Monthly Briefing: Racist riots break out in Southampton and Belfast

 In brief

• Racist riots broke out in quick succession following the release of footage of murdered teenager Henry Nowak's final moments, and of the attempted murder of a man on the streets of Belfast
• Stephen Yaxley-Lennon travelled to Moscow to meet Errol Musk, father of Elon Musk
• Patriotic Alternative have launched a fundraiser for those convicted for offences committed during the riots
• A far right demonstration in Brighton was heavily outnumbered by locals, organised under the banner Carnival Against Fascism.
• Raise the Colours leader Ryan Bridge attended a Conservative Party policy launch hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank, despite a recent arrest for grievous bodily harm.

Southampton

Following the conviction and sentencing of Vickrum Digwa for the murder of student Henry Nowak, various far-right figures called for protests about supposed “two-tier policing" (an alleged bias against white people in the criminal justice system). Nigel Farage called for a response of “pure cold rage”, while Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (known as Tommy Robinson) claimed that Nowak was murdered “by racist police policies that target white people” and urged his followers to demonstrate outside Southampton police station on 2 June.

The demonstration itself was made up of a few hundred including Yaxley-Lennon, Laurence Fox, Richard Inman and Luke Jahn of the National Rebirth Party among others. Attempts were made to gain entry to the police station and violence broke out as groups tried to reach the site of Nowak’s murder and find the house of the Digwa family. Hampshire police reported that 11 officers and a police dog were injured, and there have since been 22 arrests and 13 convictions for various offences including violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon. Some of those convicted have previous convictions for domestic assault, the mugging of an 80-year-old woman and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

It appears that at least some of the footage used to secure convictions was taken by streamer and far-right ‘auditor’ Thomas Moffitt (known online as Young Bob), who has received criticism and threats from others on the far-right for his role in the events. Darren Medhurst was imprisoned for more than three years after the court was shown footage, taken by Moffitt, of him setting a bin on fire before launching it at police officers. In response to criticism, Moffitt has issued a statement on X, saying: “I’ll put my hands up and say that I was wrong in the way I covered Southampton, and I definitely needed to be more cautious in how I reported on events. Knowing what I know now, I would have approached the situation completely differently. Going forward, I will either blur faces of patriots or attend protests without filming at all.”

Belfast

Racist pogroms took place on the streets of Belfast following a knife attack on Stephen Oglive, allegedly carried out by Hadi Alodid, on 8 June. Alodid is a Sudanese refugee granted leave to remain in the UK and has since been charged with offences including attempted murder and is on remand. 

Footage of the attack circulated widely on social media, accompanied by familiar calls for anti-migrant protests. Posts circulated online included lists of roads to be blocked, instructions to businesses to close early and lists of addresses to be targeted. In contrast to the Southampton riots, advice on operational security was circulated: specifically, that rioters should leave smartphones and identifying items at home and stop anyone filming the disorder. There are reports that rioters discouraged onlookers from taking photographs or videos.

In the two nights that followed, crowds in Belfast gathered and carried out racist riots. Violence took place largely in loyalist areas. Homes of non-white people were set on ablaze, a bus and cars were set on fire and there were confrontations with the PSNI. To date, 35 arrests have been made, including for suspicion of attempted murder, arson endangering life and riot in connection to the arson attack on the bus. Ifrah Yuseh, who lives at one of the addresses circulated online and who received a warning from the police to take care, said she no longer felt safe in Belfast.

In recent years there have been incidents of anti-migrant rioting in Northern Ireland. In June 2025 hundreds of Roma people were forced to flee the town of Ballymena after two weeks of racist rioting following a sexual assault by two Roma men. In 2024 riots broke out following the knife attack in Southport in which 3 girls were killed and more injured.

Violent protests also broke out in Scotland. In Glasgow around 300 protesters gathered. Footage of the protest shows non-white people being targeted with one man being chased down a street by protesters.

Tommy Robinson 

Early in June, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon travelled to Russia where he met Errol Musk at the luxurious Metropol Hotel in Moscow. Yaxley-Lennon last visited Russia in 2020 and has maintained a supportive view of Russia’s “traditional” Christian identity. In a statement to The Guardian, Yaxley-Lennon said he had come to see “the beauty of a civilised society here.” On 9 June, after the first night of rioting in Belfast, Robinson posted a video by Russian far-right youth group Brotherhood of Academists paying tribute to Henry Nowak with the caption, “Russian nationalists @Academists1721 paying their respects to Henry Nowak and sending a message of United patriotism 🇬🇧 🤝 🇷🇺 ”.

Upon his return from Russia Yaxley-Lennon was detained at Heathrow airport under counter-terrorism legislation. A Metropolitan Police statement said that a man in his 40s had been “interviewed by officers and his communication devices were seized. He was subsequently released.” In November 2025 Yaxley-Lennon was cleared of an offence under counter-terrorism legislation after he had refused to provide officers access to his phone in July 2024 whilst crossing into France.

