LONDON: Britain's approach to combating extremism has been criticized for being “double-edged”, with far-right attacks not treated as seriously as Islamist ones, according to a leading think tank.
The Royal United Services Institute has raised concerns that far-right violence is often dismissed as “mere mischief” by politicians, prosecutors and security services, The Observer reported on Sunday.
In contrast, similar acts by Islamist extremists would likely be quickly classified as terrorism, the think tank argued in an article published by the newspaper.
The criticism comes in the wake of weeks of riots across England and Northern Ireland, during which asylum hotels and mosques were targeted.
The violence has been linked to neo-Nazi and far-right activity, highlighting what RUSI described as a “double standard” in how different forms of extremism are dealt with.
RUSI, which was founded in 1831 by the Duke of Wellington and is often cited as the world's oldest think tank, said this double standard had allowed far-right extremism to flourish in Britain.
Dr Jessica White, Acting Head of RUSI's Terrorism and Conflict Research Group, Research Fellow Claudia Wallner and Emily Winterbotham, Head of Terrorism and Conflict Studies, co-authored the paper.
They wrote: “RUSI's research suggests that the nature of far-right violence, which is often seen as low-impact and incoherent, combined with institutional bias and racism, means that far-right violence has historically not elicited the same responses from politicians, security services and media as jihadist violent extremism.
“There is a clear double standard, or two-pronged approach, in how different forms of extremism are addressed, particularly when comparing security and legal responses to far-right extremism and Islamist violent extremism.
“Violence motivated by the far-right is often classified as mere 'hooliganism' or hooliganism, while similar acts motivated by Islamist extremism would likely quickly be labeled terrorism. This inconsistency undermines the perceived seriousness of far-right threats and impedes the political will and necessary legal precedent to take corresponding measures.”
The article criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his recent description of an attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers as “far-right rioting,” The Observer reported.
While acknowledging the ideological roots of the violence, the authors argued that the term “tuggery” minimizes the organized, ideological nature of the riots and the groups behind them.
RUSI advocated that serious incidents of far-right violence be treated as terrorism. Recognizing serious cases of far-right violence as terrorism would be “consistent with a fairer legal approach, ensuring that all forms of extremism are prosecuted with the seriousness they warrant”, it said.
It argued that the recent riots should be seen as part of a wider “pattern of violence” across Europe that had been largely overlooked by politicians and the public alike.
It added: “Similar far-right riots have occurred in Dublin in 2023 and in Chemnitz, Germany in 2018, both in response to stabbings that sparked widespread anti-immigrant sentiment, with far-right groups exploiting the incidents to incite violence against migrants and refugees.”
RUSI's findings followed recent allegations of bias within the UK's legal and political system, particularly in relation to pro-Palestinian protests that have taken place since 7 October.
