Fascism Rising in the UK: The Attack on Photojournalist Simone Rudolphi

Photo by Simone Rudolphi

On August 23, photojournalist Simone Rudolphi, 57, was covering a protest and counterprotest in Newcastle City Center in the north of England when she was aggressively accosted by an ex-military man.

"It's surreal when a big army man screams "Hamas terrorist whore!" in your face," Rudolphi tells me. This man had been with a group of a few hundred people protesting immigration into the UK, particularly campaigning against asylum seekers in front of a hotel that was being used to house them. Donned in Union Jack or St. George Cross flags, they were met at The Blue Carpet near an art gallery by a group of counterprotestors primarily from Newcastle Unites and Stand Up to Racism.

Police Response and Double Standards

While Rudolphi insists on recognizing the humanity of everyone in her work, it was clear that neither her attacker nor the police did. Rather than protecting her while she was doing her job, an officer issued a warning threatening her with arrest for "inciting a breach of peace" because she was wearing a scarf that said "Free Palestine" on it. Meanwhile, another aggressor continued to stalk and insult her at the protest and then on social media, as well as on the underground platform including posting pictures of her on the train and calling her a c*nt.

This man's behavior was unhinged, dangerous, and misogynistic. Why was he able to act out this way? Why was he so threatened by Simone? Why could he harness the sympathies of law enforcement while acting this way? And, why was her scarf an "incitement" to breach of peace while this man's behavior was acceptable?

British Resistance Despite Rising Fascism

After last month's essay on the proscription of Palestine Action, I was hoping this month to focus on more positive developments in the UK. After all, despite the unabated assault on pro-Palestinian activists, the people of Britain continue to show up. There have been incredibly inspiring counter protests throughout the country defending immigrants, welcoming refugees, demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza and to free Palestine.

Yet Simone's story is illustrative of a deep faultline and within British society. As an American, I see what plays out in the UK as a mirror to the United States. While the political issues and civil discourse will have its distinct national issues, they have parallels where I live. And so, as with America, it's critical to reckon with the country's journey towards fascism.

Operation Raise the Colors: Xenophobic Symbolism

Xenophobic chauvinism is not only mainstream, it's also out in the open. In the UK, in what to us may appear seemingly out of nowhere, Union Jacks and St George crosses have appeared throughout the land - flags affixed to lamp posts, crosses spray-painted on roundabouts, or bunting flags across streets. Dubbed "Operation Raise the Colors," these displays have sparked public reaction; while some try to claim these flags are a harmless patriotic expression, it would be daft to ignore the social and political context in which this is happening.

Government Alignment with Far-Right Violence

In the past decade, at the very least, there has been increased aggression and violence towards society's vulnerable communities including women, immigrants, refugees, people of color, and Muslims. What's more, these acts of aggression, hate, and violence are not only tolerated by the government but seem to be tacitly encouraged. That this is the same government which has proscribed Palestine Action and arrested hundreds of people peacefully exercising their rights to free speech demonstrates a positional alignment between the government and this fascistic far right demographic, not only in ideology, but also in bullying and suppressive tactics. We are only a few steps away from arresting anyone for protesting anything; and the government has henchmen to keep people in line.

The Strategic Machine Behind Far-Right Organizing

It will take decades of analysis and research to adequately describe how we got to this point. However, it's fair to say and important to acknowledge that the situation we're in has been in the making for nearly two decades by powerful conservative neoliberal proponents with white-supremecist racist overtones. Since the mid aughts, organizations such as the UKIP, Reform Party, and offshoots in civil society such as the Patriotic Alternate, Homeland Party, and Turning Point in the UK or The Heritage Foundation in the US have been strategically altering the political landscape from the grass-roots level upwards and enabling far-right, anti-immigrant, racist, and misogynistic ideas to enter into the mainstream. Take the co-founder of the now defunct EDL, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (known as Tommy Robinson) for example, who provides "expert advice" to anti-Islam activists at £28 per minute.

These are well-resourced, well-connected, highly organized efforts that have been chipping away at the foundations of our governmental institutions. And what we're looking at is only part of the picture. This is the political arm of a machine that is propped by and in return supports finance institutions, arms industry, tech companies with its rapid and disconcerted adoption of AI.

Strategic Response: We Are Not Outnumbered, We Are Out Organized

How are we to proceed in the face of such a giant machine? As Malcolm X has astutely put it, "We are not out numbered, we are out organized." While it's wonderful to see how Brits and Americans come together to combat hate, we cannot be reacting to each individual assault. We need to be anticipating what the administration and these organizations will do next and be strategically prepared. Our movement needs strategic depth and our communities need a resilient network. Whether it's working "within the system" or not, we need to be clear why the causes we fight for are interconnected. We need a vision of the future we want to see in order to articulate the moves we make in governance, economy, and society to get us there.

Building Strategy for Liberation

Over the upcoming posts, I'd like to explore what strategy looks like for our movement. How do organizations with different missions come together under a common umbrella? What makes us effective communicators with the populace at large? How do we plant the seeds for a liberated and humane society for all?