Britain First couldn't have wished for better press coverage if they'd designed it themselves

When the Norwegian far-right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik appeared in court after killing 77 people in 2011 he gave a Nazi salute. It was a dramatic moment which led news bulletins around the world and was plastered across front pages. Which was exactly what Breivik wanted. When Osama Bin Laden released a speech on the eve of the 2004 US presidential election, warning he would strike the US again and criticising President George W Bush’s response to 9/11, it dominated the final days of the campaign. Which was exactly what Bin Laden wanted.

If the leaders of the tiny neo-Nazi party, Britain First, could have designed their perfect press moment following US president Donald Trump’s decision to retweet the videos that even they admit are “hate messages,” what would have it have looked like?

Perhaps it would have included television interviews. Maybe they would have hoped for a profile on the front page of the New York Times. They would also want media organisations to focus on the videos themselves, hopefully replaying clips of them. It would be helpful if Sky News could host a debate involving a right-wing commentator who managed to move the discussion onto the issue of “radical Islamism.” The pipe-dream that Radio 4’s Today would hand over its prestigious 8.10am slot to far-right agitator Ann Coulter would probably be dismissed as too far-fetched.

What happens next? If there is another terror attack in a few months will the Trump-approved Jayda Fransen be wheeled out to give her “controversial take”? Will she start being quoted in the Daily Express whenever there is a negative story about the perceived “threat” of Islam—you know, the “halal meat in primary schools,” “the council’s banned Christmas” sort of story? In a year’s time will she be given her own show on LBC because, you see, we’ve got James O’Brien and it’s important to have a balance?

So, how should we deal with this? Firstly, by not inviting fascists on to the airwaves. This is what they want. This is how they reach a new audience. Don’t let them. Don’t convince yourself that it’s only fair to have “both sides” of the debate. There is no debate to be had. They are fascists.

Nor should you kid yourself that your superb interviewing skills will demolish their flimsy argument. For most people listeners or viewers, it will. But there will be a small minority who will hear the fascist and think “yeah, she’s right.” Worse still, they’ll realise that they aren’t alone, that their views aren’t as extreme as they feared. Look, she’s saying it on the BBC, he’s saying it on Sky, she’s on the front of the New York Times—it must be okay.

Britain has been down this path before with Anjem Choudary, the fear-mongering Islamist hate preacher whose profile was boosted by countless media appearances. As the Greek writer Yiannis Baboulias pointed out today, this is also how popularity of the far-right Golden Dawn grew.

Britain First won one per cent of the vote in last year’s London mayoral election; Fransen won just 56 votes when she last stood at the Rochester and Stroud by-election in 2014. They are nobodies with no support. Giving these people the platform they crave only serves to help their cause.