by Felicity Collier

VIOLENCE from British neonazi groups is an increasing threat, campaign group Hope Not Hate warned yesterday.

A new generation of far-right activists as part of the white nationalist “alt-right” scene are exploiting websites such as YouTube and Facebook to spread their hate, the anti-fascist group said.

The State of the Nation report said that as the “alt-right” groups are on the political margins, they posed an increasing threat of violence and cruelty to the public.

It also said that the flames of fascism had been fanned by international events, including the election of Donal Trump, growing racist parties in western Europe and authoritarian states in central and eastern Europe.

The resurgence of the far-right terrorist group Combat 18 in Britain and across Europe was a concern, as last year the group expanded in Hungary, and in Sweden, where it has been inactive for many years. Last year, in Switzerland, a nazi concert was attended by 6,000 people, the largest of its kind.

Hope Not Hate chief executive Nick Lowles said: “We are living in very dangerous and uncertain times.

“The British far right remains a small player in this wider picture, but in its many garbs it still poses a growing threat, with the potential for violence and even, possibly, terrorism.”

A Hope Not Hate poll carried out, in conjunction with YouGov, revealed that half of Britons surveyed said that they thought Islam posed a threat to the West.

But 69 per cent of those polled said they thought it is wrong to blame a whole religion for the actions of a minority of extremists.

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