The core point:
1 by 2025 More than 110,000 people marched against immigration in London in SeptemberTogether with Leicester’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which respectively reflect the identity anxiety of the British subjects and the mobilization of ethnic minorities, they reflect the identity cracks of British social identity.
2. by After Brexit in 2016The UK immigration problem has not been resolved, the economy is stagnant, public services are insufficient, and the mainstream political parties are weak in response, prompting the rise of right-wing political parties in the UK Reform Party and rebuilding the British right-wing political map.
The current identity crisis in Britain Huntington's Theory and Fukushima's "Dust Desire"The perspective understands that the cohesion of its “United Kingdom” is being tested and new consensus needs to be built to include differences.
Author: Yuan Hyun Hong Hong Hong Kong (Shenzhen) Global Studies in PhD
On the 13th of September, more than 110,000 people flocked to the streets of London in a red and white ocean of the British flag and the St. George Cross flag of England to protest the issue of immigration. Police estimate the number of participants in the anti-immigration rally to be between 110,000 and 150,000, far beyond the scale of the "Stand up to racism" protests. A tribute to the recently murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk.。
The demonstration, organized by renowned anti-immigration activist Tommy Robinson, pointed to the immigration issue in Britain. Protesters cried out the slogan “sent them home.” This massive demonstration is not only a reminder of the 2024 racial riots in Southport, England. At the time, three young girls were murdered in a dance club in the northern coastal town of Southport. According to the BBC, after the attack, Almost immediately there were posts on social media that mistakenly speculated that the suspect was an asylum seeker who arrived in Britain by boat in 2023, and unfounded rumors that the man was a Muslim.It can be said that the parade more deeply reveals the exclusion and identity anxiety that has spread in British society (especially in the area of England) since the Brexit referendum in 2016. It is not an isolated event, but a latest and the loudest alarm that resonates with the global right wave of populism.
Behind this massive protest is the growing crisis of governance and identity cracks in the British society, and to understand the breadth and depth of this cracks, we must not only look at the noise of London, but also look at the seemingly peaceful small towns. In early September 2025, during an academic conference in Leicester, the author witnessed a small but equally identity-filled demonstration. It was a demonstration organized by local Muslim communities in support of Palestine.Demonstrators raised signs, calling on the crossing drivers to sound their support, while respondents were crowded.
On the surface, the London march was based on the exclusion of ethnic and racial identity, while Leicester’s protest was based on religious and transnational political solidarity, with different logic. It marks the reinforcement of the question of “who we are” raised by American political scholar Samuel Huntington.It is a demonstration of the full rise of identity politics in contemporary England.
Governance Failure and Rise of the Right: From Brexit to the “Reform Party”
When it comes to protests in London, the freezing of three feet is not a day’s cold. Since the 2016 Brexit referendum, the slogan “Take Back Control” has inspired countless Britons to imagine national sovereignty.However, the post-Brexit governance situation has not fully fulfilled the commitment of Brexit. Although the UK has legally regained border control, whether the continued high number of legal immigrants or the "small boat arrivals" across the English Strait have disappointed and betrayed many Brexit supporters. Inflation challenges in the UK economy and insufficient supply of public servicesThe pressure has further shaped the issue of immigration as a source of social contradictions.
(Source: British Government website)
The ruling Labour government and the conservative party, the former ruling party and the main opposition party, face two difficulties in the issue of immigration: both to respond to the concerns of voters and to maintain the international image and humanitarian responsibility of Britain as an open economy. This shake-up of policy and governance creates a huge growth space for more radical political forces.The rise of the far-right, anti-immigration British Reform Party (Reform UK) is the most prominent sign that the party has not only surpassed the traditional big party in polls, but has also begun to attract rebellious lawmakers from the Conservative Party. In September 2025, Conservative lawmakers Danny Kruger announced the move to the Reform Party camp, saying the Conservative Party "is over." This event was symbolic, marking the beginning of the rebuilding of the British right-wing political map, and the Reform Party is moving from the edge to the center of British politics.
The rise of the Reform Party, as well as the mass demonstrations, indicate that a strong sentiment of resentment in British society is looking for a political representative. These people feel betrayed by the elite, abandoned by the wave of globalization, and more importantly, they feel that their precious “Britishness” or, more specifically, “Englishness” is being “eroded” by foreign cultures.Today, the English flag floating in many residential districts is no longer just a decoration during football events, but has evolved into a political declaration, an insistence on the subjectivity of the native and a silent protest against multiculturalism. During the London parade, demonstrators float the St. George Cross flag, singing patriotic songs, which is precisely the outbreak of this emotional concentration. What they oppose is not just a specific immigrant individual, but a macro-trend. In the view of these demonstrators, the arrival of immigrants is undermining the British way of life and national identity.
Two demonstrations, one logic: two sides of identity politics
If the London march represents anxiety about the identity of the subjects, then Leicester’s pro-Palestinian demonstration demonstrates the mobilization of identities of ethnic minorities. Leicester is known for its high ethnic and cultural diversity, With a large South Asian and Muslim populationFor many participants, solidarity with Palestine is not only a geopolitical expression but also an expression of recognition and belonging to its Muslim identity.This identity that transcends national borders connects individual political concerns with a more ambitious religious community.
