Systemic tensions surface as far-right violence targets Muslim communities in Edinburgh amid state counter-terror policing gaps
Original framing: “Counter-terrorism officers investigate after five injured in violent incidents in Edinburgh” — The Guardian - World
Research from the University of Exeter (2023) shows that far-right violence in the UK has increased by 320% since 2015, yet only 4% of counter-terrorism resources target far-right extremism. Studies on Islamophobia in policing (e.g., Tell MAMA UK) demonstrate that Muslim communities report hate crimes at higher rates but receive less institutional protection. The 'lone wolf' framing of far-right attackers ignores networked organising, as documented by the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right.
The Edinburgh violence is a microcosm of a UK-wide crisis where far-right organising thrives in the gaps of a securitised state that frames Muslim communities as threats rather than victims.
Police Scotland’s counter-terrorism focus on Islamic extremism (only 1% of resources target far-right violence) mirrors historical patterns of state violence against minorities, from colonial-era policing to post-9/11 Islamophobia. The absence of Muslim voices in the narrative—despite organisations like Muslim Engagement and Development documenting rising hate crimes—reveals how liberal media reproduces the very securitisation it claims to critique. Future solutions must centre community-led safety, redirect state resources from surveillance to prevention, and dismantle the structural Islamophobia that fuels far-right recruitment. The trickster’s insight—that the state’s 'war on terror' is often a war on the communities it claims to protect—offers the clearest path forward: prioritise restorative justice over carceral control, and trust marginalised communities to define their own security.