Russian far-right social media accounts encouraging disorder linked to Epping migrant hotel protests

Exclusive analysis conducted for LBC by the digital consultancy 411 shows that the accounts are attempting to inspire members of the far right to join protests.

A Facebook group with 1,600 members is being used to organise coordinated protests outside the Bell Hotel in the coming days.

There are reports the group is being run by Homeland, a splinter group of far-right organisation Patriotic Alternative, labelled “extremist" by Michael Gove when he was Communities Secretary.

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Ned Mendez, from 411, told LBC that non-domestic accounts were clearly seeking to amplify content related to Epping:

"We're seeing it of course in North America, we're seeing it in European countries and we're seeing multiple languages. We're even seeing Russian language content posting about this. It's broken free from a domestic narrative and has hit the international, that network now.

“What we’re seeing in Epping [are] local grievances being hijacked by very activated audiences around the far-right and nationalist extremist groups.

“We know that there are identified Neo-Nazi people running local Facebook groups which are fanning the spread of the messaging.

“It’s exactly what we saw at Southport as well where a very local incident is kicked out into non-domestic spaces with much more effective emotional framing.

“It’s the same pattern which is happening online.”

Technology secretary Peter Kyle told LBC this morning that the government 'will take action' when a hostile state is taking cyber action against the UK.

"The government already has powers to intervene when we believe that a hostile state is taking online action against us," he said.

"In those circumstances, we have acted in the past. We are very finely attuned to these sorts of actions and where they exist, we will take action."

LBC investigations also found that the same Neo-Nazi groups that incited disorder after the Southport murders last summer are attempting to encourage similar activity in Epping and other migrant hotels.

More than 1,000 people have attended protests in Epping in the past couple of weeks after an asylum seeker was charged with sexual offences, which he has denied.

Essex Police has confirmed that so far 17 people have been arrested and six people have been charged with violent disorder.

Mr Mendez said that misinformation was a key feature of the rhetoric being pumped out by both Homeland and Patriotic Alternative.

Meanwhile, Nick Lowles, founder of Hope Not Hate, said: “The allegations of sexual assault are deeply worrying, and the people of Epping are right to be concerned about this case. A man has been arrested and it’s vital that the legal process is allowed to run its course.

"The events in Epping are a symptom of a recurring trend within the far right: co-opting the high emotions of local people to whip up hatred. The far right demonise and vilify all migrants, including the other innocent residents at the hotel, creating a climate of hatred and hatred locally. Sadly, violence is the result.

"The far-right is seeking to sow division in the local area, which does nothing to assist the victims of sexual abuse."