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| With Hopkins and Farage to scare the public, who needs terrorists? | With Hopkins and Farage to scare the public, who needs terrorists? |
| (4 months later) | |
| Mon 9 Oct 2017 18.11 BST | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 15.44 GMT | |
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| When a car mounted the pavement outside the Natural History Museum on Saturday, a nation collectively held its breath. A succession of terrorist attacks meant that we all, understandably, feared the worst. We awaited confirmation. But not all of us. | When a car mounted the pavement outside the Natural History Museum on Saturday, a nation collectively held its breath. A succession of terrorist attacks meant that we all, understandably, feared the worst. We awaited confirmation. But not all of us. |
| Within minutes the ghouls had gathered; it is their way after all. Like perverse emergency crews whose job is to pour petrol on to flames rather than put them out, they responded, sliding into their vehicles and hitting their sirens. | Within minutes the ghouls had gathered; it is their way after all. Like perverse emergency crews whose job is to pour petrol on to flames rather than put them out, they responded, sliding into their vehicles and hitting their sirens. |
| London was under attack. Katie Hopkins tweeted several times. “Utter bastard” was her opening salvo. Her hysteria rose with every tweet. She told tourists not to come to London because it was “not worth the risk”, and when the media coverage would not and could not sustain the notion that this was an Islamist terrorist attack, she resorted to conspiracy theorising, asking: “What news do you choose?” | London was under attack. Katie Hopkins tweeted several times. “Utter bastard” was her opening salvo. Her hysteria rose with every tweet. She told tourists not to come to London because it was “not worth the risk”, and when the media coverage would not and could not sustain the notion that this was an Islamist terrorist attack, she resorted to conspiracy theorising, asking: “What news do you choose?” |
| Nigel Farage also clocked in. He appeared on Fox News, the rightwing American channel for which he is a designated “contributor”, saying that police officers were “clearly not only treating this as a terrorist incident, but it looks to me like they expect there could be more”. He later posted a clip of the interview, with the caption: “We have 3,000 terrorists living in the UK and 23,000 people known to security services who could do us harm.” | Nigel Farage also clocked in. He appeared on Fox News, the rightwing American channel for which he is a designated “contributor”, saying that police officers were “clearly not only treating this as a terrorist incident, but it looks to me like they expect there could be more”. He later posted a clip of the interview, with the caption: “We have 3,000 terrorists living in the UK and 23,000 people known to security services who could do us harm.” |
| Tommy Robinson, co-founder of the English Defence League, appeared on the scene with a camera crew in tow, pronouncing it a terror attack. This circling over the scene of an incident, hoping to pick at a carcass or two, is nothing new. But every incident brings into clearer relief the sense that now there exists an organised fear-mongering class that is, whether it knows it or not, doing the terrorists’ work for them. | Tommy Robinson, co-founder of the English Defence League, appeared on the scene with a camera crew in tow, pronouncing it a terror attack. This circling over the scene of an incident, hoping to pick at a carcass or two, is nothing new. But every incident brings into clearer relief the sense that now there exists an organised fear-mongering class that is, whether it knows it or not, doing the terrorists’ work for them. |
| There are now two camps who give the impression that terror attacks, while bad for people, can be good for business politically and in terms of profile: far-right activists and professional trolls, and the terrorists themselves. That’s a conclusion easily reached when the likes of Hopkins suggest terrorist responsibility for incidents that aren’t terrorist attacks at all. With this sort of eagerness and alacrity, the actual terrorists can put their feet up. Their work has been outsourced to the likes of Hopkins, Farage and Robinson. | There are now two camps who give the impression that terror attacks, while bad for people, can be good for business politically and in terms of profile: far-right activists and professional trolls, and the terrorists themselves. That’s a conclusion easily reached when the likes of Hopkins suggest terrorist responsibility for incidents that aren’t terrorist attacks at all. With this sort of eagerness and alacrity, the actual terrorists can put their feet up. Their work has been outsourced to the likes of Hopkins, Farage and Robinson. |
| Terrorism, by its nature, is an action that requires a reaction. Its success lies in its ability to disrupt and, crucially, to undermine and diminish a city or a country. That’s why tourist locations are popular targets for terrorists in the Arab world, for example, so immediate is their economic impact. | Terrorism, by its nature, is an action that requires a reaction. Its success lies in its ability to disrupt and, crucially, to undermine and diminish a city or a country. That’s why tourist locations are popular targets for terrorists in the Arab world, for example, so immediate is their economic impact. |
| With that thought in mind, let’s take a look at the most repeated line in Katie Hopkins’ Natural History Museum tweets. “London is not worth the risk” … “Dear tourist, London is not worth the risk”. “I apologise for the state of London sir,” she replied to a tourist. “It is simply not worth the risk” – it’s as though London’s business-as-usual reversion has annoyed her. Even when it became clear that the incident was a traffic accident and there were no serious injuries, Farage would not climb down from his pulpit, insisting that the “huge police response shows the state of high alert the country finds itself in”. | With that thought in mind, let’s take a look at the most repeated line in Katie Hopkins’ Natural History Museum tweets. “London is not worth the risk” … “Dear tourist, London is not worth the risk”. “I apologise for the state of London sir,” she replied to a tourist. “It is simply not worth the risk” – it’s as though London’s business-as-usual reversion has annoyed her. Even when it became clear that the incident was a traffic accident and there were no serious injuries, Farage would not climb down from his pulpit, insisting that the “huge police response shows the state of high alert the country finds itself in”. |
| It is almost as if the fact that the country has not entered a permanent state of emergency is somehow disappointing. As if – because crying terror is now a sure-fire way to again attention – it provides an opportunity just too good to miss. There is now an alignment. When there is the incentive of celebrity and/or notoriety, even an innocent car accident can be a potential business opportunity. | It is almost as if the fact that the country has not entered a permanent state of emergency is somehow disappointing. As if – because crying terror is now a sure-fire way to again attention – it provides an opportunity just too good to miss. There is now an alignment. When there is the incentive of celebrity and/or notoriety, even an innocent car accident can be a potential business opportunity. |
| And what of those involved? Tell me, who here is the undermining enemy of the state? Who is scaremongering? Who has irresponsibly struck fear into the hearts of their fellow citizens? It certainly wasn’t the nonexistent terrorist cell at the Natural History Museum. | And what of those involved? Tell me, who here is the undermining enemy of the state? Who is scaremongering? Who has irresponsibly struck fear into the hearts of their fellow citizens? It certainly wasn’t the nonexistent terrorist cell at the Natural History Museum. |
| • Nesrine Malik is a freelance writer | • Nesrine Malik is a freelance writer |
| UK security and counter-terrorism | |
| Opinion | |
| Katie Hopkins | |
| Natural History Museum | |
| Nigel Farage | |
| London | |
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