Dismissing the English Defence League is also a class issue

One of the unfortunate results of the Woolwich killing is the inevitable backlash from far-right groups across the country. From a group that was nearing its dying days, the incident in Woolwich seems to have given it a new lease of life, evident from their Newcastle Demo yesterday. In addition, the Guardian shows that reported attacks on Muslims have soared this week, online and physically.

Contrast this with the increased support of the EDL since the attack;  Prior to Woolwich, it's Facebook group numbered just over 3,000 subscribers. At the time of writing this post, that number has shot up to 120k. While I'm sure the actual 'membership' of the organisation is less, I think that Facebook is probably more indicative of the amount of support the organisation has as a whole, even from people who don't go to their weekend marches. In less than a week, it's probably the most remarkable rate of increase the organisation has seen in its history.

Yet, whats more interesting is how the EDL's resurgence actually tells us a lot about the disparity of our ideological politics- particularly in relation to predominantly middle class, metropolitan liberals in their interaction with the organisation. I'm not talking about Unite Against Facism (UAF) in this particular case, although I suspect many are just as guilty as the liberal Twitterati.

It's easy to berate the EDL. For the most part, people mock them for overt racism, drunken violence and general buffoonery. It makes for some great photos like this;



or this;




Despite ample images, videos and multimedia illustrating the violence and racism inherent in the EDL, you could be stuck asking why so many people have turned to the group, even if they have none of these tendencies. Sure, some might suggest it's short term security in a hostile environment, or perhaps a reaction to political parties that seem to represent the upper middle and higher echelons of society, over young, unemployed white communities from working and underemployed backgrounds. I would argue that while to an extent this may be true, affiliation and support of the EDL also derives from the antipathy and disregard espoused by the liberal intelligensia that occupy column inches and Twitter timelines.

That's because instead of taking the EDL at face value, the liberal left often find themselves in a trap whereby they perpetuate their own form of class politics. Whether its mocking the appearance or manner of particular people, comparing them to participants on the Jeremy Kyle Show or commenting on their lack of intelligence in Facebook comments, such retaliation does little to challenge the EDL's ideology and tackle the actual issues the group poses. Instead, it's reduced to playground name calling and superficial finger pointing, all of which do little more than illuminate the disparities between middle and working class communities. In fact, it's the same type of class snobbery which disassociates such groups from mainstream politics, leaving them vulnerable to the enticing opportunities offered by radical groups.

In this case, its no wonder why the intelligensia's attempts at moralising (ie. "You can't judge religions by a bad apple etc.) have failed abysmally. No matter how many Muslim groups attend Lee Rigby's memorial, publicly denounce the attack, or engage with wider society, the EDL will continue to hold demonstrations and exert their anger on Foreign communities. It's not simply an issue of religion, race or immigration- their anger also consists of issues to do with their own class and identity. And where some are able to say that successive governments have completely disregarded the needs and issues concerning old working class communities, a part of me can't help but to agree.

While it's certainly admirable that politicians and Fleet Street journalists can pen passionate pleas for calm amidst this storm, and for liberal lefties like myself to echo those sentiments, it should be recognized that such messages don't resonate in particular communities where radical groups pick up their constituents. Whether you're looking at English nationalists or a Muslim fundamentalists, there exists a commonality in their recruitment base: young, angry and disenchanted people who have lost faith in their democratic institutions. Where democratic governments and political parties have failed, other groups like the EDL and UKIP have acutely volunteered to bear the flag for ailments of a forgotten class.

Rather than the Middle class liberal left engaging with these important problems, a lot of us (including myself) have fallen into the trap of  dehumanisation. Instead of acknowledging the severity of long term unemployment in particular communities, and how issues like immigration, welfare and cohesion can affect societies at a local level, we instead find it easier to dismiss them through caricatures of drunken hooligans covered in badly drawn tattoos. That might make a great comedic photo and get a few likes on Facebook, but it doesn't eradicate the underlining problems that attract disaffected individuals to groups like the EDL. On the contrary, such abandonment actually makes them more appealing.