National March of Solidarity with Palestine on September 6 (Image: Instagram)
Looking at the two demonstrations in London and Leicester, we can clearly see the two sides of identity politics: on the one hand, the subjects who feel that their culture and status are threatened and seek security and certainty by emphasizing national, ethnic and traditional boundaries; on the other hand, the ethnic minorities who feel that their compatriots are marginalized or suffering in mainstream societies, seek solidarity and political strength by activating transnational, religious or ethnic identity ties.
These two seemingly opposite identity mobilizations actually share the same underlying logic: When traditional class political discourse is diminished, and when the grand national narrative is no longer able to effectively integrate all members of society, people retreat to the channels of belonging and political expression in more primitive, more specific identity groups.Whether it’s “British Patriots” on the streets of London or Palestinian supporters on the streets of Leicester. They all respond to the question of “who we are” by action.Their answers no longer unify the citizens of the United Kingdom, but divide them into more specific and often mutually exclusive identity labels such as Englishmen, Scots, Muslims, whites or “South Asians.”
Scotland's 2014 referendum on independence from the UK (photo: WEB
Huntington's Ghost: Who We Are and the Conflict of Civilization
The phenomena discussed above are confirmed by the late American political scholar Samuel P. Huntington in his later writings. Who We Are: The Challenges of American IdentityHuntington pointed out in the book, The greatest challenge to American national identity in the 21st century comes not from external enemies, but from the internal.Large-scale, highly concentrated immigration (especially from Latin America) and the elite-admired multicultural ideology are eroding America’s traditional identity with English and Protestant cultures at its core.Huntington fears that if the United States loses this cultural core, it will no longer be America as it is known, but may split into a nation of multiple cultural groups that are disunited.
Huntington’s Who We Are (Amazon)
Applying Huntington’s analytical framework to today’s UK, The anti-immigration demonstration in London is exactly the British version of the "Who We Are" question.What the demonstrators defended was Huntington’s identity of a country based on a particular history, culture and ethnicity. In essence, it is the fear of culture “other”The French far-right politician Eric Zemmour, speaking to protesters in London via a video link, claimed that white Europeans were being replaced by Muslim culture, which was undoubtedly Huntington’s extreme expression.
Meanwhile, Leicester’s demonstrations appealed to Huntington’s other more controversial book, The Conflict of Civilizations and the Reconstruction of World Order. Huntington believes that the main conflict line in the post-Cold War world will no longer be ideology or economy, but culture and civilization. Global politics will be dominated by interactions and confrontations between seven to eight major civilizations, while religion is the core element defining civilization. Leicester’s pro-Palestinian demonstration is precisely the reflection of this “unity within civilization” and it demonstrates the strong cohesion within Islamic civilization, as well as its ability to mobilize its members globally.This political mobilization based on civilized identity, and the anxiety reflected in the London demonstrations, based on specific ethnic identities within Western civilizations, together form the complex picture of the inter-civilized conflict and inter-civilized rupture Huntington predicted.
Fukushima's Supplement: Politics of Dignity Desire and Resentment
However, it may not be enough to understand this phenomenon from the structural conflict of civilization and culture alone. Another important political thinker, Francis Fukuyama, offers us another key complementary perspective in his book Identity: Politics of Desire for Dignity and Resentment. Fukushima believes that the root of contemporary identity politics lies in the universal psychological need of mankind - the desire for recognition of "dignity."He pointed out that people not only pursue material interests, but also pursue recognition of their values as individuals or groups.
From the viewpoint of Fukushima, The protesters in London are a group of people who feel deprived of their dignity.They used to be the masters of the country, the people who built the country, but now feel ignored by the political elite and pressured by foreigners. Their culture and values are labeled “excluded” and even racist. They go out on the streets precisely to take back this deprived dignity, demanding their identity and claims to be recognized. Tommy Robinson claims that immigrants have more rights in court than the “British public,” this incitement accurately hit the victim mentality and desire for dignity.
Similarly, Leicester demonstrators are seeking recognition. They are demanding that mainstream society acknowledge the suffering the Palestinian people are suffering and recognize their flesh-and-blood ties to the Palestinian people as a Muslim community. When their demands are marginalized in the mainstream political agenda, street demonstrations become a necessary means of struggle for visibility and dignity.
Fukushima further pointed out that modern identity politics has a tendency to develop towards smaller, more segregated groups. Left politics shifted from focusing on the general liberation of the working class, to focusing on the rights and interests of specific groups such as women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ and so on. The rise of right-wing populism was largely a rebound of left-wing identity politics, giving rise to right-wing identity politics that identified whites, men, and Christians as the subjects.The demonstrations in London, as well as the stands of international right-wing figures such as Musk, are showing the formation of this global right-wing identity political network.
The United Kingdom at a Crossroads
These two demonstrations in September 2025, like a prism, reflect the deep identity crisis that is going through in Britain and even across Europe.
For Britain, this is not only a crisis of governance, but also a profound crisis of identity. A nation once proud of its powerful cultural meltdown and political absorption, now finds itself at a dangerous crossroads. The road ahead requires great political wisdom and courage for British politicians to rebuild a 21st-century “British story” that includes differences and consensus. However, in the confrontation between the St. George flag and the inclusion of refugees, the difficulty of building this road is becoming unprecedented.
This article is published exclusively in Tencent News.