TWO years ago, I made a speech in the House of Commons warning of the rise of fascism in the UK.

At the time it was dismissed by many as exaggerated fear-mongering, despite the many alarms bells already ringing.

Over this last week we have witnessed fascism in the UK rise to new undeniable levels, as racist riots have sparked fear and violence across the UK. While the riots have so far only affected England and Northern Ireland, this should in no way be taken to mean that Scotland is free from this problem.

The recipe that has produced this rise of the far-right can be traced back to a few key ingredients.

Firstly, a solid base of racism and bigotry.

READ MORE: Far-right fails as hundreds of anti-fascist protesters turn out in Paisley

Despite the regular claims that people are simply concerned about immigration, it is interesting that these concerns are reserved only for refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and Palestine rather than refugees from Ukraine.

The second key ingredient is poverty and inequality.

As public services decline in quality, the pressure on personal finances increase dramatically. Subsequently, the health and wellbeing of the population also starts to decline, leading to even more pressure placed on already struggling services.

As people become tired and disenfranchised from simply trying to live, they often begin to look for someone to blame. Rather than look to those who hoard power and wealth, false prophets and grifters very quickly begin to sow division and point the finger of blame at minorities.

That is where the final ingredient comes in. The far-right only succeeds when our politicians and media fail to tackle them head-on. Politicians and media outlets which either indulge or outright fan the flames of fascism, from the endless platforms given to the likes of Nigel Farage, to both major political parties parroting racist dog whistles.

Newspapers such as the Daily Mail, the Daily Express and The Sun have published countless headlines spreading fear about immigration and the Islamic faith. For years, a platform has been provided for people such as Katie Hopkins to label refugees as “cockroaches”.

Boris Johnson (below) was elected to the highest office in the UK despite referring to black people as “piccaninnies” with “watermelon smiles” and comparing Muslim women to “letterboxes”.

The Labour Party has also failed to tackle the issues head-on. The Labour leadership continually talks about immigration and asylum seekers as a problem to be dealt with.

From the Islamophobic chants we hear, to the Union Jacks draped around the thugs burning corner shops, there seems to be a link between the racist riots and an outdated British Empire mentality of patriotism. An empire which pillaged countries all over the world under the guise of “educating” them on “civility”. Those who assume that the white population of Britain must be the epitome of human evolution.

The presence of Union Jacks must not be taken to assume that racism and Islamophobia can or should be viewed through a constitutional lens. In the face of the far-right, the only distinction that matters is whether you support fascism or not.

In a world where conflict, division and hate are increasingly profitable for the likes of Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson, solidarity is the most powerful tool at our disposal.

In using Twitter/X as his own personal vanity project, billionaire and owner Elon Musk has done everything in his power to make sure the platform facilitates the organisation and unbridled spread of hatred and misinformation.

Now more than ever we must be vigilant in the accuracy of the information we consume and share and our actions must be based on the wishes of those we choose to stand in solidarity with.