Surprise, surprise: The fascist political party Britain First has been found guilty of an Islamophobic hate crime.
According to The Independent, Britain First leaders, Paul Golding, and Jayda Fransen targeted Muslim people they inaccurately believed were involved in an ongoing sexual violence case. The two face multiple charges of religiously aggravated harassment after a judge deemed their behavior hostile toward those practicing Islam.
Back in May 2016, they were arrested after handing out leaflets and posting videos during a rape trial in Canterbury Crown Court. Three Muslim men as well as a teenager were found guilty and incarcerated.
While this fascist ideology is UK-based, it of course has the potential to spread all over the world. According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump—the "America First" president who enables racially motivated violence in the United States—retweeted video content about Britain First just a few months ago.
Since Trump's election, there has been a spike in hate crimes. The tragedy of Nabra Hassanen, a 17-year-old Black girl who wore a headscarf, brought light to such violence last summer. However, there is research to prove this trend. New York City experienced in a 115 percent rise in hate crimes shortly following the 2016 presidential election. Additionally, a recent report explains violence toward queer and trans people in the United States spiked in 2017 alone.
