Far-right groups are now the most regular perpetrators of terrorist activity in the UK according to Prevent and are more visible than ever: on the streets, in the corridors of power. But how much do we really know about the myriad shadowy political collectives that have insinuated themselves into every stratum of British society? Harry Shukman, a researcher with HOPE not hate, set out to explore this secretive world that seemingly hides from us in plain sight. He spent a year living under an assumed name, wearing a hidden camera, and infiltrating the extreme right-wing groups that are deliberately eroding principles about what is acceptable in public debate, promoting racist ideology and actively seeking to overturn democracy around the world. From joining a shadowy network called the Basketweavers to canvassing for Britain First, Shukman encounters neo-Nazi thugs and antisemitic conspiracy theorists, before uncovering a race science network funded by a US tech CEO and eugenicist sympathisers close to the very heart of our government. Year of the Rat explores the historical context for these beliefs and looks at the wider European situation, with Shukman travelling to Poland, Tallinn and Greece. With the threat of discovery always looming, what Shukman exposes is chilling, but he writes with real compassion, humanity and humour. This is an urgent and vital read for anyone who wants to understand the current political climate.

Autorentext
Harry Shukman is a researcher at HOPE not hate, an anti-fascist organisation. Formerly a journalist, he worked as a news reporter for The Times and then a writer and editor for the Manchester Mill an investigative online newspaper and its sister sites in Liverpool and Sheffield.

Klappentext

The British far right is working to dismantle our democracy. This shocking, eye-opening undercover journey reveals who they are, how they operate and how they are normalising extreme ideologies including eugenics.

In summer 2024, riots swept England in the biggest wave of far-right violence in the post-war period. But far-right activity takes many other forms as well, all of them dangerous.

Journalist Harry Shukman knows the dangers all too well: he'd gone undercover to infiltrate these groups. For over a year, he carefully attached his hidden lapel camera and pretended to be an extremist named Chris.

We follow Shukman as he hangs out in the pub with a secretive community network, canvasses with political party Britain First and attends a neo-Nazi conference. We meet a circle of Holocaust deniers, a race science organisation with a major Silicon Valley investor and right-wing think tanks supported by Conservative policymakers. What we witness is hard to believe, or stomach.

Year of the Rat is a gripping and urgent exposé - nail-bitingly tense, darkly absurd and utterly chilling. Risking his safety and sanity, Shukman has removed the far right's terrifyingly everyday mask. Now, we must ensure it stays off.