert operations to influence foreign affairs, have long been a tool of Russian strategy. Defectors such as Oleg Kalugin, Yuri Bezmenov, and Stanislav Lunev have detailed how these operations are designed to destabilize societies and create internal conflicts.