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Anti-Islamic Protest in the UK: Policy Responses to the Far Right

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LEAP Research Blog
Date

Patrick Foster
BA Philosophy
Anti-Islamic Protest in the UK: Policy Responses to the Far Right

Far right protest groups, in the UK, are a relatively new phenomena that present new challenges to policy makers and the government at large. William Allchorn, through his research into these groups, argues for a specific set of policy responses for dealing with the challenges the groups present; namely inclusion. 

 

Allchorn focuses on anti-islamic protest groups such as the EDL and Britain First. These groups focus their attention on the Islamic community of the UK; often using hateful rhetoric and speeches to create an anti-islamic sentiment in their followers. This creates many problems for policy makers who want to avoid violence and discrimination when these groups hold demonstrations and protests. For example, Bradford, one of Allchorn’s case studies, has a large muslim population who have been targeted by these groups when they demonstrate. This creates a large amount of tension in the community and requires preventative measures from policy makers.  

 

Allchorn argues that a policy of inclusion is most effective in neutralising the treat these far-right groups present. This is because exclusionary policies such as banning potentially drive the movements underground and also draw criticism concerning freedom of speech. Inclusionary policies allow for freedom of speech but also relieve tension in communities. This is because inclusion policies often involve moving protests and demonstrations away from city centres and vulnerable communities. This greatly reduces the chances of violence and harassment when far right groups are active in communities.  

 

Allchorn’s talk was very informative as well as balanced and well argued. His focus on case studies allowed for statistical analysis which yields more precise solutions to problems. While his subject matter is not directly related to my course studies, his approach of identifying problems via examples and then using them to demonstrate the effectiveness of his proposed solutions, is something I can apply to my own work in philosophy. In other words, his methodological approach is something I can learn from and try to implement myself when forming my own arguments.