The British government’s Prevent program has been a magnet for criticism but its tracking of extremism has at least offered some revelations. Key among these has been a 36 per cent spike in referrals for people at risk of far-right radicalisation.

In less turbulent times, this would have seen a surge in concern – certainly, at least, a debate. On the cusp of Brexit, amid panicky reports of empty shelves, delays at ports and possible civil unrest, it remains a very real crisis that risks being ignored.

This summer we will be three years on from the death of Labour MP Jo Cox, murdered by a man radicalised by both mainstream media and fringe sources. It seems we’ve learned nothing about how extremist actors use various communication channels to grow support and influence the actions of individuals.

In 2019, a sizeable section of social media has become dominated by a number of far-right groups, large and small, that use the medium both to spread their message and gather funding.

While pro-Brexit lobby groups such as Leave.eu and Leave Means Leave were responsible for driving a staggering amount of right-wing traffic last year, it is perhaps the smaller figures that we should focus our attention on.

The “success story” of 2018, if you can call it that, was the rise of “Tommy Robinson”, aka Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. His arrest for contempt of court was artfully turned into a combination of free speech debate, political campaign and donation drive that netted him around £2m in donations and a plum paid role for UKIP as a “grooming gangs advisor”.

This surge in popularity – and funding – has emboldened Robinson, leading to a string of incidents last year in which the far-right activist turned up to the scene of incidents to “report”, or in other words, inflame tensions. Most notably, a Syrian boy, shown in a viral video being “waterboarded” in Huddersfield, is still in hiding due to threats made on his life after Robinson visited his town. Another young man, in Cumbria was threatened for supposedly leaking Robinson’s address.

The increased funding, and apparent invulnerability to serious prosecution, has also encouraged a number of minor far right activists such as James Goddard, “Danny Tommo” and “Vinnie Sullivan” to begin their own crowdfunded efforts, live-streaming from rallies, protests and other events. Their activities outside parliament, and subsequent arrests, have been turned into opportunities to soapbox against “authoritarian” government and police – and to ask for donations.

While each doesn’t have a large viewership – the low thousands at most, together they represent another means of radicalisation, especially considering each has adopted the mantle of the “yellow vests”, first seen in France. They livestream to Facebook, and upload to YouTube regularly, providing the regular small hits of content that many experts believe drive the process of radicalisation.

