Where they get it from? That bits the simple bit. It even refers to it in the article, it’s the echo chamber that so many people live in now.
Reform and the like paint a picture of people who don’t look like you being the root cause of all problems. To add to this, as you say the largest source of terrorism we have faced in recent years is from extremists who are using the Islamic religion as a reason for terror attacks. The people who are actually then far right, paint an image that rather than viewing these people as using a religion for extreme acts as in the wrong, we should actually paint the entire religion as dangerous and wholly unacceptable. (This is why talk shows are full of ‘we’re letting these paedophiles and murderers in” as if every migrant in the world is a criminal).
In truth, I know, have worked with, and seen so many people who follow the religion of Islam in a peaceful, kind, loving, genuinely community led way, yet we’re being told that ALL Islam is dangerous, that this isn’t a case of bad individuals, but a case of an entire religion and everyone who follows it being dangerous. There’s a lot of people who listen to that, and buy it wholeheartedly without ever actually applying critical thinking, they go out and paint flags on roundabouts and traffic signs and say it’s patriotism because actual far right people have told them it’s patriotic. There aren’t a lot of those people who flew flags before, they weren’t acting “patriotically” a year ago, but suddenly they will do so because people use language like “invaded” to convince them they’re in a fight. In truth, going out and marking a roundabout with your flag isn’t because you’re patriotic, it’s because you’re marking what you deem to be your territory. It’s the right wing version of a dog tinkling up a tree and they hope it makes people who they deem as ‘not us’ feel threatened.
This of course leads to people out there who will never think for a moment and will immediately go to the “fight” option and plan attacks like these… what does that lead to? Retaliation, and the cycle continues. So people who aren’t very bright get roped in by people like Farage who know the only way they can seize power is to drive division, to tell people anyone foreign is the reason they can’t live the life they want to, and whilst those people are looking at immigrants, Nigel and his mates carry on being multi millionaires and breaking promises. That’s how these people end up in this situation.
For what it’s worth, I’ve seen your other posts, and so forgive me, whilst I won’t spend as long on this because this post is already lengthy, I’ll just clarify by saying that I also don’t agree at all with the extreme end of things like Sharia law, and I certainly don’t support using ANY religion as an excuse to cause terror, violence or death. I myself am not religious. There are awful, awful, people on both sides of “this”. I will also say, that not everyone flying a flag is a racist, but I do hold the opinion that a vast majority of the people doing these things currently in the name of patriotism are doing so because they have fallen for the grift - be that because actually they’ve always been a bit right wing or a bit racist and this makes it feel like they have been ‘legitimised’, or, because actually our country has been so poorly governed for years now that they are desperately clinging to anything that looks like change, even though the current option of change is actually taking them even further down a very dark path.
Extremism either way is abhorrent, and we REALLY need a genuine political party to do something we haven’t seen in a VERY long time, and that is have the best interests of the nation at heart.
(Sorry terribly long post, TLDR - We’re fudged).
www.bbc.com
