THE far-right is on the rise because it is “telling better stories”, according to the playwright behind a new Fringe show examining the growth of extremism.
Scottish-American co-production The Abode centres around a “disenchanted” white man who joins the US alt-right as his sister tries to get him out again.
READ MORE: Why the rise of the populist right threatens Scottish independence
Writer Davey Anderson visited rallies by the Scottish Defence League (SDL) as part of research into a project that explores the international nature of the extreme right and its shift from the margins of politics.
Anderson, who has worked with the National Theatre of Scotland, London’s Donmar Warehouse and Theatre Dot of Istanbul, was invited to create the piece for Pepperdine Scotland, a company owned by California’s Pepperdine University.
Anderson describes the collaboration as “the ideal opportunity to explore something I think is a real parallel to what’s happening in Scotland”. The result has seen him join up with anti-fascist charity Hope Not Hate in a new work questioning how to counter prejudice and intolerance.
The run, which begins at Underbelly’s Big Belly on August 2, follows the UK visit of US President Donald Trump, which coincided with a London protest in support of ex-English Defence League founder Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.
READ MORE: Far-right group accused of jumping on Robinson bandwagon with demo
He was jailed on contempt of court charges after broadcasting details of a live trial which was subject to temporary reporting restrictions. Despite his admission of the offence, supporters have called for his release and video from the event shows Nazi salutes and anti-Islam banners.
Anderson says Trump’s election has helped “normalise ideas which have been in the margins of politics for a long time.
“One of the things that interested me was footage of Scottish blogger Millennial Woes [real name Colin Robertson], who is from Linlithgow, speaking at an alt-right conference in Washington. He became a hero of the US far right and ideas spoken by someone from Scotland were influencing thinking in America, then coming back to Scotland through online communities.
“At the recent SDL rally in Glasgow I bumped into a woman in her 60s,” he continued, “who was there for the first time because she wanted to protest in support of Tommy Robinson.
“This was an ordinary woman who was a nurse. She had been watching YouTube videos from Rebel Media, which is a Canadian far-right propaganda machine, about the ‘cover up’ of Muslim grooming gangs. She really believed it, she couldn’t understand why more people weren’t outraged.”
Anderson, who aims to take the show to the US, says the show addresses “misconceptions” about the draw of the right. “The idea is there’s a lot of outright prejudice and hatred of people who are different.
READ MORE: Boris met with alt-right figure during UK visit
“It’s about finding a story that gives a sense of worth and identity. How do we counter that? We have to tell more compelling stories. At the moment the far right is winning the battle of ideas. They are telling better stories, they have a cohesive world view.”
Hope Not Hate’s Nick Ryan said: “We are living through febrile times, when even a US president and those around him court elements of the white nationalist community.
“It’s vitally important that we challenge the false flags that those committed to such hatred drape themselves with.”
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