The Telegraph front page on Wednesday
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and the Telegraph newspaper are trying to blame anti-racists for the violence on the streets of Epping, Essex, last week. They are lying.
Far right thugs—who had come to rampage against a hotel housing refugees—initiated violence against anti-racists at every turn.
The Telegraph’s front page on Wednesday led with an article titled, “Police take pro-migrant protesters to asylum hotel.”
It is repeating claims first made by Nazi Tommy Robinson and other fascists. The article says, “Residents said the decision to escort counter-protesters, some of whom were masked, towards the hotel had made violence inevitable.”
It goes on to say that “the confrontation escalated after the arrival of counter-demonstrators”.
Farage goes after Stand Up To Racism (SUTR), which organised the counter-protest, directly. He said in a video on X, “This shows Stand Up To Racism with Antifa, a violent thuggish group, arriving at a train station and literally by Essex police being bussed to the Bell Hotel.”
He went onto to claim, “These were the people causing disturbances. These are the people who caused the riots. Essex police caused the disturbances.”
This is a lie. Anti-racists gathered at Epping Tube station on Thursday and decided to peacefully march to the Bell Hotel to show their solidarity with refugees.
Fascists ambushed, encircled and attacked anti-racists. They threw bottles, missiles and eggs, grabbed and teared up placards and intimidated and harassed anti-racists.
In response, anti-racists retreated. Due to safety concerns, the police were forced to provide vans to transport anti-racist protesters to a safe location.
And, far from the “ordinary residents” Farage speaks on in his video, a Nazi party is at the heart of organising the anti-refugee protests in Epping.
Activists who are part of the fascist Homeland party are administering the main Facebook group—Epping Says No!—where the protests are planned and advertised.
The Homeland party is a Nazi organisation founded on Hitler’s birthday—20 April—in 2023. It has been central to campaigns of intimidation and violence against refugees in several areas.
The Telegraph’s front page reflects how the mainstream right in Britain is embracing the ideas of the far right.
Its commentators parrot the far right idea that Britain is heading to a civil war and “sectarian conflict”.
Just three weeks ago, the deputy comment editor Annabel Denham wrote, “The rule-abiding majority are nearing the end of their tether with illegal migration.
“If the white working class feel they are constantly being expected to sacrifice their culture, identity, their freedom of speech in order to celebrate and preserve those of immigrants, it may not be long before they revolt.”
The New Culture Forum is a far right think tank founded by Peter Whittle, the former deputy leader of Ukip, that has provided a platform to fascists.
The Telegraph gives coverage to the think tank’s projects, such as a documentary that depicted migrants as sexual predators.
Nigel Farage, the Telegraph and Robinson are all jumping on the protests at Epping to further their far right agendas. They must be opposed.
Join the Stand Up To Racism counter-demonstration in Epping at 2pm on Sunday. For more details go to standuptoracism.org.uk
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