In the wake of the recent riots that have erupted across towns and cities in England, concerns have been raised about the role of fake social media accounts in spreading misinformation and inciting violence.
One such account, “barry Ashcroft” (@barryAshcroft4), has come to our attention its high activity, controversial posts, and history of sharing propaganda.
It is our belief that this account is not genuine, and I intend to explain why.
This article is the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the UK Defence Journal. If you would like to submit your own article on this topic or any other, please see our submission guidelines.
Created in December 2020, the “barry Ashcroft” account has posted an astonishing 118,000 tweets, averaging over 150 tweets per day. This prolific activity raises questions about the account’s authenticity.
Following 4,529 users and amassing 2,956 followers, the account’s metrics are unusual for a typical user, suggesting potential automation or a highly dedicated individual. The profile picture is AI-generated, a common tactic used by fake accounts to avoid identification.
The account’s recent activity reveals a consistent pattern of sharing and amplifying controversial and polarising content. For instance, a recent tweet from the account provocatively stated, “Do they ever protect the people of the United Kingdom 🇬🇧.” This tweet, along with others, appears designed to provoke an emotional response and align with a specific political narrative.
A significant portion of the content shared by “barry Ashcroft” falls into several key categories:
Conspiracy Theories and Misinformation
The account frequently retweets posts that promote conspiracy theories and misinformation. For instance, it has shared tweets from Alex Jones, a known conspiracy theorist, who claimed that the UK is in a state of civil war and alleged Mossad involvement with Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson. Such tweets are designed to stoke fear and confusion by presenting unfounded and sensational claims.
Anti-Islamic Sentiment
The account also amplifies anti-Islamic sentiment. Recent retweets include stories about crimes allegedly committed by Muslims, such as an Islamic school head found with weapons and cash.
These posts are aimed at fostering distrust and animosity towards Muslim communities. One such retweet stated, “Islamic school head forced out after weapons and £400,000 cash found at flat.” This type of content is sensational and targeted.
Political Criticism and Polarisation
Political criticism, especially targeting left-leaning figures and policies, is another prominent theme. The account has retweeted multiple posts from US politician JD Vance criticising Kamala Harris for not engaging with the media. These posts are crafted to undermine confidence in political figures and institutions, promoting a divisive and polarising narrative. For example, one tweet read, “It’s been 14 days since Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee of the Democrat Party and she still hasn’t sat for a single interview with the media.”
Nationalistic and anti-immigration rhetoric is also prevalent. The account frequently retweets posts that promote exclusionary and xenophobic attitudes. For instance, one retweet mocked the contributions of immigrants to British society, stating, “How did Great Britain conquer the world without them oh my! You can self deport at anytime.” This kind of content promotes a narrow, nationalistic view that excludes and vilifies outsiders.
Media Distrust
The account actively undermines trust in established media outlets. It has retweeted calls to boycott mainstream media, such as Sky News. One retweet stated simply, “Boycott Sky.” This content aims to delegitimise traditional media sources and promote alternative, often less reliable, information channels.
Timing and Posting Patterns
The timing and pattern of the account’s posts further suggest potential automation. The account posts consistently throughout the day, with minimal breaks between tweets. Analysis shows that “barry Ashcroft” tweets at regular intervals, with activity recorded every single hour of the day. This relentless posting schedule is highly unusual for a genuine personal account, where posting patterns typically reflect a person’s daily routine and breaks for sleep.
The account’s activity is spread uniformly over 24 hours, indicating either a highly dedicated individual who does not adhere to a typical daily schedule or, more likely, an automated system designed to ensure a constant stream of content. The regularity and volume of posts—averaging over 150 tweets per day—suggest a deliberate strategy to maintain a high level of visibility and engagement.
This continuous and high-frequency posting pattern, combined with the type of content being shared, points towards a deliberate strategy to influence public opinion and amplify specific narratives. Such consistent activity is characteristic of bot-operated accounts, which are programmed to post at set intervals to maximise reach and impact.
The online landscape is changing
The UK government has urged social media companies to take responsibility for amplifying misinformation and encouraging violence after the riots broke out. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasised the role of social media in escalating the situation, stating that platforms have “put rocket boosters” under harmful content.
“Social media has put rocket boosters under some of the, not just misinformation, but the encouragement of violence,” Cooper said. “That is a total disgrace and we cannot carry on like this. So we will also be pursuing this with social media companies.”
The riots, initially sparked by the tragic murder of three young girls in Southport, have led to widespread violence and over 420 arrests. Misinformation about the attacker’s identity spread rapidly online, falsely claiming that he was a Muslim migrant. Axel Rudakubana, the accused, was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and is neither Muslim nor a recent migrant.
Researchers have pointed out that fake accounts like “barry Ashcroft” contribute significantly to the spread of misinformation.
Before the recent focus on the UK riots, “barry Ashcroft” frequently shared content that echoed Russian propaganda, including narratives that undermined Western democracies and promoted pro-Russian stances. This behaviour is consistent with tactics used by state-sponsored disinformation campaigns aiming to destabilise political environments in other countries.
The Online Safety Act, designed to protect users from harmful content, is still being enforced. However, its provisions against misinformation and violence incitement are being tested as social media platforms grapple with the fallout from the riots. The Act grants UK media regulator Ofcom sweeping powers to police tech giants, including imposing hefty fines and criminal liability for senior executives in serious breaches.
Yvette Cooper, reflecting on the broader implications, noted in the Financial Times: “A longer-term debate about the wider legal framework for tackling online misinformation is now required.” Social media algorithms have been found to play a significant role in amplifying such content.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue discovered that users searching for “Southport” on TikTok were still shown false names hours after police corrected the information. On X, the false name trended as a topic despite being debunked.
The “barry Ashcroft” account shows several signs of being a fake or automated account: an unusually high volume of tweets, non-stop posting around the clock, an AI-generated profile picture, and a consistent pattern of sharing controversial and polarising content.
The account’s focus on conspiracy theories, anti-Islamic sentiment, political criticism, nationalistic rhetoric, and media distrust, combined with its automated posting behaviour, strongly suggests it is not a genuine personal account but rather part of a deliberate strategy to spread misinformation and influence public opinion.
