Bolton at risk from far-right extremism says Hope Not Hate

A REPORT has named Bolton as one of the 16 boroughs in England most at risk from “far-right extremism.”

The study, carried out by Hope Not Hate, claimed that factors including economic shocks, less positive attitudes to multiculturalism and the impact of the pandemic have all combined to make Bolton the sixth most vulnerable borough in England to extreme right-wing influence.

This, the charity warns, could manifest itself by the increased presence of extremist groups like the English Defence League, Britain First and others.

Responding to the report last night, Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi said: “What is perhaps most worrying about the report is the clear link between indicators of economic performance and the towns listed.

“Bolton South East is the 36th most deprived constituency in the UK.

“The people in my patch have been left behind by a government which for the past 11 years has refused to invest in education, skills, and jobs, and has refused to develop regional economies like ours.”

All together the charity’s Building Back Resilient report listed 52 boroughs across the country where challenges to community relations were likely to be worsened by the fall-out of the Covid-19 crisis.

The researchers said 16 of these, including Bolton, Pendle and Rochdale, are most vulnerable to rising community tensions and possible far-right support, partly because they have had high rates of unemployment and benefit claims since the start of pandemic.

Such pressures, Hope Not Hate claims, could stretch scare funding sources further still, putting community relations under yet more strain.

As such, the charity says that the government must do more to tackle the root causes of extremism in communities like Bolton.

In a statement, Hope Not Hate said: “This does not mean they will automatically be susceptible to far right overtures, or even that they are the most vulnerable in the country to cohesion issues.

“But it does mean that these are the areas where Covid-19 has heightened existing risks in the most pronounced way.”

It added: “From our engagement with community leaders and decision-makers in the 52 at risk areas, it was clear that recovery support from central government must be geared towards enabling integration and strengthening the social fabric.

“These is a need for additional support and funding for the third sector, for designated resources for neighbourhood cohesion roles, for a longer term approach to funding, and for greater investment in young people and skills."

The same report lists Blackpool as the most vulnerable borough, followed by Harlow, Luton, Sandwell and Barking and Dagenham, with Bolton sixth.

Bolton's Victoria Square saw angry clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and far-right activists in June 2020.

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