The BBC has confronted a neo-Nazi in Finland who shared online instructions on how to commit arson with UK rioters during the summer.

The 20-year-old was an administrator in the Southport Wake Up group on the Telegram messaging app, where he was known as “Mr AG”. He posted the arson manual, which was pinned to the top of the group chat.

In late July and early August, the group was key in helping to organise and provoke protests that turned to violence in England and Northern Ireland.

We tracked Mr AG - whose real name is Charles-Emmanuel Mikko Rasanen - to an apartment on the outskirts of the Finnish capital, Helsinki.

It was from here, more than 1,000 miles away from Southport, that the neo-Nazi took a prominent online role during the UK riots.

“What we have here is a case of a young man sitting behind his keyboard in a different country starting racist violence in Britain,” they say. “It exposes the transnational nature of the far-right in the world today.”

  • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    46
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 months ago

    Am I crazy or does that guy look not white? The irony is too much. Also lmfao at him immediately calling the cops

    • Stamau123@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      29
      ·
      2 months ago

      My uncle is half Mexican, does not look full white, and gave himself a swastika tattoo

      People can grow up to be real fucking crazy

      • SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        edit-2
        2 months ago

        There are a lot of half whites that hate their non-white part. They literally feel more superior than their non-white relatives.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      23
      ·
      2 months ago

      My man, you’re living in a world where an American politician just got exposed calling himself a “black Nazi” in a porn site’s comment section.

      • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        2 months ago

        Nope, I love Chappelle’s show. 20 some odd years later and I still find it astounding.

    • OpenStars@discuss.online
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 months ago

      They’re not sending their best and brightest folks. And some I assume are good people, but…

    • matti@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      2 months ago

      Yeah he definitely has foreign roots but does speak perfectly fluently.

      He knew to expect this, the Finnish broadcaster already did an article on him this summer, but without disclosing a name or face, citing that he is not charged with any crime.

    • ShepherdPie
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      2 months ago

      I’m assuming that’s the reporter calling to confront the man about his actions. I googled the guys name and it popped up with a picture of a white guy.

      I thought the same initially but if my above theory is correct, they made a terrible choice for the article photo.