The account exemplifies the challenges faced by social media platforms and regulators in combating misinformation. Its consistent, high-frequency posting pattern, combined with the type of content being shared, points towards potential automation and a deliberate strategy to spread misinformation and polarising content.
This behaviour is particularly concerning in the context of the recent UK riots, where social media has played a significant role in amplifying unrest and misinformation. Social media companies must act swiftly to curb the spread of harmful content and protect public discourse from being hijacked by inauthentic actors.
For clarity, the account ignored our attempt to communicate and kept posting.
While the site stills has some interesting pieces I have largely moved to others because the comments here are dominated by Barry Ashcrofts alt profiles.
There are definitely quite a few people here who need to brush up on how to spot Deceptive Image Persuasion but I have faith they’ll come around eventually with enough patient prodding and articles like this.
Yes. Once they’ve been sent to re-education camp they will believe in the truth™.
‘re-education’ implies an education rather than uneducated assumptions..
Ooooo. Those pesky Barry Ashcrofts alt people. Don’t you just want to shake your fists at them. Born sinners is what they are!.
No, just lying Facists scum. They have that in common with most of the riot apologists on this thread, although how many real people they really are is another question.
💯
George, thank you for another impartial and comprehensive analysis. I find it very unsettling how the ‘grey area’ or ‘contested environment’ of modern society has reached into our everyday lives. It is so readily apparent and we do very little to discuss it. A simple observation is how we engage on this forum; the tangible aspects are discussed at length (what weapons systems we should have, how our forces should be structured etc) but the moment we breach the intangible: cyber, misinformation, subversion, big money and contracting, the posts dry up. We are conscious of our own ignorance in these matters but are being influenced by them every moment.
Regardless of where people sit politically, this type of misinformation and influence should be worrying us far more than it appears to be. There is a role for the government, for the social media companies, for big-data companies and for law enforcement and security; but also, for us as individual users to protect ourselves from misinformation. Just because you agree with something it doesn’t make it true.
Thanks again and keep up the good work.
Many thanks for sharing George, apppreciated, i can honestly say Pestilence is a bug bare, i realy dont like it ‘ Haters,Gossips and Idiots are everywhere in the world’ , just hope our Gov can de-fuse whats going on in the UK and bring some semblence of stability and peace.
Case of wait and see !
There are few if any no go zones. The reason these people are being called fascist, extremist and wrong is because they are. We need to stand up against hate and for British values, and not succumb to the lies being perpetuated by our enemies. Every legal means needs to be used to crush the far right
What British values ? You have áreas in Britain without Britons.
No go zones ?, go to Mollenbek, Marseille, Barcelone, París, or you,re blind or you,re a liar.What about Luton ? , islamic law rules there.
Just one example of genuine fears Brits have regarding immigration; a 2022 poll suggested that 13% of British muslims think it is right “to exercise violence against those who are deemed by religious leaders to have insulted them”, and in relation to the Danish cartoons, 12% thought it was right for “demonstrators to carry placards calling for the killing of those who insult Islam”. Not to mention the views on homosexuality and gender equality.
Those are the kind of views that are the biggest threat to British society. And they are being appeased, not opposed.
Given the large number of islamist terror attacks that have already occurred in the UK, and the current record rates of immigration, these fears are well founded. To be called ‘islamophobic’ by the British prime minister for expressing such views is outrageous. In fact it is absolutely terrifying in how sinister it is, especially when combined with threats of jail and advances towards a police state with facial recognition and digital ID cards.
Clearly there is a sizable element of thugs causing the trouble.What I would like to understand is the general ground swell of ordinary folk participating in peaceful protest. The mainstream media seem to be missing that. Again, I understand the violence is the sensational stuff, so naturally the coverage gravitates that way.
I am interested in understanding your views on “crushing the far left” as well, or is that not an issue for you?
Of course the media ignore that! By design. It’s a narrative the discredit any concerns over immigration.
Well put George, this has not been a legitimate debate about migration and the need to control our borders and protect Britain. It’s been high jacked by the far right who just hates all minority people regardless of their contribution to society or how law abiding they are. It also ignores the tens of thousands of people from the empire who died for it and Britain. Let’s call this wave of disruption and riots for what it is, racism and ignorance.
Well said. 👍
There never has been a legitimate debate about migration and the need to control our borders and protect Britain. That’s the problem. Whenever anyone wants a legitimate debate about migration and the need to control our borders they get called a racist. That’s the problem!
Frankly Nevis, there needs to be a referendum on this matter. Highly likely that an overwhelming majority of the UK population has had enough – time to stop the rot.
I suggested as such on another thread, I think it got taken down along with my other detailed views that clearly touched a nerve with a very sensitive person somewhere who cannot cope with the truth in front of their eyes if it insults their cosy world view.
cheers for that Daniele, the last time I looked we lived in a democracy. 😉
Trouble is with referendums? As France and Italy found out, you vote until you vote for what “they” want. Brexit? We voted, and politicians, media and the Civil Service fought it tooth and nail, Johnson shafted the Loyalists in NI. Sadly democracy is not fit for purpose. I think only Switzerland can claim to be democratic, the Cantons must vote in favour of major national decisions before they are enacted.
You raise valid points John. Interestingly, Switzerland is very big on holding referendums.
I believe it is part of their Constitution Klonkie, no big government decisions without the ok of the electorate. There in lies the rub, we have no Constitution, and a broken democracy. After all, Liebour got a third of the national vote yet will hold a massive majority for five years. And pack the unelected Lords with cronies. Broken isn’t in it.
HI John – it’s an interesting point you raise, the labour “win: with one of the lowest electoral turn out in UK history.
Regardless of politic ideologies, Labour must be aware that unlawful immigration needs to be urgently addresses. Preferably starting with robust, respectful dialogue and debate.
There was only one vote on Brexit
+1 to the sentiment behind this. Have experienced similar.
My only concern with a referendum is regarding what the choices are that are being presented? With Brexit, it was a binary, but there were a lot of different opinions on what Brexiteers actually wanted- so what we got was the Brexit of Boris and Jacob (which was a re-warmed Brexit of Teresa, which they then botched anyway. I’m just using it as an example, not presenting a point of view on the concept of Brexit.
