Luton vs Tommy Robinson: the myth of a UK town divided | On the Ground

Summer 2025 was marked by a surge in anti-immigrant protests, attacks on mosques and racist graffiti across the UK. Subscribe to The Guardian on YouTube ► http://bit.ly/subscribegdn The unrest, stoked by far-right agitators such as Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, sought to pit communities against each other. But in Luton, where Tommy Robinson himself grew up, writer and journalist Taj Ali explores how the communities of his home town have resisted this division and fought back against radicalisation; and asks whether today’s economic hardships threaten to unravel that progress Chapters: 00:00 – Good people never make the news 01:34 – Luton's growing food poverty crisis 04:02 – Trying to keep factories in Luton 05:53 – The myth of Muslims areas and 'no go zones' 09:38 – Andrew Tate's estate and a radical community centre The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://bit.ly/3biVfwh Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► http://theguardian.com/first-edition Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/theguardian Bluesky ► https://bsky.app/profile/theguardian.com Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/guardian The Guardian on YouTube: Guardian News ► https://bit.ly/guardiannewssubs Guardian Australia ► https://bit.ly/guardianaussubs Guardian Football ► https://bit.ly/gdnfootballsubs Guardian Sport ► https://bit.ly/gdnsportsubs It's Complicated ► https://bit.ly/ItsComplicatedSubs Guardian Live ► https://bit.ly/guardianlivesubs #luton #tommyrobinson #farright #edl #andrewtate #therealluton