Authors:
Al Baker, Managing Director, Prose Intelligence.
Ned Mendez, Counter Disinformation & Insights Lead, 411
Julian Neylan, Training Programme Lead, Alliance4Europe.
Saman Nazari, Lead Researcher, Alliance4Europe.
This report was made possible through the Counter Disinformation Network, a network of organisations and individuals working to counter information manipulation.
In the aftermath of the Southport murders in the UK, a wave of disinformation and far-right agitation culminated in widespread riots. While the tragic incident involving the attack on young girls triggered immediate public outrage, far-right networks—both domestic and international—capitalized on the tragedy to spread inflammatory narratives. This report examines how international far-right networks exploited the incident, the role social media played in fueling the riots, and how this phenomenon may shape future events of unrest. For more, see the Sky News report broadcast on October 15th 2024.
Methods
The analysis focused on high-engagement posts and messages from key far-right international networks that were influential both on and offline. Using data collection tools such as Brandwatch Pro and Telepathy DB, researchers analyzed 11,051 messages from 1,496 different chats and channels posting content related to the Southport riots. The goal was to identify the networks and coordination of international far-right actors in shaping narratives about the Southport riots, as well as their influence on domestic discourse in the UK.
Key research objectives were:
– Identifying high-engagement inflammatory posts
– Examining international hubs for Southport-related propaganda
– Tracking the role of non-UK actors in inflaming tensions
Findings
In our analysis, conducted using the Brandwatch Pro-Consumer research tool, we examined the initial three-day period from the 29th to the 31st of July to understand the early dynamics of online conversation related to the recent riots in the UK.
The analysis revealed that non-domestic far-right groups played a significant role in inflaming tensions following the Southport murders. Of the top 20 Telegram channels spreading content about the riots, only six were based in the UK, with others originating from the U.S., Europe, and beyond. These international actors repurposed the local incident to insert broader far-right narratives, such as anti-immigrant sentiment and conspiracy theories like the “Great Replacement.”
On X, four out of the five most-shared posts surrounding Southport during the initial three days were authored by accounts outside of the UK. Key international influencers, such as U.S. accounts associated with groups like QAnon and “White Lives Matter,” repackaged local news to spread disinformation. We identified the top X posts that contributed to the online conversations on the platform.
Key Pieces of Content
Amy Mek (USA): https://twitter.com/AmyMek/status/1818402658572812699
18,573 retweets / 21,585,566 impressions
The most widely shared content during the unrest originated from an American account associated with the US-based RAIR Foundation, known for promoting anti-immigrant and pro-Russian narratives. This particular post exemplifies how non-domestic actors have exploited local events to sow division. Originally posted by a local journalist on-site at a vigil on 30th July at 5:54 PM, the video was later ripped and repurposed by this American account. By 10:45 PM the same day, it had been re-shared with inflammatory anti-Muslim text, propelling its reach from a modest 11,000 views to 5.5 million within just a few days. This manipulation highlights the rapid influence non-domestic accounts can exert on domestic discourse, particularly when their content is amplified by opportunistic narratives.
Image 1: Most influential post.
Eva Vlaardingerbroek (Dutch): https://twitter.com/EvaVlaar/status/1818580215456505858
13,896 retweets / 18,678,390 impressions
A post by Dutch commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek, which amassed 13,896 retweets and 18,678,390 impressions, further exemplifies the opportunistic tactics of international far-right networks. The post features a clip from a speech given at CPAC Hungary 2024, a right-wing global conference. Although the clip is unrelated to the specific incident in the UK, it was opportunistically repurposed to inject old inflammatory content into the unfolding domestic narrative. The video, which advances the “great replacement” theory—a far-right conspiracy—had its full version removed from YouTube for hate speech violations. Nevertheless, it remains accessible on X, where it has gained over 57.3 million views. This case highlights how non-domestic actors can manipulate current events to reintroduce and amplify previously censored content within new contexts.
Image 2: Second most influential post.
Europe Invasion’s Post (Unclear):
https://twitter.com/EuropeInvasionn/status/1817905351880020365
11,678 retweets / 17,719,234 impressions
Known for its anti-migrant rhetoric, this account played a significant role in spreading disinformation during the recent unrest. This particular post, which garnered 11,678 retweets and 17,719,234 impressions, falsely suggested Muslim immigrant involvement. Posted at 1:49 PM on the day of the attack, almost immediately after the news broke, the content quickly gained traction, amassing over 17 million impressions within three days. Despite its inflammatory and misleading content, the post remains live on the platform, underscoring the speed at which false narratives can influence public perception and exacerbate social tensions.
