The scenes of the far right rampaging the streets of the UK this summer were shocking and shameful. The riots that erupted were fuelled by online misinformation and misused a truly tragic event to spark chaos and racist violence.
Thankfully, this spate of disorder has seemingly drawn to a close, with prison sentences already being handed out to those that took part, either directly in the riots or by posting inflammatory content online.
The large anti-racism protests that were held in response, which were often protecting accommodation for asylum seekers, showed that those on the far right do not speak for the majority of the population, and that the UK is more accepting and tolerant than these extremists would have you believe.
However, there is always the danger of these ugly scenes taking place again as the political debate has become more toxic in recent years – especially around immigration. This can be used by a small minority to stir up hatred and violence.
There have been warnings that the heightened rhetoric of the so-called “culture wars” could have a real-world impact and this, sadly, came to pass over the summer.
A number of charities have found themselves unwilling pawns in the arguments and some have played an important role in helping unite communities and rebuild after the riots. They are an important part of our society and should be able to carry out their work without fear of a backlash from those with fringe views of any kind.
There was some hope that a new government would help to settle things down and help bring communities closer together. But nobody could expect it to have achieved this immediately, and, hopefully, over time it will come to pass.
The new government has already ordered a review of the counter-extremism strategy in response. This, it hopes, will help tackle the impact of a range of types of extreme views and actions.
But the official opposition also has an important role here. A strong opposition is a key part of democracy. What they chose to challenge and oppose, and crucially the tone and language they use, is also very important to avoid inflaming opinions and giving those on the extremes a fake sense of legitimacy.
Whoever is the new Conservative leader should bear this in mind, as should the new Labour government.
Tristan Blythe is editor of Charity Finance
