London: Britain's approach to fighting extremism has been criticized for being “two-tiered”, with far-right attacks not being treated as seriously as Islamists, according to a leading think tank.
The Royal United Services Institute has expressed concern that right-wing violence is often dismissed as “mere hooliganism” by politicians, prosecutors and security services, The Observer reported on Sunday.
In contrast, similar actions by Islamist extremists would likely soon be classified as terrorism, the think tank argued in an article published by the newspaper.
The criticism comes amid weeks of rioting in England and Northern Ireland, in which refugee hotels and mosques have been targeted.
The violence has been linked to neo-Nazi and far-right activity, which RUSI describes as a “double standard” in how different forms of extremism are addressed.
RUSI, which was founded by the Duke of Wellington in 1831 and is often cited as the world's oldest think tank, says this double standard has allowed far-right extremism to flourish in Britain.
Acting Director of RUSI's Terrorism and Conflict Research Group. Jessica White, research fellow Claudia Wallner and Emily Winterbotham, director of terrorism and conflict studies, co-authored the article.
They wrote: “RUSI's research suggests that the nature of far-right violence, which is often seen as low-impact and unconnected, coupled with institutionalized bias and racism, means that far-right violence has historically not triggered the same responses from politicians, security and the like. services and media as jihadist violent extremism.
“There exists a clear double standard, or two-tiered approach, in how different types of extremism are addressed, particularly when security and legal responses to far-right and Islamist violent extremism are compared.
“Far-right-inspired violence is often simply classified as 'thuggery' or hooliganism, while similar acts motivated by Islamist extremism would likely be labeled as terrorism. This inconsistency undermines the perceived seriousness of far-right threats and the political will and legal precedent needed to take similar action. hinders.”
The article criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starr for describing her recent attack on a hotel housing refugees as “far-right hooliganism,” The Observer reported.
While acknowledging the ideological roots of the violence, the authors argued that the term “thugry” underestimated the organized, ideological nature of the riots and the groups behind them.
RUSI advocated treating serious cases of far-right violence as terrorism. Recognizing serious cases of far-right violence as terrorism would “align with a more uniform legal strategy, ensuring that all forms of extremism are prosecuted with the severity they warrant,” it said.
It argued that the recent riots should be seen as part of a wider “pattern of violence” across Europe that was largely ignored by both politicians and the public.
It added: “Similar far-right riots have occurred in Dublin in 2023 and in Chemnitz, Germany in 2018, both in response to stabbings that have sparked widespread anti-immigrant sentiment, with far-right groups exploiting the incidents to incite violence against migrants. Refugees.”
RUSI's findings follow recent allegations of bias in the UK's legal and political systems, particularly in relation to the pro-Palestinian protests that have taken place since 7 October.
