From Parliament to Pavements: Hate Politics Goes Mainstream in the UK

Progressive Britain is trying to mount the strongest possible resistance—though much more is needed.

Left: Members of the Indian community hold a protest in the West Midlands' Oldbury on 14 September over the alleged rape and assault of a Sikh woman. Right: Two Sikh men assaulted by British teenagers on 15 August outside a railway station in Wolverhampton.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

In mid-September, a 20-year-old Sikh woman was allegedly raped by far-right racists in broad daylight in Britain’s West Midlands. According to the survivor and the Sikh Federation UK, she was told during the assault, “You don’t belong to this country. Go back to your own land.”

In another incident, a Bangladeshi woman had just landed at Heathrow Airport to visit her son. The two, who had stopped briefly near the airport, were allegedly subjected to vile, xenophobic slurs by a group of racists who mocked her clothing. One man grabbed at her burqa.

When her son protested, the attackers turned on him with baseball bats, leaving him seriously injured. Only the quick help of bystanders prevented a tragedy. A video of the attack went viral.

In the first week of September, a student from Hong Kong was reportedly assaulted on the University of York Campus and was addressed as a "refugee".

Amidst the far-right surge witnessed across many European nations in recent years, the UK's diverse, multiracial society is experiencing a rise in racist politics driven by populism, with right-wing politicians increasingly exploiting anti-immigrant sentiments and pandering to extremist views.

From Parliament to the Streets

These are not isolated incidents.

Across Britain, far-right politics is surging.

A nationalistic movement called 'Raise the Colours', which originated in the West Midlands but quickly spread to other regions, is promoting Anglocentric patriotism by displaying the Union Jack and the flag of St George across towns and cities. Far-right groups heavily fund the movement.

Islamophobia, hostility toward refugees, and bitter anti-Left rhetoric are thriving. This has been reflected in the realm of parliamentary politics through the rapid rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, shaking the decades-long dominance of the Conservatives and Labour. Racist and far-right figures like Tommy Robinson are gaining influence.

On 13 September, London saw one of the largest far-right, racist, rallies in recent years—the so-called “Unite the Kingdom" march organised by Tommy Robinson. Hundreds of thousands took part, with massive funding behind it. Union Jacks were distributed en masse, effectively turning the flag into a weapon of far-right mobilisation. The far-right took control of much of central London on that day.

But there was also resistance. Britain’s anti-racist and anti-war groups called a counter-march. This rally was led by women, who were raising slogans of pluralism and solidarity with Palestine. Thousands of trade union members marched with them.

When the two rallies converged near Whitehall, clashes broke out, with bottle-throwing, street fighting, and even some bloodshed.

To someone familiar with the city's history, the scenes from this clash would be reminiscent of the 1930s “Battle of Cable Street,” when workers, communists, and Leftists fought Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists in East London. History seems to be repeating itself: the politics of hate returns, and so does the politics of resistance.

Islamophobia on the Rise

'Tell Mama', an organisation that supports victims of Islamophobia in the UK, recorded in 2024 a 43 percent rise in anti-Muslim hate cases over the previous year, the highest since 2011.

They also found an over 1,000 percent increase in online anti-Muslim hate reports post 7 October 2023. The murder of three young girls in Southport by an 18-year-old born to Rwandan parents was another incident that sharply intensified online anti-Muslim hate.

According to the British Census, the Muslim population in the UK increased by 1.2 million between 2011 and 2021, which accounts for 32 percent of the overall growth of the UK population in those 10 years.

Muslims in the UK by far exceed the population belonging to all other minority faiths taken together, and just like in India, anti-Muslim hate rhetoric in the UK typically spreads the fear of the UK being taken over by Muslims, through outbreeding the indigenous population.

A disproportionate amount of hate is targeted against a handful of prominent Muslim politicians, including the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who has invested significantly in tackling hate crimes, intolerance and extremism in London.

Mainstreaming Racism

"Wherever I look, only brown people. Where have all the British gone?" is what I heard a white British worker at a grocery shop murmuring next to me.

Coincidentally, it was the morning of the same day that Nigel Farage pledged to end the provision of 'indefinite leave to remain', which allows foreign nationals to become permanent residents of the UK after they have worked and lived in the country for five consecutive years. Prime Minister Keir Starmer from the Labour party called his pledge "racist" and "immoral", yet that does not seem to do much to reduce Farage's popularity or increase Starmer's.

