In the summer of 2024, the UK saw some of its deadliest riots since the London Riots in 2011. The supposed cause of these riots was the brutal stabbing of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport.

The rioters said that they were protesting against immigration, the Islamic faith, and multiculturalism in the UK. But where did they get these ideas from?

It’s hard to believe that large sects of the population in some of the most deprived areas of the country all simultaneously came to the same conclusion without any help or interference.

Now, some of the rioters may genuinely believe that an increase in immigration and multiculturalism are a negative thing, but it’s hard to believe that everyone involved thought of these ideas themselves.

This article will try to explain why so many people are now starting to believe in the far-right doctrine of the anti-immigration rhetoric and what can be done to stop it from growing faster.

History and Statistics

The 2024 riots took place in Southport, Northwest England. The Northwest has an unemployment rate of 27 percent according to the Office of National Statistics.

On top of this, 89 percent of the rioters were male and half of the rioters came from some of the most deprived areas of the United Kingdom. 29 percent came from the areas of the UK with the lowest qualifications.

These stats show that lots of the rioters have come from very deprived areas of the UK with little investment, jobs, or prospects. At a time when less than a third of the UK population has trust in the current government, it should be no surprise that people are starting to listen to far-right and populist politicians.

The New Wave of the Far Right

Populists and far-right politicians throughout history have always scapegoated a minority group or social cause as the reason why they believe society is in decline. From Nazi Germany scapegoating Jewish people in the 1930s and 1940s, to modern political groups scapegoating Islam at the beginning of the 21^st century.

Now these populists and far-right groups have moved online, using social media algorithms to target unsuspecting teenagers into watching content explaining the reason men are depressed is because of ‘new wave feminism’ and women’s rights.

Now the far-right and populist parties are not wrong to point out the issues young men are facing. This demographic is facing genuine issues that deserve attention, and when the fact that 74 percent of suicides are committed by males and lower working class people have the highest rate of unemployment (6 percent) are combined with the lack of trust in the government, it seems obvious why young men are looking for alternative parties who champion their beliefs and talk about their problems.

Social Media

A lack of trust in parliament and government comes hand in hand with an assumption that politicians and the so-called “political elites” are ignoring the electorate. Assumptions like these slowly build into the feelings that not only are the politicians ignoring people but so are the “Liberal Media Elite”. If you feel that everybody of importance is ignoring you then you will most likely latch on to anyone that mentions your issues as a priority.

This is where the far right comes in. They use issues that are apparent and not being mentioned in order to recruit new members. The new members see that their problems are being spoken about and watch the videos recommended by social media algorithms. These videos are designed to attract a certain type of person that is easily manipulated by the sheer volume of propaganda appearing on their social media feeds.

Most importantly, these videos include ideas of “masculinity”. These come about in the form of expensive cars, watches, and traditionally masculine men. These are all used to double down on the idea that this is what the best life looks like; this is what the scapegoat, in this case, feminism and women’s rights, wants to take away from you.

The most notable example of this idea of masculinity is Andrew Tate. He is the embodiment of these new ideas, so much so that even he appears in social media videos when young men search for mental health advice.

Feelings and Mental Health

When suicide rates amongst men are higher than ever, unemployment in already deprived areas of the country is rising, and a perceived lack of investment in the futures of young people, it is not difficult to understand the growing mental health crisis in young people.

Even in education, there are barriers between social classes. Children on free school meals underperform at both GCSE and A-Level exams in the UK compared to those not on free school meals.

Given all of these factor—mental health, education, underdevelopment and a perceived lack of care for problems by politicians—it makes sense that younger people are beginning to support the far-right and populist parties.

It’s not because these younger people have any major issues with immigration Islam or feminism—the majority are trapped in a thought bubble, trying to solve their mental health issues with the only political entities discussing said issues. These people are forced into these views when it’s too late to return from the echo chamber, starting from feeling ignored and useless.

What Can Be Done

To stop younger people transitioning over to far-right and populist parties, more needs to be done in terms of representation. Issues such as men’s mental health need to be taken more seriously. This does not mean that women’s or other issues should take a back seat, but men’s mental health is a growing problem. There needs to be a push to get more influential male figures that young men can relate to into the spotlight, helping push young men away from the far right.

At the moment, many young men do not have anyone they can relate to, meaning the opinions they develop through social media echo chambers have no counter. Before their problems can be spoken about in a way that will be listened to, there must be more representation.

If nothing is done to stop these issues and improve mental health amongst men then more and more young men will end up in the far-right parties and, in the future, the rights of women and minorities will continue to erode and more protests like the ones in the summer of 2024 will happen.

It’s important to view social problems and mental health problems as a collective societal problem rather than in vacuums, otherwise groups will no longer feel represented in society and find their own recognition, potentially ending in violence.