Far-Right Extremists in Birmingham Target Children with Racist Video Games
A disturbing investigation has uncovered that far-right extremist groups operating in Birmingham and the Black Country are actively targeting young children through racist video games and online chatrooms. This campaign is described as their 'biggest and boldest' recruitment drive to date, according to local experts and anti-racism activists.
Modified Games and Online Grooming Tactics
Charities and community leaders are raising urgent alarms, noting that many parents remain unaware of the risks posed by social media and online influencers. One alarming example is an illegally modified version of the popular child-friendly game Mario Kart. In this version, a truck full of weapons is added, and the character Mario uses it to kill bystanders of colour.
Other games incentivise players to 'splatter' black characters, while anti-Jewish themed games, including a neo-Nazi version of Monopoly with references to the Holocaust, are also circulating. These games are distributed free to children over the internet, as reported by Nigel Bromage of Exit Hate UK and Small Steps.
Recruiters are monitoring popular chatrooms such as Reddit and Discord, as well as platforms like X/Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. They seek out young individuals who express curiosity about migration or support right-wing influencers. Often posing as children themselves, these groomers move conversations offline to evade moderation.
"It is not about making money. It is about indoctrinating the next generation," said Bromage, 60. He emphasised that these games use child-friendly colours to appear harmless but promote violence and are highly addictive.
Impact on Young Minds and Community Cohesion
Children are reporting that algorithms on social media sites quickly detect any interest in anti-migrant or patriotic commentary, flooding them with far-right content. This can trap them in echo chambers, where initial curiosity escalates into radicalisation.
The rise of groups like Reform UK, along with increasing street protests and hardline rhetoric about migrants, is exacerbating polarisation. So-called 'patriotic' movements, such as Raise the Colours based in Birmingham and Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom, exploit discontent among young people by blaming immigrants for societal issues.
Anti-radicalisation experts warn that organisers of demonstrations often claim to act 'to protect kids' while exposing children to safeguarding risks by featuring them in online banners and videos. On school playgrounds, young children are repeating racist slurs heard at home or on social media, according to concerned campaigners and school heads.
"As an organisation, we have been around for more than ten years and we are more worried now than we've ever been. We are seeing a perfect storm," Bromage stated.
Local and National Concerns
Bromage shared these insights at a high-level community cohesion gathering in Birmingham, urging council, community, and enforcement leaders to increase vigilance. He also highlighted that homeless and struggling military veterans are being targeted through food handout initiatives in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, as they are seen as vulnerable due to anger at state abandonment and combat training.
His warnings align with new national research by Hope Not Hate, which describes the far-right threat as 'more extreme, bigger and bolder than ever before'. The 'State of Hate 2026' report underscores the pervasive influence of poorly regulated social media channels.
The Government has announced plans for a consultation on children's social media use to better protect them from malign influences. Meanwhile, BirminghamLive investigations reveal that the West Midlands has the highest number of referrals to the counter-terrorism agency Prevent in the country.
In the year ending March 2025, 1,090 out of 8,517 Prevent referrals were from the West Midlands, with around a third involving children aged 11 to 15. Extreme Right-Wing views accounted for 21% of cases with identified concerns, compared to 10% for Islamist Extremism. Of these, 175 cases were adopted for the Channel initiative, offering tailored deradicalisation support.
Call to Action and Support Resources
Despite rising figures, parents often hesitate to seek help from school safeguarding leads or charities. Bromage urged older generations to abandon stereotypes of far-right extremists as skinheads with tattoos, noting their tactics are now more sophisticated and digital, focusing on women, children, and families.
Currently, seven far-right groups operate in Birmingham, all committed to British nationalism and, in some cases, neo-Nazism. "The fact that we've got seven operational groups in the city shows that we need to stand up as a community," Bromage emphasised.
He advocated for open conversations to address concerns about migration and provide accurate information. For instance, while some Muslim grooming gangs have targeted white British girls, these acts are not representative of the entire Muslim community. Bromage pointed out that most paedophiles in the UK are white and known to their victims, questioning why far-right groups do not march against such issues if they truly care about protecting children.
As alternatives, he suggested supporting charities like the NSPCC or local youth groups, and patriotic efforts could focus on organisations like the British Legion. For help, resources include the Act Early phoneline at 0800 011 3764, Exit Hate UK at info@exithate.org or 0800 999 1945, and Small Steps for anti-extremism training.
