An Analysis Of Far Right Tropes

An Analysis of Far-Right Tropes

Part of the reason the far-right has managed to get such a large following in the UK is because they are like stuck records, repeating the same narratives and engaging in the same conspiracy theories over and over again. This repetition primes and programs the audience to accept more dangerous themes, or even triggers them into violence. These themes consistently emphasize exclusionary nationalism, anti-establishment sentiment, and the preservation of a perceived cultural and ethnic purity. The only way to combat these tropes is to understand them. Below, I have analyzed one of the most common tropes that the far-right use. Over the coming weeks, I hope to analyze others.

Trope 1: “Protecting Our Women and Children”

On the surface, saying “we need to protect our women and children” sounds like a noble, heroic, and worthy cause. But in reality, it is an incredibly dangerous five-word trope. We’ve heard the phrase a thousand times, but let’s break it down word-by-word to understand how it actually works, and see if it stands up to critical scrutiny.

1. "Protecting"

Whenever a high-profile, violent crime happens—especially those involving women and children—the far-right immediately jumps on it. They twist and exaggerate the facts to suit their own narrative. They completely ignore the pain and wishes of the victim and their families, effectively hijacking the tragedy. Specifically, the far-right hyper-fixate on crimes perpetrated by minority groups, immigrants, or refugees. They blame and demonize entire communities for crimes perpetrated by individuals, implying that the entire group poses a massive risk to local families. They talk about these communities as if they are an invading force that society is ignoring. This is a classic example of the "boogeyman effect." This happens when a vague, exaggerated, or completely fabricated threat is used to scare the public, manipulate behavior, and force people to take sides. By whipping up panic about a monster at the gates, the far-right can falsely claim to be the "protecting" force that will save you. But as the facts show, it is a total con. These men are not a protective force—and anyone who points this out is instantly accused of being part of the problem rather than the solution.

2. "Our"

The second someone says “our” women and children, they automatically create a “their” group. This language strips women and children of their humanity. They stop being real people with individual lives and instead become territory that a bunch of men claim to own and defend from the boogeyman. To defend this imaginary territory, the playbook relies entirely upon the outdated “stranger danger” myth—the movie idea that the threat is always an outsider hiding in a bush ready to pounce, or a monster creeping through a bedroom window at night. But decades worth of crime statistics prove unequivocally that women and children are overwhelmingly more at risk from people they actually know: partners, relatives, and family friends. It is all about who has access. While adults have large social circles, a child's universe is tiny, involving only family and trusted adults. Tragically, this means abusers are usually already inside that trusted circle. Statistically, the younger the victim, the closer the family link to the abuser becomes. (Possible break point to discuss statistics on domestic and familial abuse) By hiding this reality, the trope creates a dangerous two-tier victim system. Crimes committed by outsiders are amplified to cause panic, while the massive amount of violence perpetrated by people within the dominant community is completely ignored. We saw a shocking, real-world example of this recently. During a far-right demonstration pushing this exact ideology, a woman took the microphone to share her experience as a survivor of a gang rape. However, the moment the organizers and the crowd realized the perpetrators were white, the microphone was snatched away. A man grabbed her, pulling her off the makeshift stage, while the crowd heckled her with misogynistic slurs. (Possible point to show footage on screen) This brave woman's story matters because it represents the actual reality of sexual violence in the UK, but it also exposes the intense cognitive dissonance and total apathy of the far-right. This woman went through a harrowing, life-altering event and showed immense courage by speaking out. Because the far-right believe that perpetrators can only come from minority, immigrant, or refugee groups, facing evidence that shattered this belief caused them deep psychological discomfort. To avoid that discomfort, they threw away normal social decency and ignored her physical boundaries. Without her permission, men—who claim to be "protecting" women—put their hands on a survivor and dragged her away. The reality is simple: if you want to touch a woman, you ask. If you want to claim you protect women, you respect the physical boundaries that abusers ignore. Furthermore, when women are treated like territory instead of human beings, the far-right treats violence like a border war. Because a sexual or violent crime can never be undone, they don't look for actual justice—they look for revenge. They launch "counter-attacks" against the minority group they've blamed. Tragically, this means the women and children in that community are now placed at extreme risk. This is why statistics show that whenever this trope goes viral, racially motivated hate crimes skyrocket. (Possible break point to discuss examples of retaliatory hate crimes)