Is it going to be a simple binary referendum again: No immigration vs Keep As-is? Or will there be a few more options? What will those be? Who gets to frame them? It will be steered by the politics of whoever is crafting the referendum.
I’m not saying there shouldn’t be one, but just that we have to be ever-so careful about how we go about doing it.
I’d also point out a couple of things about the current unacceptable condition of our immigration and asylum situation:
That the Tories have rather comprehensively broken the existing system via poor funding and some rather questionable policies (I’m not talking about Rwanda).
That the recent higher numbers of immigration have partly (35% of the 700k increase in Visas granted since 2019) come from our creating special processes for Ukrainians fleeing the war and for Hong Kong citizens looking to leave their increasingly under-the-thumb homeland. This is rarely commented on by any political party that I’m aware of, with the focus being on the migrant boats etc. that do need to be dealt with; we need to be careful of the “lies, damn lies, and statistics” approach that our politicians like to take with big numbers like 700,000.
The above just to say: Yes, it does need fixing; we need to be able to have productive conversation about immigration without being labelled as racist and/or isolationist; Our British values should encourage us to provide a home (temporary or permanent) to those that need it, without us being taken advantage of; it’s hard for me to fully commit to a referendum when the data isn’t being properly/accurately discussed in the public sphere by the media and politicians who will be shaping said referendum.
A very comprehensive post Joe. Of course, the devil is in the detail or in this case the question. In principle, your approach seems both balanced and pragmatic.
Kind of you to say, and to avoid any doubt my feeling is in agreement with yours- that the current situation is unsustainable.
The challenge is turning a principle into something workable..!
well said Joe – robust, peaceful respectful dialogue is the best way froward!
The point of the Ukrainians is not all but I reckon most of them will go back home,as for Hong Kong Chinese we have no choice they can claim British citizenship.
Very true, as long as the West continues and increases its support of Ukraine so that they have a country to go back to…
Regardless of choice, having met a number of Hong Kong nationals, they’re broadly speaking a very hard working bunch, often well-educated and skilled, who value democracy, free speech etc. because they’ve seen what happens as those things are eroded. In other words, exactly the people that we would want to be welcoming into the country anyway. I’d rather have them than many British-born nationals I’ve come across.
Completely agree. We should make the undesirables wear yellow arm bands or something so we know who they are. Replace them with worthy people who will contribute to … the economy. Unless they’re in a minority, of course. We wouldn’t want to be discriminating based on ethnicity, now, would we. Of course not, no. Never.
Following the Brexit result there will never be another referendum held in the U.K. None will be offered.
I suspect you are right Barry.
There’s no point. We got Brexit in name only after 5 years of procrastination as they found ways around it.
Exactly.
Exactly. People all around the world are essentially tribal and local in their nature – adeptly described as ‘somewheres’ rather than ‘anywheres’. When and how did this become a crime?
It’s a crime to commit violence against people because they are different. Also it’s a matter or boundaries. Modern European nation states have their origins in the areas where a noble warlord happened to control. Richard I is a fairly famous king of England, almost legendary. However, he was not English. He owned a lot of territory in France and spoke French
Thank you. At he time of Richard I my people were serfs.
‘It’s a crime to commit violence against people because they are different.’
If you are fortunate enough live in an Anglosphere country or one liberated by Anglos.
Legitimate debate is one thing. Perpetuating violence and the destruction of property against people just because of their ethnic origins is racism and far right extremism. Will you take the opportunity to condemn the violence?
My grandad spent 5 years battling the nazis. In my eyes anyone doing nazi salutes, destroying war memorials or attacking Churchills statue should be put on traitors gate. Destroying peoples business and property is plain wrong and solves nothing.
Now will you take the opportunity to admit that the biggest issue in Britains society today is migration or more directly illegal migration and that people like myself are not racists but have a genuine right to be concerned for my and my children’s future? The current levels/format, whatever you want to call it, are unsustainable and that the opinions of the many should be more important than the few?!
And to reiterate my original point, there has never been a legitimate debate about migration and the need to control our borders and protect Britain. Anyone who tries is called a racist! THATS THE PROBLEM!
What is the net economic impact of migration? What would you do if you’re in charge? What should the net migration level be?
So no you can’t admit that people like myself have genuine concerns about migration and it doesn’t make us racist?!
You’re part of the problem so nothing more to say here!
Of course people have legislate concerns about migration and I respect them. We need control of our borders and the ability to control who comes in and out.
We need to though be data and facts driven when we’re allocating finite public resources. I’ll repeat my questions above, what is the net economic impact of migration? What would you do if you’re in charge? What should the net migration level be?
Thank you for finally answering my question. I was beginning to think you was swerving it and that maybe you was a politician!
The net economic impact and migration levels that you ask about are not something that I cannot put an answer to. What I would say is that the terrorists, grooming gangs, soldier killers, not to mention the high number of people who want sharia law introduced into this country, must be causing a massive financial burden to monitor and deal with. Thousands and thousands entering illegally must be causing massive financial burdens to deal with. It’s illegal. If I did something illegal I’d be punished for it. These are not the sort of people we want in our society. And because nothing has been done it has given the far right an opportunity which again costs huge finances to police,monitor etc.
There are people we should have helped more. My immediate thought is the Afghan interpreters and there families, who helped save the lives of British and allied personnel.
What would I do? Listen to the people is what I would do. Laws need to change. Ignoring the problem is solving nothing. Calling us all racists is solving nothing.
The economy question is a typical tactic for changing the subject. It never made any sense and its a wonder they still practice it.
What ‘should’ net migration be?. What an odd question. It shouldn’t be anything. We don’t exist to serve migrants. They’re not some kind of master race that we’re expected to worship. Any economic modelling that requires a native population to be displaced and replaced from its native settlements isn’t one worth following as the end result is the disintegration of that nation. Its like curing a supposed disease by killing the patient.
The economy is irrelevant. We don’t exist to serve ‘the economy’. The economy is just our nation’s ‘metabolism’, that’s all. And whatever economy sophistry you’re about to peddle, its no justification for ethnically cleansing a native population.
