The campaign of racist and Islamophobic violence witnessed in UK towns and cities in early August was a reminder of the continuing threat that the far right poses. It left many members of our diverse community fearing for their safety for several days.

As far right thugs rampaged on refugee hotels, I appeared on Channel 4 News, where I made it clear that sections of the political and media establishment have created the environment for hatred to flourish. For a long time, these groups have actively cultivated anti-migrant sentiment. They attempt to redirect justifiable anger about the housing crisis, crumbling public services and falling living standards towards migrants and away from the people in our society with wealth and power. The summer riots show where such racist and Islamophobic narratives can lead.

In Clapham and Brixton Hill, our community has a long and distinguished history of anti-racist and anti-fascist campaigning. We will always stand united in the face of attempts to divide us through misinformation, hatred and violence. We saw beautiful scenes of solidarity and unity as anti-fascists turned to drive back the far right across the country and show that our communities will not be divided by their hatred, their violence or their racism. We must now build a movement to defeat the far right for good by demanding an end to austerity, scapegoating, misinformation, the hostile environment, and the erasure of Britain’s imperial past.