What is Britain First '“ the far-right group retweeted by Donald Trump?

Chris Allen, University of Birmingham

Donald Trump’s decision to retweet a number of videos originally posted by Jayda Fransen – the deputy leader of the far-right street movement Britain First – was as unfounded as it was unexpected. Retweeted without additional comment, the three videos purported to show a group of Muslims pushing a boy off a roof, another of a Muslim destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary, and finally, an immigrant Muslim violently beating a Dutch boy on crutches.

The authenticity of the videos was quickly thrown into question by the Dutch embassy in Washington, which claimed the perpetrator in the final video had been born and raised in the Netherlands.

Nevertheless, Fransen celebrated having had her tweets shared with Trump’s near 44m followers on Twitter. Having been arrested and charged earlier in the day for using “threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour” at a rally in Northern Ireland in August, Fransen tweeted: “God bless you Trump! God bless America!”, before signing off with “OCS” – an abbreviation for Onward Christian Soldiers.

Despite the retweets having been met with near unequivocal condemnation, including an unusually strong statement from prime minister Theresa May – for whom it was the first time that she has publicly acknowledged Britain First – what is of most concern is the potential impact Trump’s endorsement will have in conferring credibility on Britain First and its Islamophobic ideology. His tweets have the potential to garner greater and more significant support for the group, which would no doubt strengthen its ranks thereby increasing its reach. That much is evident in the fact that since the retweets, Fransen’s personal Twitter account has been bolstered by an additional 22,000 followers.

Aggressive tactics

To date, in spite of having 1.9m followers on Facebook Britain First has struggled to mobilise significant numbers of people “in real life”. At many of its rallies and demonstrations, numbers rarely exceed low hundreds at best. From videos on its YouTube page, on most occasions the group comprises no more than a relatively small number of individuals, Fransen being one. It’s possible that with the exposure afforded by Trump’s retweets, more people will make the transition from clickbait to street activist.

Formed in 2011, the group largely failed to make any inroads in the political mainstream. Fransen received just 56 votes when she stood for a parliamentary by-election in 2014.

It has therefore adopted increasingly direct action techniques to make its mark. Britain First has its roots in the far-right British National Party and has benefited from the demise of the English Defence League, another extreme-right street movement.

The murder of British soldier Lee Rigby in 2013 catalysed the group to become increasingly anti-Muslim while engaging in confrontational publicity seeking activities. These have included undertaking