On Saturday 4th April, local “flags-on-lampposts” group Raise The Colours Sheffield, alongside bath bomb salesman turned far-right auditor Ryan “Rampage” Dale, are organising what they describe as a “protest” in Sheffield.
Their stated aims are vague, framed broadly as opposition to “the government,” but their own organising pages tell a clearer story. The comment threads surrounding the event are filled with open hostility toward migrants, asylum seekers, and, in many cases, anyone perceived to be of Middle Eastern or Muslim background. Calls for violence and dehumanising rhetoric are not only present but go unchallenged by organisers, and are often echoed by prominent figures within the group. One particularly disturbing post comes from main organiser Lee Shipley, who wrote that he hoped windy weather would cause migrant boats to sink, resulting in their deaths.
Some posts, particularly from a user called “Dave Tune,” include coded language such as “KTF NSE” which stands for “Keep The Faith, Never Surrender Ever,” a slogan historically used by the BNP and National Front. These references are dog whistles, signalling alignment with far-right ideology without explicitly stating it. Their presence demonstrates that this is not just casual frustration or ordinary political anger. It is part of a broader network of extremist messaging being circulated and normalised.
This is not a protest with unclear intent. It is an anti-immigration demonstration that its organisers are unwilling to name outright.
However, it is important to distinguish between the organisers and those who may feel drawn to the protest. Many people are motivated not by hatred but by frustration. The anger around housing, the cost of living, and the state of public services is real. People are right to be concerned that wages do not stretch far enough, that home ownership feels out of reach, and that communities are under pressure.
The problem is not the anger. The problem is where that anger is being directed.
It can be easy to assume migrants are the cause, especially when that idea is constantly reinforced. Individual crimes involving migrants are highlighted, shared, and repeated until they feel representative of a much larger group. Serious crimes should always be taken seriously, regardless of who commits them. But selecting a handful of cases and using them to define entire groups creates a distorted picture. It replaces evidence with anecdote and fear with generalisation.
When you look more closely at the issues people are most concerned about, housing, wages, and public services, the main drivers lie elsewhere. Housing costs are shaped by supply, planning decisions, and the treatment of homes as financial assets, which has pushed prices far beyond what many can afford. Wages have stagnated due to long term changes in the labour market, weakened bargaining power, and increasing insecurity at work. Public services have come under strain after years of funding constraints and rising demand. Immigration can have an impact at the margins in some areas, but it does not account for the scale of these problems or why they have persisted for so long.
These challenges are the result of political and economic choices made over many years. Housing has been allowed to become a vehicle for speculation rather than a basic need. Pay has failed to keep pace with the cost of living while profits and executive compensation have increased. Public services, including local councils and the NHS, have faced sustained pressure as funding has not kept up with need.
Lee Shipley raises three questions in his call to action for the 4th April that reflect real frustrations people are feeling, but the answers point in a very different direction:
Q: Why can’t a working man get a house, yet “asylum seekers” get put up in 4 star hotels?
A: The housing crisis is real, but it is not caused by asylum seekers. It is driven by years of policy that have allowed housing to be treated as an asset to be hoarded by the wealthy, pushing up prices and locking working people out of ownership. A shortage of genuinely affordable homes, rising rents, and speculative investment have created a system where profit is prioritised over need. Asylum seekers are not being prioritised for permanent housing. Hotel use is a temporary response to an overwhelmed system, and the profits do not go to migrants but to private operators running these contracts. These hotels are not functioning as “4 star” experiences for those housed there, with limited services and strict conditions, so presenting them as luxury
Q: Why are our elderly neighbours being stripped of their winter fuel payments, while an “asylum seeker” from war torn France gets taxpayer funded mobile phones and trips to the circus?
A: Cuts to support like winter fuel payments are political decisions about public spending, not the result of money being diverted to migrants. Basic provisions such as a phone or small allowance are sometimes given so people can stay in contact with legal services. These are minimal, not luxuries, and come alongside restrictions such as not being allowed to work.
Q: Why are our single mothers resorting to food banks, while an “asylum seeker” from war torn France eats like a king, being given banquet style meals three times a day?
A: The rise in food bank use is driven by low wages, rising living costs, and gaps in the welfare system. Asylum seekers are typically given very basic meals or a small allowance, often below the poverty line. The idea of “banquet meals” is not grounded in reality.
These questions resonate because they are rooted in real hardship, but they rely on distorted comparisons that turn justified anger toward those with the least power.
Groups like Raise The Colours Sheffield, and figures like Ryan Dale and Lee Shipley, do not engage with these issues in any meaningful way. There is little to no discussion of housing policy, wage growth, taxation, or who is profiting from government spending. Instead, they offer a simpler explanation and a visible target.
This kind of scapegoating follows a familiar pattern. When living standards fall, blame is often pushed onto an outsider group rather than toward those making the decisions that shape the economy. The names and targets change, but the effect is the same. Ordinary people are divided, and the underlying causes of their frustration remain unaddressed.
People are right to want better. They are right to be angry about the state of the country. But following those who offer scapegoats instead of solutions will not fix the housing crisis, will not raise wages, and will not rebuild public services. It will only deepen divisions and leave the real problems exactly where they are.
If anything is worth challenging, it is not the frustration people feel, but the story they are being told about who is to blame.
Join us on Saturday 4th April 2026 to offer a different story, one of empathy to our neighbours, solidarity with the vulnerable, and rage against those who truly profit from our struggles and exploit our communities.