Look sir, I’ll tell you one thing, if we white Europeans are so bad, why do these immigrants come to Europe? Can you explain it to me? Here in Spain, the vast majority of attacks, robberies and rapes are carried out by Moroccans and Algerians, and people are tired, you know? If the people lñ go out on the streets to protest about this they will call them far right, come on, man!
I didn’t realise the cast majority of attacks and robberies were carried out by those groups. That’s something we should be more aware of. To help enlighten people would you mind providing some statistics and sources breaking down the number of attacks by group please, I think that’d be very helpful
Turn on the TV, jot down how many of who are carrying weapons, and note how many of who are arrested by the police for this well-known crime. Ample clips abound on Twitter and Youtube of the police blatantly ignoring weapon violations. This gives rise to accusations of two-tier policing.
If you say that “maybe arrests are happening and we don’t know it as the results and statistics are not published”, then in turn I ask, why are the results and statistics not published? E.g. an announcement of X numbers of Y people arrested and fined in Birmingham? If truth is on your side, then surely nothing would be more powerful than to reveal it.
It is a fundamental principle of British law that “justice must not only be done, it must be SEEN to be done” (Lord Hewart, 1924).
Failure to demonstrate convincingly that all communities receive equal treatment by the police is a failure of justice.
I was addressing the issue in Spain. In all cases decisions should be data driven and we need to act proportionately. What I am seeing is the number of innocent people who being attacked because of their ethnicity or religion. These people have not made the decision to institute so called two tier policing (if that’s actually the case). Do you condemn the attacks on innocent people just because of their race or religion, yes or no?
Of course I do. But injustice can be by omission as well as commission, such as lack of prosecution and selective policing. And attacks on innocent people just because of their race or religion are coming from both ways.
What many are seeing is the failure to safeguard and prosecute all communities equitably, and furthermore, the failure to address concerns of two-tier policing when they are raised. The only defence that has been offered is dismissive at best, vilification at worst. Do you call that “data-driven”?
Mind you, the data is available, a quick Google would have told you that.
How you choose to interpret it is something else. The media is well ready with excuses to support their chosen narrative.
They don’t need to act at all. How migrants do or do not behave is, guess what, irrelevant. The Spanish don’t need to justify their opposition against being colonised by Africans. It doesn’t matter if they defecate gold bars and urinate champagne, immigration isn’t about the migrants.
Before the Olympics started I read that migrants account for less than 7.4% of the population of France but account for 48% of all crime in Paris, 55% in Marseille and 40% in Lyon. 77% of all rapes in Paris were committed by migrants. When they refer to migrants, who do you think they are referring to; Glaswegians and Corkmen, or mad mullahs from North Africa and the Middle East?
All this data is freely available online.
Wake up and open your eyes Something Different!
Don’t be a victim of ideological propaganda. The hard data is freely available from official sources. Lots of misinformation in mainstream media. For example, the narrative that you Brits have done relatively badly since Brexit can be put to bed by the IMFs GDP per Capita data
https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDPDPC@WEO/FRA/GBR/EU/USA/DEU
All the data from 1980 to present and IMF projections to 2029. Take a look at 2028.
F F S
It took 3 days to approve this comment.
If only we existed to serve the holy GDP. And you talk about not falling for ideological propaganda, lol.
The only extremism is importing millions upon millions of migrants resulting in the displacement of the native population and the organised rape and murder of it’s children by a particular ideology, which has also been bombing us and running us over with trucks. We’ve had over 20 years of that abuse against the English people and people like you seem perfectly fine with it. So forgive me if I’m not persuaded by your posture of opposing racism or extremism.
100% Correct
Please provide statistics to back up Nevis’ argument if you believe 100% they’re correct. That should be an easy task as I’m sure you’re very informed before making a judgment
Maybe if you provided links proving he is incorrect…..
Why? … it’s just a rabbit hole he created to distract from the topic.
This is data, economic data; not propaganda. Absolutely hilarious! This is the first time I’ve heard IMF data called propaganda. Do you understand the difference? Do you know what data is; what propaganda is?
Alas, probably not!
Same tactics are being used here, as were used by the bot accounts supporting brexit, and then supporting Reform at the latest election. There is a clear pattern and it has Putins fingerprints all over it. It’s just a shame we have so many gullible people who fall for it.
Why do you assume people can’t think for themselves?
Well the yobs out in force at the moment clearly can’t think for themselves, not a braincell between them.
The police in Belfast used ‘attenuating energy projectiles’ against some rioters last night. Proper job ?
That’s more like it
It does look as if we are moving in the direction of a national riot police force. Starmer is using terms like ‘army’; apparently a force of some 4000 ‘specialist public order officers’ has been assembled with another 2000 to be added today. English Brigadier has posted that RAF Chinooks are on standby to transport the force to trouble spots. Starmer’s ‘full force of the law’ is about to take on a new meaning 🙂
That’s good. Our police have to put up with so much, often with their hands tied behind their backs. Often being told to wear no riot gear lest it “escalate” the situation. I want to see water cannons, rubber bullets, and tear gas used on rioters no matter what side they’re on. (Not to be confused with peaceful protesters)
Quite. The continentals are more used to dealing with these situations. The French have the CRS for example. I’m not sure on which planet it is acceptable to assault or throw bricks at a policeman or set alight to cars and buildings. The gloves need to come off.
Peaceful Protesters have been met with Police in Riot Gear 🤔.
They weren’t getting tear gassed or shot with bullets though were they. Nothing wrong with the police taking precautionary measures.
Depends if you think Baton Charging, Corralling and Kettling, and using Snatch Squads constitutes ‘ precautionary’ measures.
Peaceful? A black man beaten by a mob, an Asian man stabbed at a train station, mosques under siege, checkpoints in Middlesbrough checking for non whites and Muslim graves vandalised. Does that seem peaceful? Maybe GB news isn’t reporting the violence?
Those are the actions of uncontrolled Mob Scum, how can they be blamed on Peaceful Protesters?.
To a hammer, everything is a nail. To a racist, everything is about race.
Opposition to immigration isn’t about race. I don’t think you’ll ever understand that considering how racially preoccupied you seem to be.
I’d agree to those measures on rioters.