3. "Women and Children"

Finally, when the far-right claims to be protecting "our women and children," they are doing two deeply damaging things. First, by suggesting men are the sole protectors of women and children, the far-right enforces rigid, harmful gender stereotypes. It forces a black-and-white view of the world: the passive "nurturing" female versus the aggressive "protector" male. The problem with this outdated stereotype is that nurturing is protection, and protecting is nurturing. Men and women routinely switch these roles or share them naturally. When we allow this type of gender stereotyping to pass without question, we turn normal human behavior into something treated with suspicion. It creates a broken culture where a father spending time alone with his child in a park faces panic, or a woman aggressively defending her family is labeled as unhinged. Secondly, by intentionally leaving adult men out of the equation, the far-right completely ignores the fact that men and boys are also the victims of serious violent and sexual crimes. By refusing to acknowledge them, they dismiss the pain of male victims, stripping them of their experiences and erasing their need for support. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, roughly 12,000 men are raped or sexually assaulted in the UK annually—averaging 32 men every single day—with 98% of the perpetrators identified as male. This attitude of dismissing and erasing certain victims is exactly what makes it so hard for them to come forward. It creates a hostile environment that fosters shame, silence, and blame.

Why This Matters: The Reality of "Moral Masquerading"

(This section shifts to the final thought / why this matters) The far-right works incredibly hard to keep society in a state of fight-or-flight—to keep us looking for fictional boogeymen in the bushes rather than looking at actual crime data. When we look at the statistics of the movement itself, they paint a devastating picture. During and after the Southport Riots, the police arrested a large number of people involved in the public disorder. The Guardian revealed a staggering statistic: of those arrested, 41% had a history of domestic abuse reports. More recently, follow-up data revealed that since the Southport riots, 60% of those individuals with previous domestic abuse reports went on to commit similar offenses. This exposes the ultimate hypocrisy of the entire movement. It is a textbook case of "Moral Masquerading"—a psychological tactic where individuals aggressively perform public righteousness to mask their own private offenses. They use a wall of xenophobic moral grandstanding to hide a history of domestic perpetration. When we look past the online profiles and the flags, the real-world actions of the movement’s prominent figures tell the true story:

• Ryan Bridges (Raise the Colours): Marching under the banner of "protecting women," Bridges was recently recorded posting flags. When a female counter-protester staged a peaceful protest by sliding underneath his parked vehicle to stop him from erecting more flags, Bridges climbed under the van, touched her face and shoulders, and tried to forcibly remove her coat and bag. Just days later, he was caught on camera open-palm striking a female counter-protester in the face during a rally.

• Ryan Ferguson: Heavily linked to the campaign, Ferguson loudly claims to be "protecting women and children." Yet, he actively visited convicted far-right sex offender Jack Renshaw in prison. While Ferguson publicly claimed he cut ties after the visit, leaked phone recordings revealed him speaking to Renshaw in prison, bragging about how well their political campaign was going.

• DP Audits: Claims to protect women and children, but was recently exposed for sending explicit rape threats via digital communications to an innocent man after mistakenly identifying him as a political counter-protester.

• Bare Britain Audits: Became the subject of a court-issued Non-Molestation Order after targeting his ex-partner with malicious communications.

• Billy Allison: A regular fixture in these circles, recently arrested and charged with murder following a violent altercation that left a man dead.

Conclusion

When these men repeat the "protect our women and children" trope over and over, they are trying to build an alibi in plain sight. They want to convince the public that someone who speaks so passionately about protecting families could never harm one. They trick us into believing outdated stereotypes, they manipulate us into ignoring male victims, and they hide the real, systemic dangers that happen behind closed doors. We become complicit only when we remain ignorant of the facts. When we look at the data, lift the mask, and take responsibility for the truth, we raise our standards—and we allow the voices of survivors and real champions to completely drown out their lies.