Far-right Telegram groups incite violence and promote genocide during UK riots

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Vijaya Laxmi Tripura
  • Update Time : Thursday, October 24, 2024
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In the aftermath of violent riots across the UK, far-right extremists have used messaging platform Telegram to spread dangerous rhetoric, including bomb-making instructions and calls for genocide, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) has revealed. These groups, many of which are steeped in racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism, have been leveraging the platform to incite violence and disseminate hateful propaganda.

In one of the most alarming findings, messages circulating in nine far-right Telegram groups during the riots included explicit calls for genocide against Muslims. One post called for a “Srebrenica 2.0,” a chilling reference to the 1995 massacre in Bosnia, where approximately 8,000 Bosniak Muslims were killed in an act of ethnic cleansing. The group also incited violence against mosques, with at least three posts advocating for their destruction.

The explicit nature of these calls demonstrates the increasing brazenness of far-right actors in using online platforms to further their extremist agendas. Beyond verbal incitement, some Telegram groups provided instructions for building explosives, Molotov cocktails, and makeshift weapons. Others distributed guides on how to commit arson and evade law enforcement detection, clearly laying out step-by-step directions for violent attacks.

The scope of the threats also extended to prominent public figures. Among the death threats circulating on Telegram were those directed at Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Reform UK MP Richard Tice, and Nick Lowles, the CEO of the anti-racism organization Hope Not Hate. These individuals, known for their public stances against far-right ideologies and racism, have been subjected to menacing calls for violence from extremists.

Such threats highlight the broader danger posed by these far-right groups-not just to vulnerable communities such as migrants and Muslims but also to those actively working to combat hate speech and violence. By targeting public officials and advocates, extremists are attempting to intimidate and silence opposition to their dangerous narratives.

The riots, which saw over 400 people arrested, were sparked by an incident in Southport in which three children were stabbed to death. In the wake of the attack, far-right groups seized the opportunity to spread false information online, promoting anti-Islam and anti-migrant sentiment. This disinformation further inflamed tensions, prompting a wave of violence and unrest.

In connection to the riots, the Crown Prosecution Service has charged a 28-year-old man for “using threatening words or behavior intended to stir up racial hatred” through online posts. His case exemplifies the broader trend of extremists exploiting high-profile violent incidents to spread fear and incite hostility against minority groups.

One Telegram group that played a particularly active role in the unrest grew to 14,000 members before going offline. However, analysis revealed that only 238 users had posted more than once, indicating a relatively small but vocal subset of active members. In spite of this, the group managed to disseminate a list of potential targets for violence, including immigration centers and law offices, which was shared nearly 1,000 times in other far-right groups on the platform.

Many of the far-right Telegram channels involved in circulating violent content are part of a broader international network of white nationalist movements. Jordan Wildon, the founder of Prose Intelligence, which conducted an analysis of these groups, emphasized that the extremists are part of an organized movement aiming to use violence to achieve their goals.

The international nature of this movement is evident in the identities of some of the group administrators. One administrator, who issued a call for “Srebrenica 2.0,” claimed to be based in Finland and ran another Telegram channel focused on European far-right content, including Nazi propaganda. In another instance, a group calling for attacks on Muslims and migrants in the UK was traced to Russian-language white supremacist websites.

This global far-right ecosystem uses platforms like Telegram to disseminate ideas and tactics across borders, with actors from different countries sharing strategies and aligning their goals. The decentralized nature of these platforms allows them to evade regulation and local law enforcement efforts, presenting a significant challenge to governments trying to combat far-right extremism.

Mona Bani, executive director of Revoke UK, an organization advocating for displaced youth in London, expressed concern over the escalating threat posed by these far-right groups. She emphasized that the recent violence is a reflection of years of divisive, racist narratives that have been allowed to simmer, often exacerbated by political and economic instability. Bani called on the government to take more aggressive action against these groups and the ideologies that fuel them.

Telegram has faced growing scrutiny for its role in facilitating the spread of extremist content. A spokesperson for the platform, Remi Vaughn, stated that the company is actively monitoring the situation and removing channels and posts that violate its terms of service, which explicitly forbid calls to violence. According to Vaughn, Telegram employs a combination of AI tools, user reports, and proactive monitoring to tackle such content, but the sheer volume of posts and the anonymity provided by the platform make this an ongoing challenge.

The circulation of bomb-making instructions, calls for genocide, and incitements to violence in far-right Telegram groups during the UK riots underscores the growing danger of online extremism. While platforms like Telegram are taking steps to curb such content, the persistence of these channels, many of which are tied to a global network of white nationalist movements, highlights the need for a coordinated and comprehensive response to counteract these forces of hate. The stakes are high, as the threats posed by these extremists are not only to individual communities but to the very fabric of society itself.

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Avatar photo Vijaya Laxmi Tripura, a research-scholar, columnist and analyst is a Special Contributor to Blitz. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

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