You know that moment when you are standing with a large group of people and someone shouts, “Follow me.” You look around, and almost immediately a small group adheres to the instruction. Most, though, assess the situation and stand their ground, wanting much more information and intelligence before making any move. None arrives. As you watch, the small group is led to a cliff edge, and then they all jump into a giant cesspit. At that moment you are mightily glad you stayed put.
The small group are the followers of groups like Turning Point.
Who is Turning Point?
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) presents itself as a grassroots movement for young free-market advocates, but it operates as a highly professionalised radicalisation pipeline, importing a particularly abrasive form of American culture war politics into the UK. Its domestic affiliate, Turning Point UK (TPUK), was founded with the explicit aim of replicating the US model, despite significant differences in the political landscapes. TPUK’s rhetoric mirrors its American counterpart’s, characterising political opponents not merely as misguided but as malicious actors seeking to destroy Western civilisation. This strategy deliberately fosters a sense of paranoid grievance amongst its followers, framing institutions like the BBC, universities, and the judiciary not as pillars of a relatively freer society but as enemies within that must be opposed.
The organisation and its key figures are mired in allegations of bigotry and the promotion of conspiracy theories, which have directly influenced its UK operations. TPUSA’s founder, Charlie Kirk, has a documented history of amplifying the white nationalist “Great Replacement” theory and making demeaning comments about minorities and LGBTQ+ individuals. These sentiments have been echoed by TPUK’s prominent supporters, leading to public scandals and accusations of fostering a hostile environment. Furthermore, TPUK’s former leadership and associated figures have been linked to far-right groups and have been accused of anti-Muslim sentiment, demonstrating how the toxic elements of the US group’s discourse have taken root in a British context.
Most alarmingly, TPUSA’s activities represent a direct threat to democratic norms, an approach that its UK links have sought to emulate. The group’s sister organisation, Turning Point Action, was deeply involved in promoting the falsehoods that led to the 6th January insurrection in the US. While the UK group operates on a much smaller scale, its rhetoric similarly seeks to undermine trust in electoral integrity, the civil service, and independent media. Its strategy focuses on installing loyalists in positions of local influence and mobilising online outrage to overwhelm sensible debate. This demonstrates that the ultimate goal of the Turning Point network is not to conserve values but to reshape the political landscape by eroding the very foundations of liberal democracy and creating an authoritarian fascist state, making its presence in the UK a concerning import of anti-democratic radicalism.
Now we know who the enemy is; let us see them in action.
On Saturday, 30th August, an anti-immigrant demonstration took place outside The Royal Beach Hotel in Portsmouth. About one hundred and fifty of them turned up, with many bussed in from nearby conurbations such as Bournemouth and Southampton. They were opposed by about one hundred local anti-racists. The corporate media obviously turned up, and amongst them was the BBC. A local reporter and cameraman from BBC South attempted to interview people from both sides of the divide. The anti-racists were forthcoming, but initially the anti-immigrant protesters turned hostile and threatening.
Turning Point proudly published their hateful intimidation on their social media pages:
The situation escalated as a woman, seemingly using a megaphone, began chanting “BBC not welcome here,” a slogan that was quickly taken up by others waving Union flags who surrounded the crew. In response, the reporter raised her hood, and the pair retreated to seek help from nearby police officers, all while being followed by taunting protesters. One man filming them shouted, “Go on! F*** off!” and later boasted to a fellow demonstrator, “We’ve just f***** off the BBC,” to which a woman replied, “Yeah, good job.”
As we can now begin to comprehend, we are not dealing with people who are gifted in the understanding of civility (ironic given they are supposedly standing up for Western civilisation). What we have is an angry mob who appear to believe that the British people would feel safer if they had power and if those asking simple questions were bullied and silenced.
Eventually two of the anti-migrant protesters ignored their bullying overlords and consented to an interview.
BBC South broadcast the piece, but no mention was made of the above incident.
However, the BBC has since provided a statement following the event, which, according to Hampshire police, went off without any arrests.
‘Our journalists and camera crews do outstanding work, often in difficult conditions. They must be able to operate safely and without interference.
‘The targeting of our team in Portsmouth during the weekend’s demonstration was completely unacceptable.
‘They should have been free to do their jobs without intimidation or threat. We stand firmly behind their right to report freely and safely.’
And Laura Davison, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, added: ‘No journalist should face aggression or intimidation whilst carrying out their duties.
‘Shameful incidents such as this highlight the ongoing crucial importance of journalistic rights and safety and of public interest journalism.
‘Valuing press freedom must include recognition that journalism can only thrive where journalists are able to report safely without bully-boy tactics.’
Now if the reporter had been a male built like a brick outhouse, the chances are that the cowards who intimidated the female reporter would have behaved very differently, but of course we know exactly how they behave when it comes to women and children.
Thankfully, both the BBC reporter and the cameraman got home safely, although with no thanks to Turning Point, their far-right thugs, or, if one is of the mind to click on the Turning Point link with their thousands of vile comments, this person’s good wishes.
‘I hope that the BBC crew has a serious accident on the way home.’
This is why the vast majority fear social media:
And sadly, as we are seeing in the latest polls for Reform UK, sometimes scum rises to the top, propelled by multi-billion-dollar right-wing organisations such as Turning Point.
In Portsmouth and just down the road:
