Statement on Recent Racist Violence in Britain

Published on 8 August 2024

We at the PSA Populism Specialist Group are horrified and deeply disturbed at the racist attacks which have taken place in the United Kingdom over the past week. 

Over the past decades, the term ‘populism’ has been persistently and uncritically used by mainstream political actors, journalists and scholars, to describe racist and xenophobic politics as well as violent, and even criminal activities. This overlooks the multifaceted nature of the populist phenomenon, which can take progressive and emancipatory forms. By euphemising racist, xenophobic and fear-mongering discourses as 'popular demands' and 'legitimate concerns' of 'the people', such analyses have obfuscated the role of racism in society as well as the elitist and top-down politics of the far right.

This legitimisation of far right racist politics puts lives at risk.  As a group we maintain that the role of populist politics in democracy is a complex one.  We take the view that populist discourse via its creation of a people as an ‘underdog’ against an elite creates space for the inclusion of minority and marginalised groups in emancipatory projects. The racist violence against minorities we observe across the UK has little to do with the phenomenon of populism, thus we urge commentators and colleagues to reflect on how they use terminology. 

As critical scholars of populism, we recognise our own responsibility in needing to do better in building towards greater ethnic diversity in our networks and working across disciplines to sharpen our analyses of the role of both populist and anti-populist discourse in the damaging and dangerous racialised constructions of the people. 

Our group’s commitment to facilitating inclusivity and engaging in critical dialogue about the role of populism in contemporary democratic politics remains unwavering. We stand in solidarity with all persons and communities who find themselves at the sharp end of this racist violence. 

Finally, we welcome the popular anti-fascist responses observed across the streets of the UK. Such mobilisations give the lie to the specious argument that far right politics represent the silent majority or the will of the people.

Populism Specialist Group