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Johnson’s Savile slur isn’t the first rightwing conspiracy to go mainstream | Joe Mulhall
From ‘activist lawyers’ to ‘no go zones’, extremist ideas have become a part of our political discourse
When Boris Johnson wrongly accused Keir Starmer of having failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile, many people reacted with a slight sense of bemusement. However, for those of us who research and monitor the far right, it was instantly recognisable. It wasn’t surprising that these comments were soon followed by the Labour leader being heckled by an angry mob repeating the conspiracy theory.
Despite having been around since 2018, the disinformation about Starmer had recirculated in January this year, with major far-right figures such as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson) sharing it with his 155,000 subscribers on the secure messaging service Telegram. The post whipped Lennon’s supporters into conniptions, with one simply posting the image of a noose in response.
Joe Mulhall is director of research at the anti-fascism organisation Hope not Hate. He is the author of numerous books on postwar fascism including Drums in the Distance: Journeys into the Global Far Right
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