LONDON: Britain's approach to countering extremism has been criticized for being “two-tiered” where far-right attacks are not taken as seriously as Islamist attacks, according to a leading think tank.
The Royal Joint Services Institute has expressed concern that politicians, prosecutors and security services often dismiss right-wing violence as “just thuggery”, The Observer reported on Sunday.
In contrast, similar actions by Islamist extremists are likely to be quickly classified as terrorism, the think tank argued in an article published by the newspaper.
The criticism comes after a week of riots in England and Northern Ireland, in which shelter hotels and mosques were targeted.
The violence has been linked to neo-Nazi and far-right activities, highlighting what RUSI described as “double standards” in tackling various forms of extremism.
RUSI, founded in 1831 by the Duke of Wellington and often described as the world's oldest think tank, said these double standards had allowed far-right extremism to flourish in the UK.
Dr Jessica White, Acting Director of RUSI's Terrorism and Conflict Research Group, Research Fellow Claudia Wallner and Emily Winterbottom, Director of Terrorism and Conflict Research, co-authored the paper.
They wrote: “RUSI research shows that the nature of far-right violence, which is often seen as weak and disjointed, coupled with institutional biases and racism, means that far-right violence has historically not elicited the same response from politicians, security services and the media. information as jihadist violent extremism.
“There is a clear double standard or two-tiered approach in tackling various forms of extremism, particularly when comparing security and legal responses to far-right and Islamist violent extremism.
“Violence motivated by the far right is often classified as simply 'robbery' or hooliganism, while similar acts motivated by Islamist extremism are likely to be quickly labeled as terrorism. This inconsistency undermines the perceived seriousness of far-right threats and impedes the political will and necessary legal precedent to take equivalent action.”
In an article, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was criticized as a “far-right hooligan” for describing the recent attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers, according to The Observer.
While acknowledging the ideological roots of the violence, the authors argued that the term “ganging” minimizes the organized ideological nature of the riots and the groups behind them.
RUSI advocates treating serious cases of far-right violence as terrorism. Recognizing serious cases of far-right violence as terrorism “would be consistent with a fairer legal strategy, ensuring that all forms of extremism are prosecuted with appropriate seriousness,” it said.
It argued that the recent riots should be seen as part of a wider “pattern of violence” across Europe that has been largely overlooked by both politicians and the public.
It added: “Similar far-right riots took place in Dublin in 2023 and in Chemnitz, Germany in 2018, both following stabbings that sparked widespread anti-immigrant sentiment, with far-right groups using the incidents to incite violence against migrants and refugees.” .
RUSI's findings follow recent allegations of bias in the UK's legal and political systems, particularly in the context of the pro-Palestinian protests that have taken place since 7 October.