Student debating society the Oxford Union courted controversy by inviting Yaxley-Lennon to speak in favour of the motion, “This house believes the west should be suspicious of Islam.” The event was protested by around 500 anti-racists. Although tickets for the event were distributed to members via ballot it appears the audience was only a third full, with some members blocked from entering by protesters. Policing the event cost Thames Valley Police £100,000, the cost of which will be shared with Oxford City Council.

Australian broadcaster Karl Stefanovic has been sacked from his presenting roles on Channel Nine News following an appearance by Yaxley-Lennon on his podcast. Stefanovic had been allowed to launch an independent podcast by Channel Nine management in February of this year. Aside from Yaxley-Lennon he has hosted a string of far-right and anti-immigration figures including leader of the far-right One Nation party Pauline Hanson, far-right influencer Holly Vallance and former Special Boat Service sniper, Ant Middleton. On the episode, which has since been deleted, Stefanovic commended Yaxley-Lennon for standing up “for what you believe is right.”

Patriotic Alternative

The riots at the start of June were welcome news for PA. After Nigel Farage said, ‘white lives matter just as much as black lives,’ after the release of footage of Henry Nowak’s final moments, a jubilant Mark Collett boasted that PA were the first group in Britain to run a white lives matter campaign. Members from both PA’s South East and South West regions attended the 31 May vigil for Henry Nowak in Southampton. Following the riot, PA launched a fundraising page for those charged. By 11 June PA claimed to have handed out £15,000 to the families of these “political prisoners”. The family of former paratrooper Matt Styler was handed £1,000. Styler was remanded in HMP Winchester, accused of assaulting an emergency worker, but on 29 June the charges against him were dropped by the CPS. PA’s use of Henry Nowak’s murder for their own ends continued in Perth on 6 June, where PA held “a peaceful protest … to honour and raise awareness” of his killing. 

We reported several months ago on Mark Collett’s support for Restore Britain. Restore’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election was photographed stood in front of PA’s Craig Buckley. In Nottingham Matthew Darrington, a former member of PA and the English Democrats, has joined Restore. Only last August Darrington spoke at a PA demo in Newark urging people to vote Reform. Sam Melia, who last year was released from prison following a conviction for race hate offences, has joined Restore while retaining his PA membership. Rupert Lowe’s recent statements against neo-Nazis may not dent PA’s support for Restore, who view the party has a vehicle for their brand of white supremacist politics, in a similar vein to how Collett and Unity News Network’s David Clewes previously encouraged their audiences to support Reform UK in 2025.

PA were also active in Scotland. Members of the group joined the rally in Glasgow and were were photographed holding a ‘white lives matter’ banner and a ‘Scotland for the Scots’ banner on the Buchanan steps. PA’s anti-immigrant actions continued in Leicester on the weekend of 13-14 June, where the East Midlands region claimed to have ‘answered a call from Leicester residents to stand with them’ at the Highcross House Hotel at which PA activist Ian Holloway spoke. 16 June saw PA Scotland attend a “Deport All Immigrants” demonstration in Dundee. On 20 June PA’s Scotland branch travelled to Arbroath for a protest before attending a protest in Edinburgh.

PA’s regional activities for members continue. Towards the end of May. 8 PA West Midlands members went on a hike in Gloucestershire. At the start of June PA South East activists claim to have repaired a sixteenth-century pub in a village in Buckinghamshire. 13 June saw activists from PA’s London and East of England regions walk 7 miles through Epping Forest, as part of which they carried out a “white lives matter” banner drop over the M25. Members from PA’s South West region have been holding fitness sessions, and report picking up litter. Members of PA’s Wales region took a trip to St Martin’s Church in Cwmyoy on 23 June before heading to a variety of pre-Christian sacred sites. These activities provide an opportunity for PA activists to develop their confidence and build relationships and networks that may outlast the organisation.  

Homeland Party and Remigration Now

The Homeland Party (Homeland) continues to dwindle with no notable activism undertaken by its members in June. The party’s output continues to receive low engagement on its primary platform, X, where the party has posted incessantly about the killing of Henry Nowak, as well as criticising Tommy Robinson and Reform UK, and attempting to differentiate itself from Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain. Homeland leader Kenny Smith posted on X at the start of June that the party was recruiting “new volunteers for the media team”. His post was met with ridicule by others on the far right. With the exception of a handful of Scottish activists, Homeland’s key organisers seem to have largely moved on to other far-right ventures. Some, such as the National Rebirth Party’s (NRP) Alek Yerbury, have claimed that Homeland is now “dead” and speculated that the party will soon be de-registered. 

Remigration Now (RN) has now overtaken Homeland in terms of followers on X. In June RN laid flowers and placards in Southampton at a “vigil for Henry Nowak”. Throughout June, RN shared pictures on X of white people allegedly killed by people of colour. The group also shared images of riots and rivers of blood, overlaid with the text “Remigration is the peaceful solution”. RN claims that it is “currently in the process of being restructured”. It seems likely that the group will soon move to a system of regional branches and organisers.

