In September, Taj Ali presented a video for The Guardian called Luton v Tommy Robinson: Myth of a divided town. The video focused on how different communities in Luton are coming together to tackle poverty in different forms. This is done through community centres, soup kitchens and different forms of social interaction (Ali et al., 2025). The video poses some interesting questions about how we tackle the far-right. How much do we need to win over those people? Can protests in isolation stop them? How else can we tackle the far-right?
Solidarity not charity
Many people have used the phrase “that not all those who voted for Trump are racist but all racists voted for Trump.” Although the accuracy of the phrase can be debated, this phrase does somewhat stand in the tradition of trying to understand why people may be drawn to hateful ideas. Understanding the reasons why people commit certain acts is part of an idea called transformative justice. This idea argues we shouldn’t see people being hateful – or committing crimes – as individually bad or ‘evil’ but should see them as part of a wider structure (Pritchard, 2022, p.75). As a result of this idea, we should focus on trying to change the structure rather than casting aside people or deeming them lost causes. Of course, there are people, particularly those at the top of society, who shouldn’t be afforded this kind of solidarity. Furthermore, most have at least some level of agency in society and some hateful acts are worse than others but fundamentally we should try to offer care to as many people as we can.
In the Taj Ali video people were given care with no questions asked by a range of community centres operated by Muslims, Sikhs and people who appeared to have no faith (Ali et al, 2025). There is precedent for material support being offered as a form of resistance against the far right. People who received support in the 1930s from the National Unemployed Workers Movement (NUWM), which was strong locally in places like Sunderland and North Shields, could be seen to challenge the British Union of Fascists (Todd, 1995, p.39). The NUWM may not have directly reaped the rewards of helping those people but they still did. As a result of helping them, they did however in time gain respect and built solidarity with working class people. This is similar to Kropotkin’s idea of mutual aid. In so many aspects of life right now, there are many times people help each other without the expectation of anything in return. In fact Kropotkin argues that society simply could not function without this kind of altruism (Pritchard, 2022, p.21). Creating networks and communities which can respond to needs and deal with any harm caused themselves also helps to get the appropriate resources where they are needed more effectively as well as allow communities to take collective responsibility for responding to harm therefore strengthening bonds within the community (Lively, 2025).
The far-right cling onto how capitalism requires individualism. Lively (2025) has found that many men in society suffer from loneliness. She argues that this is exploited by the manosphere, which is a misogynistic men’s movement, but further than this she argues it is neoliberal capitalism which has pushed individualism. Neoliberalism needs competition between people to survive; this creates isolation which individuals on the far-right can also exploit too (Lively, 2025). This is why we need to build stronger communities and more social interactions as well as organising in our own communities in order to combat the individualism that the far-right and capitalism thrive from.
Applying the theory to the North East
According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2025) around 22% of North East England lives in poverty. That is approximately 600,000 people. Furthermore Shelter (2024) reported the largest increase in homelessness occurred in the North East with a 53% increase. These statistics are demonstration that the North East is fertile ground for the far-right to whip up hatred and organise. These are similar issues to what Taj Ali’s video notes occur in Luton (Ali et al, 2025).
The antidote to this could be strong community organising using the theories outlined above. However, in addition to this the far-right should be opposed when they try to organise in our communities. In opposing them there should be great discipline, tackling their political arguments rather than descending into personal insults.
To a fascist free future
In organising against the far-right we need all of the pieces of the puzzle. We have to offer material support to people who the far-right may try to influence because of the void left in politics. We need to also show solidarity to each other as people building the kind of society we want to see where we are kind and care for each other. However, we also need to challenge the far right when they turn up to spread hate in our communities or threaten other communities. We need care, solidarity but also sound organising to beat the far-right. This is a long struggle but there is no quick fix to defeating the far-right.
References
(2025) ‘At least 345,000 people homeless in England today.’ Shelter, 11 December. Available at: https://england.shelter.org.uk/media/press_release/at_least_354000_people_homeless_in_england_today_ (Accessed: 12/10/2025)
Ali, T., Cherry, C., Shearlaw, M. and Doran, T. (2025) ‘ Luton v Tommy Robinson: the myth of a divided town – video.’ The Guardian, 11 September. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2025/sep/11/luton-v-tommy-robinson-the-myth-of-a-town-divided-video (Accessed: 12/10/2025)
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2025) ‘UK Poverty 2025.’ Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 29 January. Available at: https://www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2025-the-essential-guide-to-understanding-poverty-in-the-uk#_-poverty-across-the-uk (Accessed: 12/10/2025)
Lively, S. (2025) ‘Hyper-individualistic and focused on worth, the manosphere is a product of neoliberalism.’ The Conversation, 24 April. Available at: https://theconversation.com/hyper-individualistic-and-focused-on-worth-the-manosphere-is-a-product-of-neoliberalism-254339 (Accessed: 12/10/2025)
Pritchard, A. (2022) ‘Anarchism: A Very Short Introduction.’ 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press.
Todd, N. (1995) ‘In Excited Times: The People Against The Blackshirts.’ Bewick Press.
