Recent far-right agitation in southern England, involving several hundred men in balaclavas blocking an A road, and the Alternative für Deutschland’s (AfD) best-ever result in a German state election, are seen as drawing on the idea that the political system has lost control. The AfD more than doubled the 21% vote it received five years ago in the German state.
The prospect of Germany’s first far-right-led state government since the second world war could see power given to a party described as hostile to migrants, Islam, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate policy. Senior figures within the AfD are reportedly linked to former neo-Nazi groups.
In England, the “Patriot Platform” is described as far-right vigilantism. The AfD is a political party that presents its success as a repudiation of established parties, particularly on immigration. Both the intimidation in England and the AfD’s extremism are viewed as part of a broader politics where migration embodies a sense of powerlessness over borders, state institutions, economic change, and national identity.
More than 33,000 people arrived in the UK via small boats in the year to June 2026, with nearly all expected to claim asylum. This figure represents a 23% decrease compared to the previous year, with street escalation occurring as numbers are falling.