The reason I'm trying to establish the fact they're English as opposed to British is because 'British' often refers to a political entity which encompasses Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland as well as England. There are people out there who cannot tell the difference between 'British' and 'English' (understandable, because the two terms are often synonymous) so we end up looking bad by association. I'm trying to point out that this sort of rising far-right threat is a peculiarly English problem in the UK because I don't want to be tarred with the same brush for your (that is to say, England's) ****ty politics.
It's exactly the same as when those English football fans were caught throwing Hitler salutes and singing anti-Semitic songs. How did the media report it? 'British fans'.
I can understand what you're saying, and I'll admit that I sometimes think of "British" when it's probably only just "English" I'm thinking of. But a lot of people see it as a singular political unit, reinforced by terms and phrases such as "Rule Britannia" and the "British Empire" (not the "English Empire"). During the American Revolution, we heard "the British are coming, the British are coming!" So, even those who know that the English, Welsh, and Scottish people are different people in different lands, it may be viewed somewhat as a complete package under the term "British."
It might be somewhat the same with how people use and perceive the term "American." It can be used to apply to any inhabitant of North or South America, and some residents of our hemisphere are resentful of how the citizens of the United States have usurped the identity of "American" for ourselves.
But even within that identity, the USA is rather large and diverse, and some Americans don't like the idea of being associated with other Americans.
Actually, I don't think anyone really likes being judged in that way, based solely on where they came from. That seems to be where a lot of the current dissent seems to be coming from, since both sides seem to be saying that they're victims of being misjudged or otherwise mistreated based on who they are.
I briefly caught some guy on right-wing radio yesterday (Mark Levin, I think it was), and he was on a tirade over all the racism and abuse directed against white males. While I don't doubt stuff like that goes on, they make it seem like it has to be stopped at all costs or (worse still) responded to in kind. They blow things out of proportion and seem to want to raise a panic.
I'm not sure how it is in England at present (or the rest of Britain or Ireland, for that matter), but I've noticed some pretty wide-ranging views, from ultra-nationalist to ultra-leftist. America also has a similar range and diversity of views. I'm not sure how people end up gravitating towards one side or the other; I've gone through different phases in life myself, along with a variety of political influences.
But I'll admit that events like this do appear quite disconcerting, regardless of where it happens and who is doing it. The only thing society can do is continue enforcing the laws and demanding justice, but that then comes down to politics - which is in the hands of politicians. I think the fact that people get riled up and intransigent like this is an indication that people are losing faith in the political system.