Yellow vest protests continue in France Show all 20 1 /20 Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow vest protests continue in France Protesters wearing a yellow vest (gilet jaune) stand next to a burning barricade as they demonstrate against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes at the A9 highway toll of Le Boulou, southern France AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow vest protestors hold a banner in front of the Noailles police station in Marseille, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by GERARD JULIEN / AFP)GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images GERARD JULIEN AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Protestors wearing a yellow vest (gilet jaune) wave flares, French and Italian flags as they demonstrate on December 22, 2018, in Ventimiglia near the French-Italian border, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP)VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images VALERY HACHE AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Protestors wearing a yellow vest (gilet jaune) demonstrate against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes at the A9 highway toll of Le Boulou, southern France on December 22, 2018. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by RAYMOND ROIG / AFP)RAYMOND ROIG/AFP/Getty Images RAYMOND ROIG AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Protestors wearing a yellow vest (gilet jaune) face French riot police as they demonstrate against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes at the A9 highway toll of Le Boulou, southern France on December 22, 2018. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by RAYMOND ROIG / AFP)RAYMOND ROIG/AFP/Getty Images RAYMOND ROIG AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow vest protestors go down the Montmartre Hill in Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are announced in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow vest protestors walk in the 9th district of Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France French activist Jean-Baptiste Redde, aka Voltuan, (C) holds a sign reading "The king Macron gives crumbs to the derelicts" as he takes part in a "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) demonstration against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes at the A9 highway toll of Le Boulou, southern France, on December 22, 2018. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by RAYMOND ROIG / AFP)RAYMOND ROIG/AFP/Getty Images RAYMOND ROIG AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow Vest protestors walk in the streets of Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Demonstrators block the highway near the French border with Spain, during a protest in Biriatou, southwestern France, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. The yellow vest protests, which have brought chaos to Paris over the past few weeks, clearly abated Saturday as the Christmas holiday season began in earnest. Outside Paris, around 200 roundabouts remained occupied across the country. In southern France near the Spanish border, dozens of demonstrators blocked trucks and chanted "Macron, Demission," which translates as "Macron, resign."(AP Photo/Bob Edme) Bob Edme AP Yellow vest protests continue in France Demonstrators block the highway near the French border with Spain, during a protest in Biriatou, southwestern France, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. The yellow vest protests, which have brought chaos to Paris over the past few weeks, clearly abated Saturday as the Christmas holiday season began in earnest. Outside Paris, around 200 roundabouts remained occupied across the country. In southern France near the Spanish border, dozens of demonstrators blocked trucks and chanted "Macron, Demission," which translates as "Macron, resign."(AP Photo/Bob Edme) Bob Edme AP Yellow vest protests continue in France Protestors wearing a yellow vest (gilet jaune) wave flares as they demonstrate on December 22, 2018, in Ventimiglia near the French-Italian border, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP)VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images VALERY HACHE AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France A Yellow Vest protestor holds a French flag near the Paris Opera, in Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP)FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images FRANCOIS GUILLOT AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France A Yellow Vest protestor sits on the statue of Jeanne D'Arc, at the Pyramides place in Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Yellow Vest protestors stand with banners near the Louvre in Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France Protester wearing yellow vest scuffles with a policeman during a demonstration by the "yellow vests" movement in central Paris, France, December 22, 2018. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann CHRISTIAN HARTMANN Reuters Yellow vest protests continue in France A woman dressed as a "Marianne", a national symbol of the French Republic, and yellow vest protestors walk near the Arc de Triomphe (Arch of Triumph) on the Champs Elysees avenue on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are announced in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Zakaria ABDELKAFI / AFP)ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP/Getty Images ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France A Yellow Vest protestor faces anti-riot policemen in Paris, on December 22, 2018, as demonstrations are planned in several regions of France. - The "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) movement in France originally started as a protest about planned fuel hikes but has morphed into a mass protest against President's policies and top-down style of governing. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images SAMEER AL-DOUMY AFP/Getty Yellow vest protests continue in France epa07244739 Protesters gather during a 'Yellow Vest' walk in the streets next to the Opera in Paris, France, 22 December 2018. The so-called 'gilets jaunes' (yellow vests) is a protest movement, which reportedly has no political affiliation, that continues protests across the nation over high fuel prices. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT ETIENNE LAURENT EPA

You will likely have seen this how this ugly UK version of the yellow vests has seen increased numbers attending demonstrations, particularly in the capital. Anti-fascist activists on the Strand on Saturday caught footage of an Asian couple being harassed and jostled by protesters, having stopped their taxi, as well as a flare thrown into Charing Cross police station.

Elsewhere, more extreme groups appear to have free rein on Twitter and YouTube, An increasing number of individuals linked to groups such as Defend Europa and Generation Identity are using both platforms to circulate videos with a distinctly anti-migrant, white supremacist agenda. Buoyed by the success of figures such as Paul Joseph Watson, who has over a million subscribers, they skirt YouTube rules by broadcasting dog-whistle messages of “not all cultures are equal” and “diversity is not our strength”. In my view, they try to sail as close to racist hate speech as they can without getting their accounts suspended.

All these individuals have happened on a way to bypass mainstream channels to reach people – particularly the young – where this target audience consumes most of their media. They are reached via their smartphones and tablets. Free from the regulation that controls print and broadcast media, there is only really the terms of service of various platforms stopping vile, hateful content being shared.

The problem here is that, as we have seen in the Tommy Robinson and yellow vests cases, banning groups and individuals from platforms isn’t the answer – it only manufactures a “free speech” debate that is very hard to argue against, and is ultimately used a source of revenue generation.

The distraction of a chaotic and disruptive Brexit is a genuine risk to our ability to fight this strand of far right extremism. What we need is a coordinated solution which pulls together government, big tech, educators, anti-racist organisations and anyone else who doesn’t want far-right rhetoric to gain a foothold.

We need something cohesive at a time when cohesion is not in fashion. We need solutions that involve counter-messaging and digital literacy. We need solutions that aren’t afraid to address confronting the most hateful material, and which encourage dialogue around it, rather than conflict.

And crucially, those solutions must make it more difficult to profit from dreary, bitter rhetoric that marginalises and demonises groups within British society. A large part of the resurgence of the far right in Britain is due to the ease with which they can support their activities financially.