ALL rioters. As long as it’s administered to all and not just the far right home made yobs.
But he careful, there are legitimate protesters too.
I recall the police did get hold of water cannon several years ago but they were never deployed?
Hi Daniele
Interestingly, the media appear to have made no visible attempt to present the view of the peaceful demonstrators. Naturally, the instinctive response is to gravitate to cover the violence – its news and needs to be reported, I get that .
I’ve been following the BBC World news and have yet to witness any engagement with the peaceful elements of the demonstration. I am concerned theses folk will be tarred with the same brush as the thugs .
Come on BBC, do your job properly!
Course they will mate! It’s by design.
BBC? Impartial?
Not for years and years.
Yep, shove ’em in the gulag!. All praise the great leader.
Interestingly, the MoD police also have such a unit, split between North/South. it moves to where it’s needed.
Maybe that’s where they got the idea. Or maybe from King Alfred and the Viking raids – first thing you do when you are under attack in multiple locations is create a signalling system and pool local forces into a mobile national force. Fact is everybody and his uncle are trying to bring us down: Putin, Elon Musk, Tommy Robinson, JD Vance, Xi Jinping, Islamists; a pack of hyenas who fancy moving in for the kill and a meal at our expense. India’s Modi is sitting on the sidelines salivating, like a cowardly vulture waiting for the pickings. We are likely seeing something like the rebirth of England.
Stazi-Starmer living down to his name.
Better watch your step then 🙂
TBF that’s not really a rare occurrence here,there is always something or other either side kicks off on! It’s usually squashed pretty quickly so the police have had plenty of practice hence a fleet of armoured land rovers spread around the province for a quick reaction.
Quite. NI police spokesman mentioned involvement of para military groups. No change there then.
By that logic you must believe cattle to be genius.
I’m not sure parrots are aware of the concept of thought. They just regurgitate stimulus. There’s no comprehension.
LOL … you’re hardly in a position to be the arbiter of gullibility with reasoning like that.
The bots, the bots. They’re under your bed.
Would you like to see reliable sourcing explaining where these bot farms come from, who they support, and who is supporting them? It is widely acknowledged by various intelligence agencies…
I can only speak for myself. My trust in “media” is none existent. Gaslighting is the norm. My faith in politicians? I would be banned for expressing my views. Speaking to my peer group? We all have similar feelings. From uncontrolled immigration to lack of objective and trustworthy reporting of anything. Blair started it for many by giving the PIRA a get out of gaol card, then pursuing men in their 70’s as a sop to Sinn Fein. Blair then involved us in unneeded wars. We had a Tory government made up a serial liars. Now we have another failed lawyer in charge. Nope, people flock to social media because they want some news. Sure, fake accounts will exist, anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that. However, social media also acts as an outlet for a lot of truth. And finally? Ask why many veterans do not trust much of anything they are told/fed. Mini rant over. Do not trust anything you read, until you fact check for yourself.
I’m not on social media (Facebook,X TikTok etc)it’s a cesspit!but even without it I have very much the same views as you made with my own observations👍
The trouble is there is no debating the issues,I might not agree with things that are said but then I don’t jump on saying it’s my way or the highway with tons of abuse and insults!
Its FB only for me, family all over the world see. And a few good groups. Being disciplined about its use is the key for me. Avoids the bearpit.
that’s a great summary John – well presented!
Social media and fake news;
G. K. Chesterton once remarked that, contrary to the popular supposition, when men cease to believe in God they do not then believe in nothing, but in anything. 😉
The RAF has placed a number of Chinooks on standby to transport police units around the country
👍
How many of the rioters go to church? Also, you they are racists criminals who have attacked people and property. The law needs to deal with these ruffians who are imperilling the good order of the realm.
People like you say nothing about the many stabbings, rapes and robberies that the British suffer, and most of them are carried out by people like those you defend. I show some racism in accusing only white people of violence, sir.
I didn’t realise most of those crimes were committed by those groups. That’s important information that would help the discussion. To assist the debate could you please provide statistics and sources, that’d be very helpful. Thanks in advance
This stuff is widely available.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ethnicity-and-the-criminal-justice-system-2022/statistics-on-ethnicity-and-the-criminal-justice-system-2022-html#offence-analysis
And from google AI overview:
Homicide
Terrorism
Where was this outrage for Lucy letby, rolf Harris, Jimmy saville etc?
Exactly, catholic priests have raped waymore kids than any Muslims. Where was the edl then??
You of course have statistical evidence to support that? I recently watched a Sky News item on how Isis kidnapped Yazidi women and girls for sex slaves. You might like to look it up.
‘When liberals call people who worry about borders fascists, then people will elect fascists to do the jobs liberals won’t do’. David Frum
Highly simplified ideas about the motives and psychology of rioters abound. I suggest it takes more than tweets to get people on the streets.
Neither I nor any other sensible person supports riots. That does not give us licence to ignore the underlying causes and impacts on marginalised regions and districts of policies no one ever voted for.
Do you condemn the attacks on police, people and property?
I agree with Barry.
And I will happily condemn all attacks on police, and the wanton vandalism.
I’d also like to see groups of Muslims wandering the streets attacking people handled similarly.
Plenty of footage on Twitter.
Are they? Not sure. Does the media cover that? They didn’t seem to till yesterday when sky news reporters fled from a suburb of Birmingham when an immigrant mob started harrasing them.
Do you condemn them too, SD?
These far right wing agitators are harming a cause many care deeply about, including me. Reducing unlimited mass immigration to a sensible level the country can deal with and making sure people integrate.
Which many do not.
And which governments , FOR DECADES, ignore.
That, is an underlying cause that I think Barry referrs to.
So, will you agree with his last paragraph SD?
Strangely enough the bit about a gang of Muslims boys throwing eggs and attacking the police was on the BBC news at 10 yesterday.
Excellent.
Did you know that in some instances, when protests get a bit physical the agitators have turned out to be Undercover Police?.
No. Had not read that.
Agent provocateur. I’ve seen them in action
Of course I condemn all unlawful acts and wanton violence and distraction. That’s horrible and any non citizens that break our laws should be kicked out.
