Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LightNews

Dr Rob Wray

@drrobwray.bsky.social

2.5K followers 8.8K following 72 posts

Action Head | Counter Extremism | NatCen | London PhD PsyD CTE TAdv MRes MA(Glas) BPsS BSc(Psych) Behavioural Psychologist | Threat Advisor Data Clan | CxO Director BAFFLE🎙️Podcast Editor

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · Sep 6

In fairly short order, the far right have gone from fringe lunatics to a supermarket ideology: different aisles for different resentments, all under one roof of hate. Cheap conspiracies. Hyper-masculinity. Cultural grievance. Violence. And its rubbing off on our kids www.linkedin.com/posts/drrobw...

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · 10h

FBI director Christopher Wray said some violent extremists hold a "salad bar of ideologies," containing "a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and what they are really about is the violence."

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · 10h

Experts have long observed that some extremists, including mass shooters, do not clearly align with right or left political ideologies and warned against using "nihilistic violent extremism" in a blanket way that ignores other influences, such as white supremacy.

apple.news/A4PKzmAEUTxa...

Nihilistic violent extremism: What the FBI term means and why experts warn against overuse — PolitiFact

PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others on its Truth-O-Meter.

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 16h

BREAKING UK | The families of the murdered MPs David Amess and Jo Cox have voiced concern about a recent surge in violent political rhetoric in Britain.

apple.news/AE4YBS5dfRDq...

Families of David Amess and Jo Cox voice concern at rise in violent political rhetoric — The Guardian

Relatives of murdered MPs say Charlie Kirk killing is a wake-up call for UK and that violence is becoming more likely

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 1d

Reform UK's deputy leader has broken parliamentary rules by failing to register hospitality. So what's the story with Richard Tice, the French villa and the ex-Kremlin minister?

hopenothate.org.uk/2025/10/13/r...

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING UK | Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command: Terrorist groups like Daesh use social media to spread their toxic ideologies and to radicalise people and go on to commit attacks or carry out terrorist activity after they were radicalised online.

counterterrorbusiness.com/news/1310202...

Man jailed for sharing Daesh propaganda

A man has been jailed after sharing Daesh propaganda on social media.Abdullah Bellil posted videos on Instagram in support of a proscribed organisation to encourage acts of terrorism.The 29-year-old h...

counterterrorbusiness.com

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 2d

EUROPE | Sunday's municipal elections in Portugal could be decisive in expanding the presence of the far-right Chega party beyond Lisbon. In the country's two biggest cities, it is a tight race between the centre-left and centre-right.

apple.news/A1F1w760rS5y...

Portugal heads to the polls in hotly contested local elections — Euronews

Sunday's municipal elections in Portugal could be decisive in expanding the presence of the far-right Chega party beyond Lisbon. In the country's two biggest cities, it is a tight race between the cen...

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 2d

LATEST | Anti-racists in Greater Manchester defiant in the face of a fascist attack on a Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) on Saturday night.

socialistworker.co.uk/anti-racism/...

Manchester anti-racists defiant after far right attack on Love Music Hate Racism gig

Anti-racists in Greater Manchester are defiant in the face of a fascist attack on a Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) on Saturday night. Around 15 far right thugs attacked the LMHR gig in Altrincham. They...

socialistworker.co.uk

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · 3d

A clear majority are more resistant to an exclusionary nationalism and more willing to embrace international cooperation than many of the leaders who rule over them.

apple.news/AB44PYRtwRjK...

Opinion | Don’t fall for the authoritarian hype – Reform and the hard right can be stopped in their tracks — The Guardian

From the US to Europe and Asia, grievances are being exploited to gain power. But moderate voices are still in tune with the majority, says former prime minister Gordon Brown

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 3d

LATEST | Neo-Nazi Matthew Althorpe stood and pleaded guilty to three terror-related charges that could put away the far-right white nationalist for at least 14 years.

apple.news/Ab7IEys-fQsu...

MANDEL: Ontario neo-Nazi pleads guilty to terrorism-related charges — Toronto Sun

Matthew Althorpe admits producing propaganda urging the overthrow of society and the killing of Jews, Blacks, gays and other racial minorities

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 4d

Reform UK's councillor numbers were steadily boosted by defections and by-elections, but they’re finding it somewhat hard to keep hold of the ones they’ve already got.
hopenothate.org.uk/2025/10/10/c...

Countdown: The steady shedding of Reform councillors and officials continues… – HOPE not hate

Drunken displays, racist rants and dodgy deals are just some of the reasons that Reform councillors and officials are dropping like flies… While Reform UK...

hopenothate.org.uk

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · 4d

Not good.

Trump and many of his top aides assembled a group of far-right activists and influencers to discuss the alleged horrors of antifa and what the administration will do about it.

apple.news/ACYGEz1JTS9a...

Opinion | Why Trump's war on 'antifa' could lead to actual fascism — MSNBC

As easy as it is to mock the president and his staff, they are attempting something quite serious.

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 4d

EUROPE LATEST | Five months ago, Portugal’s snap national election saw the far-right Chega party become the second-largest force in the country’s parliament. On Sunday, 9.3 million Lusitanian voters are headed back to the polls, this time for nationwide local elections.

apple.news/AztH_sHF3SZi...

