UK far-right violence: What explains the radicalisation of middle-aged people?
There is significant emphasis on helping youngsters navigate the internet safely but older people are vulnerable to being misled by fake news and conspiracies.
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Look closely at the pictures of the violent unrest that has spread across England and Northern Ireland and you will notice something that is not being spoken about. The rioters seen fighting, attacking police and setting fire to buildings are often middle aged – people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, screaming racist abuse and fighting with police.
Of the 11 people arrested in Sunderland on August 3, four fit this demographic. One of the people arrested and charged was a 69-year-old male pensioner.
The radicalisation of middle-aged people is an emerging but overlooked phenomenon that has been brought to the fore by these riots, potentially because of the apparent link to the spread of misinformation online. As my ongoing research is finding, this group is vulnerable to being misled by fake news and conspiracy theories.
Middle-aged people are often bundled in with the “over 50s” as a group, which includes the very old – a demographic with whom they have little in common. The middle aged are not “digital natives” but they are online. And, crucially, they may actually be less informed about the dangers of online misinformation than younger people because they have not been the target of education in the same way. These days, significant effort...