In this instance the vast majority is being perpetuated by far right thugs. Do you condemn the fact that a black man was beaten by a mob, an Asian man stabbed at a train station, the mosques that are under siege and Muslim graves vandalised? Oh and of course the checkpoints in Middlesbrough looking for non whites.
The vast majority of legal migrants want a peaceful life and contribute to society. When was the last time you saw a NHS ward staffed by white people only? The health service would fall apart further than it already has without them. Also, what about all the migrants or foreign nationals in the military. Or should the Gurkhas be kicked out too?
I do condemn, sure. Its desperate.
Kicked out isn’t a term being used in this conversation.
The thugs on SM will call for it but mass deportations don’t happen in civilised society.
What is being called for here by many, including Farage, is a REDUCTION in those incoming. It was a big partof the Brexit vote, and it’s not been honoured.
A big difference between the two.
Of course most migrants want a peaceful life and contribute. The issue is whether they INTEGRATE and the NUMBER!
Are those coming illegally contributing?
There has never been a full count of how many slipped into the black economy before the boats issue started.
A definite error of Brexit as they cannot now be returned re the Dublin agreement.
Course the vast majority of this wave of violence is by white thugs. ALL the groom gangs, bombings, stabbings, and soldier killings are bring caused by migrants.
Works both ways.
In London The Mets OP Trident fights black gangs ( and i think Algerian? ) going round stabbing and shooting each other.
You missed commenting on the last paragraph of Barry’s I referenced I see.
Maybe you cannot.
On the NHS, yep, they form a massive part, it would collapse.
Which is WHY Farage for years called for a points based system, like Australia I believe, where the host nation takes those with the skills it NEEDS.
Rather than carte blanche everybody, where it is blatantly obvious most are economic migrants, not asylum seekers or refugees.
I love the SWP type placards highlighted in neon lights whenever the BBC have an article to push a narrative “Refugees welcome”
Yes, a refugee is welcome. But most are not refugees. Who is deciding which us which. A corrupt system with an agenda?
When I debate people I do try to answer all points raised, it’s funny how often people cannot address all of mine.
Thank you.
When did you stop beating your wife?
When did you stop avoiding questions? I think it’s a fair assumption you don’t condemn the attacks on innocent people and children?
‘Neither I nor any other sensible person supports riots.’ – me 48 hours ago on UKDJ.
Specsavers or the N.H.S. can provide you with support. This exchange is now closed.
🤣
If we remember the riots of 2011 that were triggered by the police shooting of Mark Duggan.
It was rapidly distorted into a race issue rather than promoting the fact that the Police were trying to arrest a man who had a history of violence and was highly likely to be carrying a firearm at the time of the incident.
Again the underlying tension with this week’s disturbance appears to be racially motivated.
Social media amplifies and distorts information, takes away common sense facts, and replaces them with disinformation and controversies.
There are many factors at work, but the import of American political views such as critical race theory where everything is viewed through a narrow prism of race and historical injustice does not help to maintain a peaceful society.
As a result, it is constantly implied that the Indigenous population of the UK (and Europe) is inherently racist and is tainted with white privilege, (which is to be countered with DEI).
It is highly divisive and causes many people to polarise towards right-wing extremism.
A good way to not be accused of racism is to not be racist. And I’m not meaning being politically incorrect or expressing opinions on immigration. I’m talking about attacking people and property based purely on their race.
Yes, spot on.
Apparently, I can be a racist these days by minding my own business because “White silence is Violence” according to the left.
That’s weird, those people being charged seem to have been accused of violence and destruction of property. I must have missed the news about white people being charged with silence. I’m sure you’re able to provide proof to support what you’re claiming?
I did not claim anyone was arrested for anything in my last post, so why did you say that ?
But if you Google the phrase “White silence is Violence” you will see it is a Narrative that has been pushed around on social media a lot. You can even get T-shirts with this meme.
To put this discussion in context: In my posts to this thread, I am talking about how social media stirs up anger and polarises people to hard extremes.
I get all my fake info from @Keir_Starmer
Look no further than X for fake news!WTF has Musk got to do and say with what’s happening here!? This is a man who supports pootin to the hilt and yet here he is preaching morals to us🤬
In case you didn’t know, Elon Musk is South African, by the way, people like you don’t say anything about the white murder in South Africa where thousands of whites have been killed and some even burned alive on their farms. What about the hundreds of whites killed in the former Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, where most whites had to flee and their farms were robbed? Aren’t whites exactly the ones who plant bombs in Europe, sir, so stop accusing whites of everything bad because it’s quite the opposite.
I utterly and completely condemn the targeting of any civilian, they are serious crimes and the perpetrators should be dealt with. I was also not making a sweeping comment about all whites.
I was surprised that Musk was making such statements as the same analogy could be applied to South Africa. Again Musk is from a migrant group from which some people killed and exploited the native population. He is also an immigrant to America so it’s odd he’s complaining about migration.
Not all politicians, but some, cuddle up to activist groups as well as charities and organisations that like to promote Islam.
But collectively and despite being a minority they have a very loud voice which is amplified via social media. This voice is used to shape narratives and to impose guilt and shame on anyone whose opinion or worldview differs from theirs. These are broadly the extreme left which likes to ally itself with the Islamist mob.
We are reaching a point where the silent majority have had enough of the faux outrage, the exaggerated victimhood narrative, and the apologists. as well as the virtue-signaling white liberals who love to look for racism in everything.
These riots were caused by sucessive governments not listening to the public on mass uncontrolled immigration. For 30 years we have said we wanted it reduced drastically and we even voted to leave the EU because of it. If we don’t know who is coming in then we will get the wrong sort of people arriving, and thats when a whole generation of school girls get raped in Rotherham and three dead little girls in Southport. Kier keeps blaming the far right but this falls straight back into his lap.
They’re far right anti British thugs who have been targeting Muslims even though they had absolutely nothing to do with Southport
Yep. They are. And despite that, what Enoch days is essentially correct on what has led to this.