Portugal’s local elections poised to be another win for Europe’s far right — POLITICO

Who will govern the biggest cities is anyone’s guess, but anger over the housing crisis may help the ultranationalist Chega party conquer smaller city halls.

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 6d

In June, Tory leader hopeful Robert Jenrick, who recently complained about not seeing white faces in a Birmingham suburb, declared he is an Anglofuturist.

We got inside a secret Anglofuturist Discord server to find out what that really means 👇

🔗 hopenothate.org.uk/2025/10/08/r...

Robert Jenrick says he’s an Anglofuturist. What does that mean? – HOPE not hate

In late June, the shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick took the stand at a conference. Addressing the crowd of Tories and radical-right political figures, he made an unusual statement. “I am what c...

hopenothate.org.uk

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · 4d

Tower Hamlets Council passed a motion to “stand up to the far-right” this week after a series of summer protests over the use of the Britannia Hotel to house asylum seekers.

apple.news/AyAdDhvQKSEu...

London Council warns of 'far-right agitators attempting to import division' in borough — The Standard

Tower Hamlets Council has passed a motion to ‘stand up to the far-right’ following a wave of protests

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 5d

BREAKING | A man who was arrested and released without charge over the Manchester synagogue attack has been rearrested at the city's airport.

apple.news/A78NGaFXLTt6...

Man arrested and released over Manchester synagogue attack is rearrested at city's airport — Sky News

The 30-year-old was detained again on Thursday - as members of the synagogue community gathered to pray and mourn, a week on, victims of the deadly attack.

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · 6d

A group of conservative donors spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop a rightwing version of late-night talkshows like the Tonight Show and the Late Show, leaked documents reveal.

apple.news/AtoxAIuamS2e...

A rightwing late-night show may have bombed – but the funding behind it is no laughing matter — The Guardian

Conservative donors spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to make a rightwing Stephen Colbert-style talkshow

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 6d

ANALYSIS CHINA | The collapse of a case involving two men accused of spying for China is a “mess” which is “damaging” to Sir Keir Starmer, a former head of MI6 has said.

apple.news/Aw9gh9WiBR2G...

Former head of MI6: Starmer is damaged by spy trial row - China is a threat to UK — The i Paper

Sir Richard Dearlove, who led MI6 between 1999 and 2004, told The i Paper that China was indisputably a national security threat

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 7d

IN-DEPTH | Six people are under arrest on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts in connection with the fatal attack in Manchester.

apple.news/AUT7RkVCoSvu...

Counter-terror police given more time to question suspects after synagogue attack — The Standard

Six people are under arrest on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts in connection with the fatal attack in Manchester.

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 7d

UK POLITICS | Students ignored the Prime Minister’s plea not to attend rallies at university campuses in cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol, which he branded 'un-British'.

apple.news/AVxZbBON6RRu...

Students chant ‘from the river to the sea’ as hundreds join October 7 protests — The i Paper

Students ignored the Prime Minister’s plea not to attend rallies at university campuses in cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol, which he branded 'un-British'

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · 7d

Agog.

Curtis Yarvin who has sparked controversy for advocating for a form of American monarchy and for his writings on race, slavery and apartheid set to participate in debates this week, hosted by the Yale Political Union and the other by the Yale Federalist Society.

apple.news/AXoj_IqxuSNq...

Far-right blogger visiting campus to argue against democracy — Yale Daily News

Curtis Yarvin, who has espoused anti-democratic views, is set to participate in two debates on campus this week — one hosted by the Yale Political Union and another by the Federalist Society.

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 8d

USA POLITICS LATEST | The United States may soon be a one-party state. Over the past weeks, Donald Trump and his quisling flunkies have increased the volume and ferocity of their attacks on the Democratic Party.

apple.news/AqAmJUfs8TRC...

'The death of democracy': Trump vows to ban Democratic Party, 'We have to take care of this little gnat that's on our shoulder' — We Got This Covered

One people, one party, one leader.

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · 8d

Experts say checklist devised in 1970s that helped convict Robert Roberson pushing juries into harsher punishments.

apple.news/AuLPS4tTTRP2...

‘Psychopath test’ under growing scrutiny as Texas prepares to execute man — The Guardian

Experts say checklist devised in 1970s that helped convict Robert Roberson pushing juries into harsher punishments

Reposted by Dr Rob Wray

SECRPOL @secrpol.bsky.social · 8d

BREAKING | New footage obtained by ITV News appears to show the man responsible for an attack at a Manchester synagogue, just before he drove his car into worshippers on Yom Kippur.

apple.news/AIGq0l29dQdq...

Footage appears to show suspect walking towards Manchester synagogue just before attack — ITV News

New footage obtained by ITV News appears to show the man responsible for an attack at a Manchester synagogue, just before he drove his car into worshippers on Yom Kippur.

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · 8d

For sure.

Dr Rob Wray @drrobwray.bsky.social · 8d

“Brains of dogmatic people are slower to process perceptual evidence, but they are more impulsive personality-wise. The mental signature for extremism across the board is a blend of conservative and dogmatic psychologies”.