Growing up in the noughties and 2010s, I remember being told about the dangers of violent video games.
Everybody from mainstream media to worried parents would wag the finger at ratings agencies, for allowing the youth of the day to be shown violent content that might encourage them to try such behaviour out in real life.
Only it seems that the real risk doesn’t come from video games or drugs or religion.
Coming civil war
It comes from GB News, and similar far-right media sources, which have been pushing for over a year now, the narrative of a coming Civil War. “England is being invaded”, they have crowed, and impressionable illiterates across Britain have begun to believe it. And when they believe such nonsense, what do they do?
First, they start out like any other political dissidents, organising protests, petitions and marches.
But then things start to go wrong. Perhaps they get caught out acting too much like thugs, on camera.
Perhaps they say something especially stupid on social media, and the public turns against them. Perhaps they just find that most of their supporters are a bit lazy and unwilling to put in the hard yards for the cause.
An afternoon at the the pub is far more appealing, after all.
Unfortunately, it’s not when the far right are doing well, that they’re most dangerous:
It’s when they’re not.
In a perfect little rural spot in Worcestershire, called Lower Old Hill Car Park (near Callow End), an event is set to take place on Monday next week.
On Facebook, it’s listed as being run by the “Connection Club”, a small startup enterprise that appears to be comprised of just one man – Sam Grifiss.
But it’s being supported by Worcester Patriots, whose rally in Worcester last month was overshadowed and humiliated by local anti-racists.
Bizarre history
Grifiss has his own bizarre history, having made local news for building himself a pirate ship in his back garden so he could live in it.
Planning authorities took a dim view of this, since he hadn’t asked permission, and there are rules against this sort of thing – but as Grifiss explains on social media, in his view, the Law of God as written in Isaiah, trumps any law created by a local council.
So that’s alright then. No doubt it is also the will of God that a group of depressed divorced dads with beer guts should roll around in the mud for half an hour to save England from “invaders” in small boats. Praise be.
But what’s most interesting about the event is the way it’s described in the ad.
“Fitness, self defence, community, connection.
“Think guy fawkes/Robin Hood, rebels with a cause. Preperation is the key, getting like minded people together who want change and safety for our country.
“Forget protesting on the streets and signing petitions. Time to get productive.”
Followed by a cute little salute emoji, in case you thought the militant language was too subtle.
Sinister
Now call me paranoid if you want – or “off his meds” as a Reform councillor memorably once did:
But this sounds a whole lot less “boy scouts” and a whole lot more sinister from where I’m sitting.
The fact it’s been picked up, promoted and pushed by the Patriots is a pretty clear red flag, as is the sheer wackiness of the organiser.
It is clear that having failed to muster a real mass movement in Worcestershire, and having been utterly humiliated last month by the colossal counter-protest against their hate march, they are now beginning to switch tack.
They cannot win the whole public over to their cause – but they can try and level up their own war-fighting skills, to take more direct action against the people they perceive to be their “enemies”.
It now falls to the authorities.
Violent outcome
They must recognise that this is not a problem that’s going to go away by itself. They must acknowledge that this is not a group of ordinary local people with legitimate concerns.
They must accept that if they continue to ignore or play down the problem, a violent outcome becomes more likely. And they must act.
Because while it’s objectively funny at this stage, that a pillock in a pirate ship is going to take out his patriot mates to mire themselves in mud on the Malvern Hills – it won’t be quite so funny if they come out the other side better organised, better motivated and better equipped.