We are still waiting for a statement of conviction for the crime against 3 defenseless girls Mr. Stormer, the murderer is British of Rwandan parents, we are still waiting for statements of condemnation of the hundreds of stabbings perpetrated by Browns, oh no, those are stabbings of his friends, right Mr. Stormer? They are going to protect the mosques and the Christian churches ?, no, not those, right, sir. Stormer? Because for you, as for most traitorous European leaders, we white Europeans are your enemies, right, Mr. Stormer?
So one wrong justifies another? What about all the children who are terrified that they’re going to be attacked because of the colour of their skin? Is that right?
Who on Earth is threatening to attack Children of colour?.
A young boy has been left with minor facial injuries after an attack in west Belfast which police are treating as a hate crime
Well this is something different east and west Belfast kicking off together with the same agenda!(immigration it would seem)
Para military involvement or not I would suggest that if both sides of the divide are rioting over the same issue there is a bigger problem than it just being ‘far right’ thugs!
Bingo!.
So he gets special consideration because of his race. The entire concept of hate crime needs binning. Its innately racist.
Who says that these children has to be atacked sir ? Not me.
He’s just playing the ‘what about the children’ card. He’s full of stale tricks this one.
Do you have anything to say about the brutal murder of 3 little girls by a British man of Rwandan parents? Why are some people keeping quiet about this brutal act?
Of course that’s an utterly disgusting crime should rightly be condemned. But that was perpetuated by one individual. Are you saying that justifies the systematic attacking of people and property of ethnic minorities?
And no one is keeping quiet about that attack. If the riots and hate crimes weren’t happening, the senseless crimes in Southport would be front and centre of people’s thoughts. But what has the boy in Belfast or the mosques elsewhere got to do with what happened in Southport? Would you like to be targeted just because someone from your ethnic group committed a crime? That’s not even what’s going on here because the rioters/criminals are targeting non Rwandans. All migrants or minorities are being subject to hate because of the actions of one boy.
‘But’.
I do. My thoughts were ‘not again’. And I’m expecting it to happen again in the future. I think we all are as this was not an isolated incident like the pro-migrant crowd are minimising it to be. There is an established pattern of large scale child abuse directly resulting from the UK Government’s policy of unlimited large scale immigration.
Its no more or less wrong or right than attacking children regardless of what race they happen to be. He wasn’t attacked because of his race, he was attacked because he was a migrant. Which is to be expected when a government imposes mass immigration on a native population. That is the actual racism here. Alienating a native population in its own society through mass immigration. So if you’re going to oppose racism, oppose ALL of it, otherwise you’re just a hypocrite.
Thanks George for an interesting opinion piece.
Please can you help to empower us in misinformation detection by describing the tools used to quantify the “high-frequency posting pattern”?
I favour the ground.news tool to assess the factuality and bias of mainstream media sites.
Hey, this post is a very good example of misinformation. Do you have any credible proof that the police (the same police with all the racists WhatsApp groups) are preferring minorities to whites?
There is none.
The allegation by many, including me, is two tier policing of riots. Based on what has happened in the last several years.
From the BLM protests to statues thrown down to the Leeds riots in which the police fled to the Manchester airport assault on two police officers.
Those 2 remain on bail. Why?
Attacks on police are attacks on police. Around 25 punches were thrown by those 2 before the copper lost it and kicked the lad when he was down tasered.
Home Sec was vocal enough to condemn but as quiet as a mouse since once the full footage emerged.
Things like this are fueling the pro ethnic narrative.
I condemn all violence. But the two policing of riots (if there actually true) is down to the authorities not migrants or ethnic minorities. Why are black and Asian doctors, nurses, social care workers etc in fear because of failings by government? That doesn’t seem fair
Yes, agree! That’s my and others point!
if it is indeed a thing, it is down to the authorities, No one blames migrants or ethnics for that, it’s the system that seems to be at fault.
Every one must be treated the same.
Good to debate with you. Dont know what common ground was achieved apart from an agreement in condemnation of violence, but, respect anyway.
😀🤝
Thanks very much and you too. I think it’s important to find common ground 🙂
Defo. I had to put up with a vile evil sod the other day with their posts, so, to chat in a civilised manner is appreciated by me.
It is the way forward for all communities.
And those communities are not always confirming to the stereotype of for or against immigration on ethnic grounds. One of my wife’s friends is Malaysian and is an ardent Reform supporter!
There must be common ground, or there is nothing, if we are to live on this island in peace.
Just remember everyone sees themselves as the hero not the villain so they will see their actions as justified. It’s easy to manipulate desperate people I saw it all the when I worked in Pensions as we dealt with victims of pension liberation scams, tell people what they want to hear, they ignore all the warnings we gave them that they are being scammed and still they fall for it and lose their money.There is too much distortion of the facts on immigration and on a great deal of subjects thanks to social medias ability to spread misinformation and people don’t trust the mainstream media mostly because of what the misinformation they see on social media. Of course when people don’t believe mainstream media is that they don’t believe the truth and instead believe any old rubbish. It’s amazing how many times I’ve had both left and right wing friends accuse the BBC of bias sometimes even on the same interview.
Presumably BBC would evidence balance with equal complaints from left and right. You’d expect a diligent and quantitive approach from a publicly funded organisation.
Starmer must resign now.
And we replaced by who? Someone from the far left???!
replaced by a person who does not betray his own people and who is neutral, not anti-white indigenous.
Yes, but that is exactly how many of us Brits see parts of the Labour party!
Starmer is seen as a centrist.
Centrist ? he seems to be an endophobic anti White.
I,ve seen videos of Black or hindi people blaning himfor not protecting the country of arab /pakistani gangs
I have vowed to never post again on this journal because of the state police does not allow differing views from the official narrative lest you get your shoulder tapped by the authorities. However, I’m still reading some of the defence journal articles. It seems to me this article stands out like a sore thumb (nothing to do with defence and more to do with politics and homeland security). Perhaps this is article from the official government narrative about having the right thoughts… George Orwell in 1984 could have predicted the UK he just got the wrong date and should have put it as 1997 the year that New Labour came to power. Reading the posts on here Daniele it does reinforce my view that the left have high jacked all organs of communication. A lot of the narrative on the MSN seems so biased I can only imagine that this is being centrally orchestrated in some way. It’s interesting the phraseology that Kier Starmer used “standing army” for policing…for me it struck me immediately as very Orwellian. It’s been illegal since 1689 for a standing army in the UK for the purpose of policing (Bill of Rights 1688). That “turn of phrase” gives me an insight into the philosophy of Labour and that they intend to dramatically change our hard won freedoms such as the freedom of speech. They want to create a multiethnic and multicultural utopia and the road to this new Jerusalem is paved with the broken rights of native British people. This is a state religion to people on the left and they are the new puritans eager to find witches around every corner (the non-believers). It’s interesting Kier brandishes his public prosecutor role with glee….that to me in itself worries me a lot. We have seen witch finder generals before during the puritan period and it didn’t end well for the British people.
