Why young men are drawn to violent, extreme right-wing causes – Tom Wood

There is little doubt that we are now entering a new age of protest. The political banners and the bright clothing of the anti-Vietnam war and poll tax protests may be in the past but the simmering discontent remains.

The uniform of protest is now back to black, more like Mosley fascists of the 1930s, with black hoodies and tracksuit bottoms accompanied by facemasks and baseball caps, in recognition of modern surveillance technology. Now that the anti-oil campaigners have given up throwing soup at paintings, black-clad mobs have thrown themselves into anti-immigration protests as well as the usual football-related and sectarian thuggery that has plagued us for generations.

It’s a challenge for policing as these protests build in scale but to deal with a problem like this you must first understand it. What motivates hundreds of young men to gather in sometimes remote locations, and how is it arranged?

READ MORE: Shocking number of protests in Scotland is putting an unfair burden on hard-pressed police officers

Wearing balaclavas to hide their identities, anti-immigration protesters stage a counter-demonstration during an anti-racism rally in Glasgow in June (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

A sign of political failure

The how is simple. Closed social media chat sites now allow the rapid mustering of a mob, and if the police have no intelligence insights or informants, it can all come as a horrible surprise, as it did in Dover recently.

The why is more complicated, and more alarming. What motivates hundreds of young men to don their black uniforms and travel sometimes long distances to take part in demonstrations and violence in support of causes they sometimes little understand?

Social media undoubtedly gives malign actors a perfect platform for disinformation, but to succeed there must be a receptive host in the first place. And this should be a worry for our leaders – increasing support for extreme views is surely an index of their failure.

Many young men crave a sense of belonging, and if they have been failed by the education system, they are more likely to be beguiled by gangs or simplistic, extreme political messages from right or left.

READ MORE: Why Scotland needs its own system of immigration

No better flag to follow

Some years ago, I spent some time speaking to former and active football hooligans. They spoke of the sense of worth and purpose they felt from being part of an organised gang, a group with a cause or a grudge. And it was fun to be part of the action – and so much the better if there was a frisson of danger. Some I met were narcissistic and violent criminals, but most were ordinary lads with no better flag to follow.

In the absence of something positive, we should not be surprised if disaffected young men flock to extreme causes which will serve their needs. For our leaders, this is a challenge. Remote working, a life on benefits, and incessant attacks on masculinity do nothing to serve the needs of many young men.

READ MORE: Scotland facing population decline amid stalling migration fuelling social care 'critical staff shortage'

And for the police, it’s another challenge they could do without. Police Scotland have recently talked about the pressures being created by constant public order deployments. It’s important to remember that most police forces do not have large dedicated public order units. It’s the street cops who should be serving your community who are regularly drawn off to deal with disorder.

As the days shorten and it gets colder, we should see a drop-off in the kind of disorder we have seen over the summer. But the longer, warmer days will return.

Tom Wood is a writer and former police officer