Summer 2026: Anti-migrant trends in the Far Right

Hyper-local organisation continues to blur the lines between established neo-Nazi and far-right groups, and local organising. In the broader context of a post-organisational far right, many of the mobilisations this summer were led by small, hyper-local groups — but hosted extreme speakers from established groups.
The rise in vigilantism further complicates this picture. Groups that appear to engage in genuine community activities also maintain links with the organised far right.

A third of protests over the summer were about asylum accommodation in the local area — the largest category. At least 10 HMOs have been targeted with violence across the country, with many more highlighted as potential targets by online agitators.
Ineffective security provisions around HMO accommodation sites place residents at huge risk, as we saw in Belfast, where a list of HMO addresses was circulated — many of which were later attacked.

Extreme ethno-nationalist narratives are no longer confined to extreme fringe activity. They’re now mainstreamed throughout established far-right groups, local anti-migrant organisers, and the Westminster radical right — and those with anti-migrant views have become increasingly emboldened and confrontational as a result.
So while this summer has seen a decrease in organised protests and violent disorder, it has also seen far-right ideologies increasingly filter into everyday interactions within communities. This sets us on a dangerous path, where extreme racist, anti-migrant and far-right ideologies — and the violence they promote — become ‘business as usual’.

What have we learnt?