The mobilisation of the far-right is a rallying call for the left to unite and stand in defiance against fascism in the UK and internationally. As Communists, we extend our solidarity to the communities targeted by racist, Islamophobic and anti-migrant hatred, and understand that we cannot rely on the police or the state to keep these communities safe.

Violent riots by the far-right have taken place mainly across England, in cities such as Sunderland, Tamworth, Liverpool and London. In many places, the fascists were outnumbered by counter-demonstrations, such as in Manchester, Sheffield and Bristol. In Tamworth and Rotherham, far-right fascists set fire to hotels which are the temporary accommodation of asylum-seeking families, with the mob shouting “burn it down.”

These riots, resembling pogroms, are the result of decades-long hate campaigns by the UK media against Muslims and asylum seekers. Decades of austerity and the stripping back of public services by capitalist parties has cultivated the conditions for far-right mobilisation through insecurity and fear.

Capitalist media figures such as Rupert Murdoch make obscene profits from stoking fear and hatred by scapegoating racialized communities. Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson exploit a growing sense of insecurity which mobilises far-right groups across the UK, blaming those arriving in “small boats” for economic decline and collapsing social services, instead of the capitalists and wealth-hoarding few who are actually responsible for these societal failings.

Now, more than ever, it is imperative that the left organises to oppose these violent and hate-driven actions. Immigration in the UK forms the fabric of our society. Those seeking asylum from war and climate change must be made to feel safe. Likewise, those just seeking a better life or to reunite with their families are not numbers or a burden but our neighbours and friends; a vital part of our communities and our lives.

It is our responsibility to mobilise effectively in defiant anti-fascist resistance, by showing up in our towns and cities to counter vitriol-fuelled far-right ideology which is inextricably tied to a capitalist system.

We are stronger together.