The critical reforms proposed by the Reform Party in their 2024 manifesto started with freezing non-essential immigration, 'Stop the Boats', detaining and deporting illegal immigrants, and raising national insurance rates for foreign workers.

The Telegraph's recent opinion poll for the next general election shows about 31 percent support for Farage, above 10 percentage points more than Keir Starmer. Struggling to protect his support base, the Prime Minister has recently stated that the Left-wing parties, including Labour, have "shied away from people's concerns around illegal immigration", and it is now essential to tackle every aspect of that problem.

From Streets to a New Party

Similar to India, Britain’s resistance takes two forms—parliamentary struggle and street mobilisation, which are not opposed to each other but complementary. Faced with the electoral rise of the far right, many Left-democratic groups have lost faith in Labour.

The hope that emerged with Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership in 2015 has been crushed by the combined force of Labour’s right wing and pro-Israel lobbies. Today’s Labour often sounds more conservative than the Conservatives themselves. Meanwhile, Farage's far-right Reform is eating into the Tories’ traditional base with its extreme racism.

Amidst these circumstances, the British Left is attempting to build a new party. At its forefront are two MPs: the veteran Corbyn and the young Zarah Sultana. Though the new party doesn’t yet have a permanent name, they have started organising under the name 'Your Party'. It has already registered massive interest, with thousands attending meetings across the country.

The Palestine solidarity movement of the past two years has given this initiative huge momentum. Millions have marched in Britain against the genocide in Gaza, reshaping politics from within.

A recent YouGov poll shows that 51 percent of Britons find the mass killings in Palestine unjustified. It is no coincidence that the far right, including Robinson, is fiercely pro-Israel. At his rally, Palestine flags were torn down.

Challenges and Shifts Within the Left

This new Left initiative is not without challenges, however. Internal tensions emerged, with Zarah Sultana accusing party organisers of sexism and sidelining her, while others criticised her in return. Yet, compromises were reached, and membership drives resumed. Time will tell if Corbyn and Sultana’s project can build the infrastructure needed for real electoral impact.

The Palestine solidarity movement will likely continue to influence Britain's mainstream politics in the coming days.

This movement is also increasing the Left-wing influence within other major political parties. The Green Party elected a Left-wing leader, Zack Polanski, who has openly walked alongside Corbyn and Sultana in the anti-Trump rally. Corbyn congratulated him upon being elected.

Importantly, Polanski is the "first openly gay man to lead a major political party" and self-describes as an "eco-populist". The Greens are also doing well in electoral politics. Various surveys indicate that their votes will increase in the next election, maybe even winning some votes from Labour. Parts of Labour's soft-left are reactivating as the 'Mainstream' faction within Labour.

The Liberal Democrats are also participating in large numbers in the march for Gaza. So, the picture is not one-sided: the far right is rising, but there are also signs of renewed left and progressive energy, albeit weaker in comparison.

Building a Broad Anti-Racist Front

Shaken by the rise of the far right, including Reform, trade unions, community groups, anti-racist organisations like 'Stand Up to Racism', and pro-Palestine organisations like 'Stop the War' are stepping up. In many areas, ordinary people, who are not affiliated with any organisation, are forming local resistance squads themselves. Local initiatives are being taken to protect refugees from occasional racist attacks on the hotels they are staying in.

Progressive Britain is trying to mount the strongest possible resistance, though much more is still needed.

I was talking to Jeremy Corbyn at the recently held Gaza Tribunal. The former Labour leader said, “Ordinary people will never allow the politics of hate and prejudice to win. Community-based resistance is building against the hatred that Reform is cultivating. This anti-racism movement will only grow stronger.”

Arka Bhaduri in conversation with Jeremy Corbyn at the Gaza Tribunal. 

(Photo: Arka Bhaduri) 

The coming days in British politics are going to be eventful. Across Europe, the far right is surging, but so too is the resistance. Neighbouring France offers the glaring example, where workers, the urban poor, and students are building powerful struggles alongside the left. Britain may well follow a similar path.

(Arka Bhaduri is an independent journalist. This is an opinion piece, and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)