Image 3: Third most influential post
Radio Genoa (Italy): https://twitter.com/RadioGenoa/status/1767875091042378210
11,150 retweets / 10,699,272 impressions
The Italian-based account “Radio Genoa,” which has a track record spreading far-right narratives across Europe, posted content alleging violence at a UK hospital. Originally posted on 13th March 2024, this piece of unrelated content saw a resurgence in visibility during the recent unrest, with 11,150 retweets and 10,699,272 impressions. Despite being unrelated to the current events, the content was widely retweeted within the analysis timeframe, reinserting itself into the narrative with the phrase “enough is enough” frequently accompanying retweets. This case highlights how older, unrelated content can be opportunistically leveraged to fuel ongoing social tensions and reinforce far-right messaging.
Image 4: Fourth most influential post.
Rapid dissemination
The content rapidly spread to 36 countries across 6 continents within the first ten minutes, with U.S.-based accounts accounting for 36.5% of impressions. Posts from non-domestic actors generated millions of impressions, with much of the inflammatory content remaining live despite its misleading nature.
Graph 1: Graphs of the content mentioned by the actor and by geographical distribution
Graphs of the content mentioned by actor and by geographical distribution
Amy Mek: Within the first ten minutes of posting, the content had been seen within 20 countries, had generated 10,785,852 impressions, and had been engaged with 128,457 times.
Europe Invasion: Within the first ten minutes of posting, the content had been seen within 27 countries, had generated 40,301,502 impressions, and had been engaged with 144,488 times.
Eva Vlaar: Within the first ten minutes of posting, the content had been seen within 25 countries, had generated 26,813,354 impressions, and had been engaged with 41,706 times.
Tactical Exploitation of Local Events
The far-right capitalized on the Southport murders to fuel anti-immigrant sentiment and conspiracy theories. Their strategy at times involved the insertion of unrelated content to stoke divisions. For example, an Italian far-right account reposted old content from a hospital attack and repurposed it to fit the Southport narrative. This highlights how international far-right actors opportunistically used prior local incidents to push broader anti-immigrant sentiments.
Network Analysis and International Coordination
A network analysis of Southport-related content demonstrated clear patterns of coordination among far-right actors. Less than half of the most influential Telegram channels spreading disinformation were UK-focused, with several key influencers and agitators based in the U.S., Germany, Spain, and France. These channels consistently pushed extremist ideologies, including anti-immigrant, white supremacist, and conspiratorial narratives, with coordinated efforts to influence public discourse in the UK.
The findings indicate that while domestic far-right groups were instrumental in organizing street-level protests, much of the initial online momentum came from international actors who framed the event to align with global far-right ideologies. The international far-right’s influence exacerbated tensions, contributing to real-world violence and unrest.
Key Takeaways
- International Influence on Domestic Unrest: The Southport riots were not solely a product of UK-based far-right groups. International actors, particularly from the U.S. and Europe, played a crucial role in shaping the online discourse that fueled the riots. Their rapid and coordinated response exploited the incident to propagate anti-immigrant and far-right ideologies.
- Social Media Amplification: Platforms like X and Telegram were instrumental in spreading disinformation. Far-right networks leveraged these platforms to amplify their narratives, with posts generating millions of impressions within hours. The ease of cross-border content dissemination contributed to the internationalization of the Southport unrest and many of these posts remain up on these platforms.
- Far-Right Agility and Coordination: Far-right networks demonstrated significant agility in exploiting the Southport murders. They were quick to insert disinformation into the narrative, outpacing mainstream or official responses. Their coordinated actions, both on and offline, allowed them to magnify the unrest.
- Continued Threat of Future Exploitation: The persistence of these international far-right networks poses a long-term threat. The lack of street-level long-term follow-through during the Southport riots, only lasting around 5 days, may be viewed as a missed opportunity by far-right groups to organise long-term activities, leading to better-organized efforts during future incidents. The networks that were activated during the Southport riots remain operational, signalling the potential for further exploitation of similar events in the future.
The Counter Disinformation Network
The Counter Disinformation Network (CDN) is a collaborative platform that gathers more than 140 disinformation-countering practitioners from 43 civil society organizations, universities, news organizations, fact-checking organizations and independents mostly from Europe and North America.
The network was convened by Alliance4Europe to support a whole-of-society approach to countering disinformation by bringing together the different parts of our community of defenders and finding ways to work together.
All members of the network can propose projects, using the network as a force amplifier to enable research that would not be possible individually. We also amplify the research of our members, making sure they reach government officials and members of civil society who can act on the information.
We believe in not reinventing the wheel. Therefore, CDN aims to feed and support existing initiatives, such as the FIMI ISAC and the DAD-CDM project. The network seeks to help mobilize resources with different expertise from different countries to write comprehensive reports, highlighting systemic issues and foreign information manipulation and interference.