Elsewhere

Far-right streamer and content creator Thomas Moffit (known as Young Bob) was assaulted by locals after attempting to host a “change my mind” debating stall on mass deportations in Manchester. He later returned to Manchester with security to repeat the stand. Following the initial incident Moffitt landed interviews on GB News and Sky Australia in which he echoed Keir Starmer’s racist “island of strangers” rhetoric. Earlier in the month Moffitt vowed to take care when filming racist riots after receiving criticism from others on the far right that his footage had been used to identify rioters who are now set to stand trial or convicted after entering guilty pleas.

The far-right and transphobic activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (known as “Posie Parker”) had a planned stunt in East London disrupted by anti-fascist activists. Keen-Minshull had planned to hold a rally in Whitechapel but was banned from the borough after police imposed restrictions. She instead held a rally in Victoria Park. Ani-fascist groups, including London Community Defence and Stand Up to Racism, heavily outnumbered Keen-Minshull’s demonstration. She has vowed to return to Whitechapel. In May, Keen-Minshull spoke at the Unite the Kingdom rally alongside fascist, far right and Christian nationalist speakers. 

Ryan Bridge and other leaders of far-right group Raise the Colours have agreed to no longer affix flags to lamp posts in Oxfordshire after Oxford City Council secured a high court injunction against the group. In June, Bridge was arrested on suspicion of wounding after an incident involving a Raise the Colours van. He has since been arrested for common assault following an encounter with anti-fascist activists in Brighton. Another member of the group, Billy Allison, was charged with murder and grievous bodily harm with intent following an incident at a bar in Letchworth. Billy Cullen, a leader of Raise the Colours in Oxfordshire and named in the Oxford injunction, is due to stand trial for making indecent images of children. On 23 June Ryan Bridge attended the Conservative Party’s immigration policy launch, hosted by right-wing think tank Policy Exchange.

20 June was a tale of two demonstrations in Birmingham. Britain First brought with them about 200 fascists to march for “remigration", including the usual cosplaying crusaders and auditors – a decline of about 50% since their February outing in the same city. The anti-fascist contingent vastly outnumbered them. The SWP claimed 800 on their Stand Up to Racism counter-protest in Victoria Square while the police estimated a presence of almost 1000 people on the buoyant demonstration. Apart from Paul Golding, notable attendees on the fascist side included English Ned (Chris Messenger), Paul Dunbar, Billy Moore, and Brian Stovell.  

The day was a humiliation for Britain First, whose supporters marched for about 400m from their assembly point. It is hard to see where the future for Britain First as a fascist political force lies. At a time when Stephen Yaxley-Lennon is able to entice many thousands of people to demonstrations, a march as small as this is irrelevant even on the fascist side. Golding, who at one point was the Griffin BNP’s Director of Publicity and a BNP councillor, must be ruing the decline in his fortunes. While BF may remain in existence as a rump party on the far right, its fortunes seem in terminal decline. Four anti-fascist activists were arrested.

On 13 June the South East Patriots held an anti-immigration “Stop the Boats" protest in Brighton. They succeeded in mobilising about 300 people. By contrast the counter-protest called by Carnival Against Fascism numbered around 4,000 according to police estimates. Scuffles broke out on Queen’s Road, with fascists coming off a poor second as they were being pelted with water and other drinks. In a humiliating low the South East Patriots were confined by police vans for their own safety while later on they were held under a railway bridge surrounded by baying anti-fascists. Ryan Bridge, who was assaulted soon after his arrival in Brighton, ended up being arrested once again. 

Neo-nazi youth group White Vanguard were confronted by others on the far right after appearing at a far-right protest in Crewe. The protest, targeting the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, was organised locally after a series of police raids against the communal religious sect over immigration and safeguarding concerns. After being ejected from the demonstration White Vanguard posed for photos in a park. Another neo-Nazi from Aryan Front, who goes by “MD”, was confronted by auditors and had his mask ripped off. This followed a similar confrontation with Britain First’s Paul Golding at a protest in Maidstone.

Sentencing has continued for those arrested at protests and disorder at the Bell Hotel in Epping in July and August 2025. Seven men have now been sentenced to jail terms while another four have been convicted and await sentencing. These include Phil Curson, convicted in April 2026 of violent disorder. Curson has a long history of far-right activism dating back to the early 2000s and was previously convicted for violent disorder and racially aggravated assault for his part in a St George’s Day 2002 gang attack on two teenagers. During the trial for that attack, jury members were shown photos of Curson performing a Nazi Salute in front of a Nazi flag. Meanwhile, according to various newspaper reports, the Bell Hotel itself will no longer be used for housing migrants from July 2026, with the Home Office terminating its contract. Staff and asylum seekers were removed from the site in June over “fire and safety concerns”.