Violent Southport protests reveal new tactics of the far-right

He has been rebuilding his profile since his X account was restored last year – and now has 800,000 followers.

His posts on the tragedy in Southport, and the related disorder, have regularly been shared or liked thousands of times.

He has accused the police of spreading lies and has claimed: “The government and ‘authorities’ created this.”

BBC Verify identified two of his prominent supporters in video footage of Southport protests: Rikki Doolan and Jesse Clarke, who last week had appeared on stage at a demonstration for Yaxley-Lennon.

Mr Doolan, a self-styled preacher, recorded a video of himself at the protest in Southport saying: “I’m British and proud, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

On Wednesday, Mr Clarke posted videos of the protests in central London outside the prime minister’s home, saying: “We’re outside Downing Street now.”

Followers of smaller groups, including Patriotic Alternative, which organised anti-immigrant demonstrations, have also been promoting the Southport attack protests. They may not have the reach, but their slogan “Enough is Enough” has been widely shared with almost 60,000 mentions on X alone since Monday 29 July, according to the Brandwatch social media analysis tool.

“The language is coming from far-right individuals but the organisation is much more organic,” says Mr Mulhall from Hope Not Hate.

“There are local Facebook groups emerging. They take the lead from the influencers and pass the information about locally. The weather is made on Twitter, but the organising happens elsewhere.”

What happens next is difficult to predict.

The BBC has identified at least 30 additional demonstrations being planned by far-right activists around the UK, including a new protest in Southport – but it is unclear how much traction any will have.

Some of the social media posts relating to the plans are directly referencing the Southport attack and “Enough is Enough”. Others are more general in nature – focusing on fears of illegal migration or the need to protect children.