Blaming politicians for the rise of violent conspirators

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More and more, we live in twin realities. Most of us – although a declining majority – see the world for what it is: a messy, ugly mess, horribly disfigured by political failure. But we keep our fears and criticisms in perspective. Politics and the media may be flawed, but there is no grand conspiracy to enslave us, just failed systems, a profound lack of imagination, an acceptance of a rotten status quo and the wrong people in the wrong jobs.

However, some of us – a growing minority – truly believe that politicians and the media, and in some cases doctors, nurses, teachers and police, are part of an overall evil plan to take over the world. .

Now, many might find that funny; so stupid that all you can do is laugh. Perhaps think again, however, because quite a number of conspiracy theorists increasingly prefer to use political violence to achieve their goals. Conspiracy theories have gone from being a joke to a nuisance, part of the political landscape – especially among populists – to now become a security threat.

When societies find citizens splitting into two groups, who believe in completely different realities, agony awaits them. It doesn’t mean two opposing political camps – left-right, yes-no, progressive-traditionalist – it means two groups that simply don’t share any common ground on truth, reality or facts.

Read more: Inside the QAnon cult as its contagion spreads in Scotland

Twin realities are often synonymous with violence. This is what leads to revolution – from France to the American Civil War, from Russia in 1917 to Northern Ireland in 1969, if societies are divided over what constitutes truth and reality, then fracture becomes almost inevitable.

We are certainly not there yet. Again. But across the developed Western world – in Europe, America and English-speaking countries – there is a growing coterie of citizens who share nothing in common when it comes to a collective outlook on life with their fellow countrymen.

In truth, a group lives in a bizarre fantasy world, sometimes hard to distinguish from some form of mass mental illness, shared fever dream, or group hysteria; while the other looks life straight in the eye, seeing reality for what it is: a hodgepodge of missteps and mistakes that sometimes end well, but often end badly.

The Policy Institute at Kings College London has just published in-depth research into the British public, belief in conspiracy theories and how conspiracies are disseminated.

Researchers have found that of those who say they would participate in “direct action”, linked to the conspiracy theories they believe in, most say the violence may be justified. For example, when asked if violence could be used in a vaccine protest, 34% said they strongly agreed, 30% somewhat agreed, 19% neither agree nor disagree, 1% didn’t know, 11% somewhat disagree and 5% strongly disagree. . In terms of Britain’s total population, 13% say the violence could be justified.

These numbers should terrify us. Let’s see what the general public believes. About a third of us say various conspiracies are true. Will the government use banks to control citizens? Thirty-five percent say this is definitely or probably true. Are the media and the government covering up information about terrorist attacks? Definitely or probably say 34%. Are “15 Minute Cities” a plot to limit freedom? Definitely or probably say 33%. Is the “great replacement theory” – the racist trope that white people are deliberately replaced by non-white immigrants – true? Definitely or probably say 32%. Was Covid a hoax? Definitely or probably say 23%. Did the British government carry out the July 7 attacks? Definitely or probably say 19%. Did the Manchester bombing involve ‘crisis actors’ posing as victims? Definitely or probably say 18%.

When it comes to where believers first discovered conspiracies, it’s often, unsurprisingly, online: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. Although increasingly there is a new kid on the block: The Light, a conspiratorial newspaper distributed free in Britain.

Read more: What to do if you have a coronavirus conspiracy theorist in the family

According to recent investigations by BBC disinformation correspondent Marianna Spring, The Light has [shared] calls for trials and executions of politicians and doctors. Journalists are also targeted. A recent article said MPs, doctors and nurses can be hanged. On the social media site, Telegram, the “newspaper” has shared and endorsed content from far-right groups like Patriotic Alternative, promoting rallies and posts talking about replacing white people.

The Light featured an article commending the work of white supremacist Eustace Mullins, author of The Biological Jew and Adolf Hitler: An Appreciation. The Light has defended UK-based radio host Graham Hart over remarks he made calling Jews filth and suggesting they deserved annihilation.

La Lumière is linked to the German publication Demokratischer Widerstand (Democratic Resistance). Claims have been made that some Demokratischer Widerstand writers and a key donor met with the Reichsburger Group, which was behind a failed coup attempt in Germany last December.

So what we see is this: conspiracy theories are now deeply ingrained in the minds of the public; a significant number of believers see violence as legitimate to achieve their goals; and conspiracy theories are increasingly intertwined with extremism, especially far-right extremism.

Society dangerously underestimates what is happening. When the public is asked how widespread they think the conspiracy is, they still fall short. For example, the public thinks that only 20% of Britons believe in the Great Replacement theory. It seems quite large. The reality, however, is that 32% of us believe in this plot.

Read more:Tackling disinformation and extremism must start in schools

What are we doing? Is there a solution? As history shows – in France, in pre-war America, in Russia and in Northern Ireland, to name but a few – once the schism of dual reality opens, it impossible to put the genie back in the bottle. History seems to have a trajectory.

If – heaven forbid – this fracturing of the truth is indeed bearing bitter fruit, then politics and the media must bear the blame. Political parties and the media are the two pillars of democracy. Politicians have been trading lies for years – just think of Iraq. These lies have contributed to corrupting our common reality. The media more often than not amplified political lies. This has helped create a vacuum in society that has been filled by conspiracy theorists, some of whom, with appalling irony, believe in the execution of politicians and journalists.

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