The same white supremacist movement that
supports Donald Trump and has been emboldened by Trump's campaign
has also played a significant role in pushing the “yes” vote on
Brexit. The Leave campaign was significantly based upon Islamophobia
and nativist sentiments, similar to Trump's campaign. Even their
slogans are quite similar. The Trump campaign regularly uses the
slogan “America first” as a way to drum up anti-immigrant
sentiment, while Britain First is the name of a pro-Brexit,
anti-immigrant political party in the U.K. Also, just like with
Trump's campaign, anti-immigrant messaging is attractive to neo-Nazi
and white supremacist groups in Great Britain which had already been
experiencing a resurgence.
Islamophobia and nativism
The Leave campaign
significantly used Islamophobic and nativist sentiments in order to
rally supporters to the cause. Similar to Trump supporters, the Leave
activists blamed immigrants for Great Britain's problems. Former
London mayor, Boris Johnson was one of the leading proponents of
leaving the EU. Johnson had been regularly demonizing Islam for years
leading up to the Brexit referendum. In a 2005 editorial, he blamed
the religion of Islam for terrorist violence, despite millions of
Muslims and numerous Muslim groups condemning the use of Islam by
terrorists as an excuse to commit horrendous violence (1).
This type of
rhetoric inflamed and encouraged Leave supporters, mirroring Trump
supporters, to act out their racist tendencies through speech,
threats and even physical and deadly violence. Baroness Warsi, who
had been a supporter of the Leave campaign faced an onslaught of
racist attacks on social media after changing her position on Brexit.
She was specifically targeted for being Muslim (2).
White supremacists infiltrate the
Leave campaign
The fact that the
Leave campaign's ideology in Great Britain parallels the Trump campaign in the U.S. is more than just a coincidence. Both campaigns
have been infiltrated by white supremacists and neo-Nazis who are all
part of one global hate network of propagandists, militants and
violent right wing extremists. Leading up to the Brexit vote, Jo Cox,
a U.K. lawmaker who was a proponent of the Remain campaign was shot
and killed by a man who was upset with her position on Brexit and
refugees. He was apparently a supporter of the National Alliance,
which is considered one of the most dangerous white supremacist
groups in the U.S. (3). The accused murderer used a gun-building
guide published by the U.S.-based group in order to skirt British
guns laws (4).
The Leave victory
will certainly further embolden white supremacists in the U.K. as
well as the U.S. Immediately following the Brexit decision there was
a sharp increase in racial incidences and attacks, many specifically
referencing the Brexit vote (8). Trump has commented on the Brexit
decision, citing it as a sign that his anti-immigrant message,
cloaked in the guise of populism, may prevail in the U.S. despite the
seeming odds against him. The surprise results of the Brexit
referendum should serve as a message to those who oppose Trump in the
U.S. to continue to vigorously denounce the Trump campaign since in
today's political environment anything can happen and nothing should
be taken for granted.
Sources
