Mob violence made a return in the lead up to the election
“In the space of a couple of weeks Britain's largest shopping mall has been targeted in a bomb attack and gunmen have fired on the headquarters of the ruling National party. Now fears are mounting that Britain's fragile political stability could be shattered. "The government is very, very concerned," said a senior aide to William Hague. "Political stability is essential to getting through the year." In a nation that thought the spectre of terrorism had been laid to rest the resurgence of political violence has put authorities on edge. In a bid to limit the influence of far-right extremists, the conservative National Party has given added emphasis to law and order. "The police, by cracking down, are attempting to reclaim the law and order mantle," says former US diplomat Brady Kiesling.” - Britain’s fragile political stability at risk as violence escalates, NPR News (2016)
Britain had seen a steady decline in political violence since the attempted coup of 2009. With all parties seeking to lower the temperature of debate and dismissing assassinations or paramilitary movements as legitimate forms of political action. This was also the result of a generation shift as men like John McDonnell, Tommy Sheridan, who had once been paramilitaries, lost control of their parties to younger leaders with less storied pasts. In 2015 there were only 55 reported incidents of political violence, down from the over 2,000 incidents in 2005. The Red Brigades had almost entirely collapsed, and the momentum behind Scottish Independence had forced the SNLA into a dormant period. Of these 55 incidents most were between rival political activists and paramilitaries rather than targeting elected officials. With growing security for elected officials, a sitting British politician hadn’t been assassinated since 2009, a record for the nation.
The murder of Kingslee Daley, better known by his stage name Akala, shattered this peace. Daley had been mobbed and stabbed by a group of nearly 60 paramilitaries whilst watching a football match in Kentish Town. Eyewitnesses reported a pair of nearby police officers doing nothing to stop the attack, with debates on whether the officers were complicit, or simply overwhelmed. The attackers were believed to be part of Civil Assistance, and had targeted Daley for his outspoken anti-facist and anti-racist views. In the day’s following Daley’s assassinations Daley’s murderer, 48 year old George Roberts, would be arrested and brought to justice.
Civil Assistance would harass refugees in port towns like Dover and Medway
Police investigations discovered Roberts was a supporter of the far-right Centrists party, and had even been employed by the party as a cleaner in their London head office. In the weeks directly following Daley’s death political violence would flare once again, armed masked men would invade the Centrist’s head office killing nearly a dozen staffers in retribution for Daley’s death. Violence wasn’t the only form of direct political action as a United Left Social Club in Croydon was burnt down in the night. Forces on the left accused the police of allowing Civil Assistance to act unimpeded with Searchlight Director Ruth Smeeth telling reporters “Civil Assistance is enjoying complete asylum from the police.”
“Police have arrested a colleague who has been volunteering as a fighter for Civil Assistance, during a raid on its safe-houses. The officer has been suspended since last year, suspected of joining attacks on immigrant market stalls. There is intense scrutiny of perceived links between the paramilitary and police. The group is also under pressure after the killing of a left-wing activist, by a Civil Assistance supporter. After the fatal stabbing of Akala, 31, last week, Prime Minister William Hague vowed not to let CA "undermine" democracy. Two senior police officials have resigned in the wake of that incident. Police have also recently been criticised for not investigating CA over violent incidents and the keeping of weapons. In a raid on a safe-house in Reading on Tuesday, authorities said wooden bats and shotgun cartridges were found.” - Police officer held in Civil Assistance raid, BBC News Bulletin (2016)
With the election purdah period only weeks away the police announced a crackdown on Civil Assistance and other paramilitary groups. Nearly 500 accused members of Civil Assistance were arrested, embarrassingly for the Centrists who had been polling well enough to enter the Commons, a handful of those arrested were party members, including one Westminster candidate for the party. Whilst police refused to investigate the Centrists, citing a lack of evidence, the incident deeply wounded the party who had been working so hard to scrub any connection to the paramilitary far right from their brand. In response to the controversy Godfrey Bloom, one of the Centrist’s founders and former leader of the NNP was expelled from the party.
There were rumours of a leadership challenge to Burnham who was third in preferred Prime Minister polling
Britain’s democracy was at its most unstable point since the 2009 coup. With third parties like the People’s Party, Unity, RISE and the Centrists seeing their support explode, polls showed a parliament divided between dozens of parties, with three or four parties needed to form the slimmest of majorities. Even within the duopoly there was trouble, as both William Hague and Andy Burnham faced increasingly vocal critics from their own backbenches. As one National MP darkly predicted “the knives will come out after the elections, both figuratively and literally”.
Daley’s death also deeply struck the music community, whilst British music had always been political, the songs of the left had given way from 70s folk anthems to grime and other forms of underground music. Led by artists such as Novelist, M.I.A, Jme and Stormzy a group called Grime4Hope was set up to organise communities against facism and encourage young people to vote. More than 50 stars would record as part of a tribute single to Akala titled “I Won’t Cry”. The song reached the number one UK spot in iTunes two hours after it’s release, raising several million euros in a few short days. Electoral Commission figures also reported a record increase in voter registration after Akala’s death, with nearly a million signing up to vote in one month.
“Daley's sister Niomi nonetheless says she regrets the widespread reduction of Akala to an anti-fascist musician. “So many people focus on the songs about his anti-fascist actions,” he says, frustrated. “Kingslee was not only that, although he was [an anti-fascist]. He had songs about friendship, family, life and what to do with society. He was the type of person who would help you with anything.” Back in her home, Niomi says her family will continue to fight despite feeling that no legal measures will provide justice. “What we do is for everyone who is still out there,” she maintains. “Like we lost Kingslee, someone else may be killed in the same way.” She concludes: “Kingslee died as a free man who tried to kill fear that night. He stayed back to defend his friends, and he may have known that it would cost him his life.” - UK mourns slain anti-fascist rapper Kingslee Daley, Patrick Strickland, Al Jazerra
Several notable black activists emigrated after Akala's death, not wanting to be martyrs