Robert Peel invented the concept of policing by consent. This is embodied in the famous phrase “the police are the public and that the public are the police”. Labour and the conservatives before them have turned the police into a paramilitary force (again infringing our rights under the Bill of Rights 1688). This is not surprising as a multiethnic and multicultural society has never been created in the history of mankind that did not need draconian laws to enforce a civic society (e.g., Yugoslavia with the Communist providing those draconian enforcement laws). The equalities act and human rights act have embedded the rights of the minority over the majority ergo the rise of two tier policing in the UK. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown did a lot of constitutional damage including having a supreme court that can overrule parliament. For the first time in our constitutional history, this provided for the separation of the Appellate Committee (supreme court) from the legislature (Parliament) and the executive (Government). This was a massive constitutional change that did not allow parliamentary oversight of our judges (who polices these judges and their decisions certainly not the electorate). Very few people realize what a massive and dangerous constitutional change that this made. David Starkey has explained in forensic detail the damage caused to out body politic in the short space of ten years. If any government wants to stop the UK from descending even further we need to immediately repeal the constitutional changes Tony Blair and Gordon Brown made. This gave them control over of parliament (by left wing actors) ad infinitum even if a centre right government was to gain power. The Conservatives would be wise to repeal these laws and abolish all the unelected quangos that clog up and stop the laws that the British public want. Everything from government budgets, to environmental laws, to broadcast journalism have been given to unelected busy-bodies that have overrule the rights of the British public. Government is too big and too interfering in the UK (small government is what we need). They call these people liberals and they are nothing of the sort…they are the new puritans with own state religion. More of these types of articles depresses me even further….about the current state of the UK.
Fascinating detailed post mate.
Narrative of the MSM?
I have asked here before how come, when I go on to Google and type “news” or even on Yahoo news, most articles by default are from the Independent, Guardian, BBC.
A left leaning narrative.
Now why is that?
Predictably, yawning silence in reply here.
The current BBC narrative is emphasis on the counter protests with “Refugees welcome” signs in neon lights highlighted at every opportunity.
One. Of course genuine refugees are welcome. But most aren’t are they, they’re economic migrants, including those who enter illegally.
And nobody has a say and the voice if millions is ignored.
That is nicely sidelined for the narrative that is required.
The Saudi’s own $584 Billion of foreign currency reserves and this doesn’t include overseas government debt. The Qatari’s, Kuwaiti’s and UAE also have large foreign currency reserves. Ask yourself how many places of worship are in London in prime real estate. Look at the the rate of unemployment in certain demographics and ask how do they afford to purchase prime real estate? Ask yourself the question why our government has implemented two tier policing with self-policing of certain communities as stated by a police spokesman recently. Ask yourself why the Conservatives never dealt with illegal and legal migration. Ask yourself why Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and Qatar never take refugees which could easily integrate into their societies. Community leaders were asked what was the type of policing they needed and wanted…ask yourself why our police acceded to this request. The UK is deeply in debt, our debt is own by UK pension funds but also foreign governments, ask yourself who really calls the shots and why….look carefully and read widely… Do you think some bad actors have told our government tow the line or we pull the plug on your finances and collapse your economy….think long and hard about that question. The same applies to the US which is also heavily indebted. The defence industry is one of our biggest exports and who are our biggest clients….we need these foreign exports to balance our books. Think long and hard about these questions as I ponder them everyday now…you want to understand why things happen….always follow the money….How did Blair become so wealthy given the fact he has been retired so long from politics…I ponder this question everyday too.
Colonisation.
Read this article Daniele from the Huffington Post:
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/adam-deen/saudi-funded-mosques_b_16825640.html
Makes you really think and ponder that the Saudi propaganda spending is bigger than the Soviet Union as its height…
Wow!. Its exceedingly rare that the Islamic Lobby is reported on.
The BBC does balanced reporting. Flat Earthers get the same time to promote their cause as everyone else 🙂
LOL … that was funny. Balanced reporting, lol. Good one.
Before anyone takes your post too seriously may I point out that the last eleven months have seen seven calls for a military coup if Labour won the election. Two were from you?
Now you pretend to care about our constitutional rights? Did you stand for Reform by any chance?
When law makers are so corrupt they’re destroying the nation they govern they mean nothing anyway. In fact, they need to be fought against for the good of society.
Is the Liz Truss lettuce still around?.
This is a very good piece, George.
Thank-you.
I can see the freedom.of speech is non existent in the UK unless you are muslim of course.
Of course I know this coments will not be published.
Allah Hakbar !!!
I think trust of the main stream media is self inflicted. For instance I know before I read an article from the express or guardian it’s going to be biases with an agenda. Those who are looking to confirm there own biases flock to some of these mainstream outlets ignoring others, pushing people into their own bubbles and what’s worse is they unawares it’s happening to them. SM then doubles down on this.
Is it possible to have an internal preemptive nuclear strike,?? 😳 Ahh wait, no, that’s AF….. Sorry. 🙃🕳️Btth.
Spotting and negotiating the Two Tier policing and justice system, would be more beneficial.
I see that the secretary of state for education is planning to include skills in how to spot fake news in the review of the school curriculum; together with more arts, music and sport. Will the children be taught how to interpret VAR?
I completely agree with this article as it is completely without any kind of bias whatsoever. When people riot they should do so with accurate and reliable information from trustworthy sources addressing approved topics and sanctioned opinions. Then we can move onto not talking about them at all and pretend they’re not happening. All praise British journalism. The finest money can buy.
Islam is the future, especially in the UK, mr Starmer is the best example