Why aren’t you banning the far-right agitators?

[GoldMedallist]

Deleting their posts but allowing them to keep inciting racial hatred under the same accounts is making the site unusable. Why should we keep reporting them if you’re not going to do anything meaningful about it?

A bit of old fashioned nostalgia maybe?

Because Elon Musk has dodgy views as well.

Ugly though all of this is, at least it feels like the media are actually reporting on how it's organised now. That's a good thing. But, unfortunately, it's not new on mn. I was here during 9/11 and some insane stuff was posted then.

Personally, I think ignore and report is the best strategy - I don't have the time or mental energy to engage. And one tactic of bad faith posters online is to keep arguing so they keep amplifying their message.

The sleeper agent posters are definitely a thing. But for some it's just radicalisation. They genuinely start off as reasonable people. Anyone remember the days of Claig?

Oh Claig! Now that's a blast from the past.

What peculiar threads he/she started and they loved Trump, Brexit, UKIP and was a climate change denier. Loved Putin too. And would argue on and on and on... Happy days.

Yes, I remember Claig - how could one forget?! Wonder if they are still here under another name.

Posted on another thread but Sky News are reporting on a mosque that is promising free cold drinks and burgers to any protesters that show up there this weekend... and an open invitation into the mosque to chat about any "concerns". A brave but very interesting gesture...will be interesting to see how that pans out.

Yeah, they stopped posting or were banned before Covid - imagine their posts on that 😀. They had a pretty identifiable posting style so would be hard to miss, I think.

Haha, Claig on lockdown...

I didn't know that about those three. How interesting and admirable.

I read that BBC article earlier today and, while it's good, I wasn't sure on this point "But its core ideas - in particular an opposition to illegal immigration". I think it's opposition to immigration full stop. But immigration of non-white people, in particular.

It's a typical BBC "for balance" point

I just think it was carelessly written.

The term 'illegal immigration' should not be used either, it's irregular immigration

You want to know if I think the Brexit Party, UKIP and Reform to be Far Right?

My post referred to the fact that those rioting at the moment, apparently feel unheard. I said that we had heard more than enough from those that felt this way since 2016 with that same narrative. They make their views very clear, and have done for some time.

It is true to say that all of those political 'parties' / ideologies are right wing. It is also true to say (and has been said before) that not all people who voted for them are racist, but all racists voted for them. The leaders and supporters of them don't disguise that fact very well, nor try to disassociate themselves. They are agitators. They are without doubt inciting hatred. This is playing out in front of our eyes right now. I'm not sure how you can dispute that.

This has, without doubt, led to, and contributed to, a rise in far right beliefs. It had given people a vehicle in which to do so, and that's no accident.

I simply can't believe that you would let a thread like this stand. Especially as you took it down initially.

What the actual fuck is going on at MNHQ?

The thread’s gone now, but that is a very good question.
Perhaps they’re simply overwhelmed, if bots are involved.

Oh the irony. We have the moderate middle virtue signalling wanting to silence people. Whilst TR is pushing us towards fascism whilst shouting "we are being silenced" oh heck, get their way we will all be silenced. And then those same middle moderates espousing equality and freedom whilst shooting down the far left that actually agitated for those rights! and over here on the left, I have no desire to silence anyone and would prefer to see robust debate. Part of me dispairs more at the naive central ground cheerleaders of state control than the idiot right wing that push for this.

What are you talking about??

The Reform "contract" said they wanted to militarise the police and make the police exempt from human rights law. How do you think a militarised police above the law would be handling these riots?

Seriously, piss off back to twitter with that nonsense. The far right are the very opposite of "silenced". They've held the country hostage for years and I'm heartily sick of hearing about their "reasonable concerns"

Excellent post. Extinguishing dissent and ignoring in the meantime does not work.

Tbh I wonder if the same people calling for zero tolerance and zero debate here are the same people supporting a negotiation process with Hamas and, back in the day, the IRA and loyalist paramilitaries - groups that have engaged in behaviour MUCH worse than anything that took place last night.

Negotiation and airing the poison is the only way forwards, no matter how unpalatable.

Airing poison

What do you mean with that?

I mean encouraging both extremes to meet and have a public conversation assisted by intermediaries.

Negotiation only works if the parties are clear what they want.

These thugs have no clue, other than white supremacy. There is nothing to "negotiate".

Most people would say you don't negotiate with terrorists.

It's good however that you are acknowledging that what they are doing is terrorism. A wave of terror attacks against the British. That's how I feel too.

Do you agree with negotiation with Hamas to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza?

Reform have a voice in Parliament now, Farage didn't show up to the debate on the Southport killings, turned to SM instead, Anderson shared fake news online about asylums seekers and a hotel.

False equivalence and whataboutery. I can't take you seriously when you equate the UK to Gaza.

A better example would be did we negotiate with Al Quaida or ISIS?

Oh please just answer the question and stop being so slippery. Why is the EDL (because let’s face it that’s who this is) closer to ISIS? Are you aware of what happened in Israel in October? Would you say Hamas, despite this, are worthy of negotiation?

I would be really impressed if you just answered in a straightforward way rather than professionally dodging to fit your inconsistent worldview.

Quite.

From where I am the UK government of the last 10 years has bent over backwards to accommodate these peoples "reasonable concerns" at the expense of the rest of us.

Years of torturous brexit negotiations that were never good enough for the people who "want our country back". Billions earmarked on a scheme that was not going to work to Stop the Boats.

Now we've voted to stop pandering to them, they are kicking off like toddlers.