How Far Right Riots in the UK Were Likely Fueled by Russian Fake News

Massive anti-migrant riots are taking place across the UK, in major cities like London, Liverpool, Manchester, Belfast, and others. The protests have been ongoing for over a week, with more than 90 people detained due to clashes with police. People are vandalizing shops, setting cars, police stations, and other public places on fire.

It all started with a tragedy in the town of Southport. A young man with a knife stormed into the Hope of Hart children's dance club, killing three young girls aged between 6 and 9 and injuring many more. The attacker, a 17-year-old, was detained; he had come to Southport from the nearby town of Banks.

Riots began after the children's memorial service. The organizers, representatives of the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right group advocating for anti-Islamic ideas, attacked a local mosque, injuring dozens of people. This incident sparked protests and demonstrations in other cities, leading to a wave of violence across the country.

But why did the EDL target the mosque? Because of misinformation spread.

At one point, information surfaced online claiming that the perpetrator was a 17-year-old Muslim refugee. This was not true, as the murderer, Axel Rudakubana, was born in Britain and had lived in the country all his life in a family of Rwandan origin.

Nevertheless, the fake news had an impact. A tweet claiming the murderer was a Muslim amassed 27 million views, igniting unrest across the nation.

The source of this misinformation was the site Channel3 Now, which poses as an American news agency but is not. According to The Telegraph, Channel3 Now mostly collects and publishes fake news and has roots tracing back to Russia. The site's YouTube channel, launched 12 years ago, originally featured videos in Russian from the city of Izhevsk. In 2019, this changed to English-language content about the Middle East. The Channel3 Now domain is registered in Lithuania.

Channel3 Now picked up a tweet by Bernie Spofforth, known for spreading conspiracy theories. Although Spofforth deleted his tweet almost immediately, Channel3 Now managed to share it and did not remove it. Channel3 Now became the source from which the misinformation spread through social networks and into other media. Leaders of the English Defence League also propagated it.

The resulting riots are still ongoing in various cities across the UK. Despite the fake news being debunked long ago, the riots continue. Local police are urging people not to participate, as civilians, local businesses, public places, and police officers are suffering, with several officers already injured.

In essence, Russian fake news have sparked large-scale riots across the country, demonstrating the power of this type of weapon.

Banner image: Anti-migration protesters are seen during riots outside of the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, which is being used as an asylum hotel, on August 4, 2024 in Rotherham, United Kingdom. (Source: Getty Images)