Britain looks for answers after huge far-right rally

Once a far-right pariah, activist Tommy Robinson attracted up to 150,000 protestors to a weekend march in London, triggering soul-searching in Britain about the mainstreaming of fringe politics. The large numbers seen on Saturday came as a shock to many in the country and raised questions about the implications for the future of British politics and society.

- James Pheby, Agence France-Presse

How was Robinson able to attract so many people?

Despite his reputation, criminal past and bouts of thuggery, Robinson was able to mobilise huge numbers.

“We were looking at something that was kind of a perfect storm,” Matthew Feldman, visiting professor at Liverpool Hope University and expert on far-right extremism, said.

The march took place amid public anger over the large numbers of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, the housing of asylum seekers in hotels, a deepening row about free speech and continued economic stagnation. “The angry protests outside asylum hotels are now metastasising into a simpler, broader message: stop immigration, defend free speech, revive Christianity,” Trevor Phillips, former head of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), wrote in The Times on Monday after attending the march. “It is a compelling trinity for a country that feels angry and unmoored,” he said.