Jonathan Reid-Edwards

For years senior Tory MPs tried to deny that there was a far right terrorism problem in the UK and insisted that police and law enforcement resources should target Muslims only. They failed repeatedly to deal with political violence and preferred to demonise Muslims as a group. Members of the police have previously told me that the threat from the far right presented a real and present danger to the national security of the UK. That these groups were well organised and well resourced. They complained that government policy and the security threat they actually policed were very different. I suspect that the far right thugs we see have been radicalised by elements from abroad. I say I suspect this because I can’t prove it - yet. What we see on our streets is a massive failure of national security by MI5 and MI6, and as a result of politicians who have worked to enable this threat to our country to seek personal political advantage and no doubt financial advantage from elements abroad. What we see on our streets and in our towns is not just rioting or mindless violence- it clearly falls within the definition of terrorism. The attacks on identifiable groups, use of chemicals (acid), and the firebombing of hotels all done with an ideological intent to are acts of terrorism. The police, security services and possibly the armed forces need to get a grip on our security before the far right utilise conventional mechanisms of terrorism which I have no doubt they are capable of. What we are seeing so far is only the beginning of what they are capable of. Those ‘commentators’ and ‘politicians’ that have incited and continue to incite this violence and invoke ‘war’ or the ‘crusades’ and encourage violence by stating thugs have ‘legitimate concerns’ should feel the full brunt of the law and it should be immediate and very hard. Communities across the country are trusting our government and its law enforcement agencies to protect us - for now. Time is running out. We need to see those inciting this violence to be held accountable before it is too late. The only way for us to fight fascists is together. History has taught us this. Whether we are white, brown or black, religious or not we must stand united against this horror wherever we see it.