The UK is following a global trend where far-right movements are uniting. This includes Hindu ultra-nationalists after flags associated with the Bajrang Dal militant group were raised in a Muslim-majority area of Leicester in August this year.

The Muslim Council of Britain said:

We are raising this urgently with the Hindu Council, Police, and community leaders, and we repeat our call for Hindutva extremism to be recognised as a domestic security threat. Authorities must ensure local events are safe, inclusive, and free from political provocation.

Even the Daily Mail reported in April on the growing alliance between Hindutva groups and far-right groups in the UK. A document, compiled by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and obtained by the Mail, says Hindutva extremists are collaborating with figures like far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

The Canary’s Barold was at a far-right march in Sheffield over the weekend where an Indian flag could be spotted amongst the sea of butcher’s aprons:

However, the presence of the Indian flag at such a rally is not as incongruous as it may first appear.

Far-right alliances

In a recent report, Professor S. Sayyid of the University of Leeds states that the 2022 riots in Leicester (disturbances that took place between Hindu and Muslim communities) were a shock given the city’s history. The report, called the “Community Tensions, Hindutva, and Islamophobia, Leicester City: A Case Study” by the UK Indian Muslim Council (UK-IMC), focuses on the Leicester riots of 2022  and was published this summer.

Leicester’s modern history is a showcase of Britain’s post-1945 postcolonial transformation. It began with the city’s 1972 newspaper advertisements that actively discouraged migration from Uganda, before evolving to become Britain’s first “hyper-diverse city”. Professor Sayyid wrote:

The Leicester unrest foreshadowed, for instance, the Southport riots of 2024, in which mosques were damaged, individuals considered to be Muslims were assaulted in public spaces, and refugee hostels were torched.

These acts of violence sit alongside institutional examples of racism that are directed at Muslimness, such as the Birmingham Trojan Horse Affair, where Islamophobic narratives succeeded in producing a moral panic that demonised Muslim educators and parents for trying to make their schools more responsive to the long-neglected needs of their students.

He added that there is a widespread sense among many Muslim communities that, from Guantánamo to Gaza, their concerns fail to register in the national conversation.

Hindutva nationalism

The report details the multifaceted methods used by the Hindutva movement to advance its ideological agenda globally. Key strategies include establishing front organisations to promote its ideology and channel funds. And, importantly, there is a deliberate effort to conflate criticism of its politics with “Hinduphobia,” thereby framing itself as a victim to silence opponents

The report specifically notes that the movement draws “parallels with Zionism, advocating for global Hindu solidarity and urging policies modelled on Israel’s strategies, particularly in regions like Kashmir.”

According to this LSE blog -. Hindutva is not a religion but a political ideology that believes in the hegemony of Hinduism in India, and which ties Hindu-ness to the identity of the nation: the goal being to establish India as a Hindu-only nation. An ethnonationalist ideology, Hindutva took inspiration from European fascism including Hitler’s Nazi’s and Mussolini’s Italy. One such organisation is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) a paramilitary organisation that in today’s India has in excess of four million volunteers all of whom swear an oath of allegiance and take part in quasi-military activities. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, is a RSS member.

Calls for exclusion

Last month, calls to Make London’s Diwali Celebrations more inclusive by excluding Hindu Nationalist groups were shunned by the Mayor of London.

Diwali celebrations took place last month (October 12), in Trafalgar Square.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK (VHP-UK), also known as the World Council of Hindus UK in the English language, are on the official committee of organisers for the City Hall-backed Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square – which have been denounced by inclusive groups like South Asia Solidarity Group and Hindus for Human Rights. The latter’s director, Rajiv Sinha, posted on social media:

A Diwali free from genocidal, anti-Muslim entities like the VHP and “Brahmin Society” casteist groups is a must. An event like this cannot take place in the name of progressive Hindus.

Meeting of minds

However,, the Diwali celebrations did include attendance from the Board of Deputies of British Jews. That same Board of Deputies have recently attacked musician Bob Vylan for his criticism of the IDF, part of a wider pattern of far-right movements silencing critics. The connection between the British far-right, Hindutva nationalism, and Israel is the same: an allegiance to ethnonationalism that uses borders as a weapon with which to stamp out ‘foreign’ presence.

And, India recently signed a new trade and investment deal with Israel, deepening a strategic partnership rooted in multi-billion-dollar investments in defence and surveillance technology. Just this year, Britain also signed a trade deal with India, further cementing the allegiances between these three states united under white supremacist ideology.

What better a foundation of neo-colonial ethnonationalism than a bedrock of capitalism?

The author of this article is a left-wing campaigner and British national of South Asian heritage.

Featured image via the Canary

By Anonymous

This post was originally published on Canary.