Britain First Party: Paul Golding Can Create an Anti-System Extreme Alliance

Britain First, with the leadership of Paul Golding, has become a growing anti-system party in Britain. As the Screen Shot states, there is a large pile of bad news in the UK. Examples of bad news in today’s Britain include the fuel crisis, food crisis, a struggling National Health Service, economic pressure on the poor, etc. It does not seem like it can get any worse. Well, here is some more bad news. Another far-right obstacle has appeared. Britain First is back, and it is once again a political party.

The Emergence of Britain First 

According to The Conversation, although it is a separate party, Britain First does have a link to the British National Party (BNP). It also has links to English Defence League. It was founded by James Dowson, a former BNP member, in 2011. According to CBS News, Dowson later left Britain First. He left it because he thought it had become too radical in its anti-Muslim stance. Paul Golding leads the party now. He had earlier been expelled from the far-right BNP for extremism. As stated in The Guardian, Paul Golding is the leader, and Jayda Fransen is the deputy leader of Britain First. Britain First is a minor political movement in the UK with an openly anti-Islam, anti-immigration agenda.

The Ideology of Britain First

As stated in CBS News, Britain First is a far-right nationalist organisation in the UK. It exists primarily to protest Muslim immigration to the country, which it considers an “invasion.” Britain First stands opposed to all political or religious doctrines, including Marxism, Liberalism, Fascism, National Socialism, Islam, etc. It considers these doctrines as destructive. “Britain First is a movement of British patriotism and democracy.” It is best known for its robust social media presence and occasionally violent behaviour. According to Sky News, it is a racist party and campaigns against Islam and multiculturalism.

Trump and Britain First

As reported by USA Today, President Trump caused anger in Britain once when he retweeted unverified videos posted by Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of Britain First. Prime Minister Theresa May’s office said Trump was “wrong” to retweet the videos. Theresa May also said Britain First “seeks to divide communities through their use of hateful narratives that cause tensions” On 1 December 2017, The Guardian wrote this “Far-right party amplified itself online with help from Trump.” 

Anti-Islam Activities of Britain First 

According to Sky News, the group conducted “Christian patrols” in Tower Hamlets, East London, in February 2014. Activists held a banner stating “We Are the British Resistance.” They emptied beer cans outside a mosque. Moreover, in May 2014, Britain First invaded ten mosques in Bradford and other mosques in Glasgow, Luton, and East London. Golding also went to jail for eight weeks in December 2016. He went to prison because he broke a court order banning him from entering mosques. According to The Conversation, Britain First members once entered mosques refusing to remove their shoes. Members even aggressively forced Muslims to accept copies of British Army Bibles.

Power of Britain First in the Past 

According to CBS News, Britain First has run candidates for office in the UK but is not represented in the country’s parliament or at the local level. It is considered a fringe movement by other right-wing parties in the country. In 2016, Golding ran for Mayor of London, finishing in eighth place. The Guardian considered Britain First as a minute, incoherent party and stated that, in reality, it has no chance of electoral success.

Fransen contested the Rochester and Strood parliamentary seat in a 2014 by-election; she polled just 56 votes (0.1%).

Registration of Britain First 

According to the BBC, the far-right group Britain First has registered as a political party. This registration happened after the Electoral Commission approved its application. The party was deregistered in 2017 after it failed to renew its registration on time. As stated in The Independent, the roster formally announced as leader Paul Golding agrees to pay ‘substantial damages’ for libelling halal food officials. An Electoral Commission spokesperson said the party’s application had “met the legal criteria”. The Electoral Commission does not consider a group’s political views when deciding whether or not to register a party.

Power of Britain First today 

According to The Independent, Party leader Paul Golding said he was ecstatic and would start building the electoral arm of their party. Similarly, Metro News  states that leader Paul Golding said he was ‘ecstatic’ about finally ‘defeating’ the Electoral Commission. Mr Golding thanked supporters for donating thousands of pounds. He believes Britain First can now build an elections-winning machine. He added in his speech that “This day will go down in British history as a landmark day for freedom and democracy”.

As it is clear from Paul Golding’s speech, the party has a higher power status compared to the past. Pau Golding can make Britain First an even more powerful party. It can create an anti-system alliance to achieve its political and non-political goals.

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