One crime, a whole community: the Essex asylum seeker case is being weaponised by the far-right

A court in Essex convicted a man, an asylum seeker, of sexual assault this month. The crime is serious, and justice demands accountability. But within hours, commentators, headlines, and politicians were already turning the Essex asylum seeker case into a weapon. Instead of discussing one individual, they used it to smear all asylum seekers. Consequently, the focus shifted away from justice and towards collective blame.

From ‘feral’ to ‘pure evil’: how the Essex asylum seeker scapegoating spiralled online

X lit up with takes that didn’t stop at condemning the man. They turned his crime into supposed proof of an entire community’s guilt.

One of the first tweets didn’t stop at outrage — it went straight to animalisation:

The feral illegal immigrant who sexually assaulted and attempted to groom a child

12 months in prison

Lucy Connolly who posted a furious message in the wake of the savage murders of three little girls in Southport

31 months in prison #TwoTierKeir#TwoTierJustice#Epping pic.twitter.com/NN3KDvhgpc

— Thee Chameleon (@TheeChame1eon) September 23, 2025

“Feral.”

That single word is doing a lot of work. It reduces people to wild, uncontrollable creatures. It frames asylum seekers not as human beings but as a dangerous pack. By stripping away humanity in just one word, the tweet sets the tone for the rest of the scapegoating spiral.

The next tweet doubled down on animalisation:

These animals should have been arrested on arrival, detained pending deportation, then none of these offences would have been committed.

Epping hotel asylum seeker jailed 12 months for sex assaults https://t.co/LLxhLWYZpc via @DailyMail

— John Moore (@JohnMoo99882213) September 23, 2025

Here, asylum seekers are not even people — they’re “animals.” This isn’t commentary on a crime; it’s a blanket attack on an entire group. Language like this has always been used to justify exclusion and violence, from colonial propaganda to modern hate speech.

One tweet tried to dismiss the man’s asylum claim altogether:

The nonce imprisoned re his #Epping assaults… he stated that he wishes to be deported back to Somalia…sooooo… not an actual asylum seeker then.

We all know that they're majority economic migrants, with a spattering of Jihadis and spies

Can we stop pissing around please?

— Scott (@ScottJonesy) September 23, 2025

Another user turned the anger on the courts, and then leapt straight into Islamophobic conspiracy:

Absolutely unacceptable from a judge. He has just knowingly put all of Epping's women and young girls in danger. He should have been immediately deported. The UK has been invaded by a barbaric Islamic army. And the Starmer government is complicit.

— Tone Ogre – The original ugly American (@ToneOgre) September 23, 2025

This is more than outrage. It fuses sexist panic “young girls”, anti-Muslim hate “barbaric Islamic army”, and political blame. By framing asylum as an “invasion,” it imports the language of war. By blaming Labour, it transforms a legal case into a partisan weapon. This is exactly how a single conviction is inflated into a culture-war narrative.

Some framed the conviction as proof asylum seekers don’t deserve to be here at all:

https://t.co/RkjX3HYSk6

It’s a pi$$ take, they can’t even behave when they arrive into our country 🙁

— Flanny (@Flannybluebird) September 23, 2025

“It’s a pi$$ take, they can’t even behave when they arrive into our country 🙁”

This tweet drips with resentment but dresses it up as common sense.

Others turned their anger not just on the perpetrator, but on those who support asylum seekers:

‘I feel vulnerable wearing a skirt’, says girl sexually assaulted by Epping migrant

Congratulations to the “Refugees welcome” mob. This one’s on you, along with countless others. https://t.co/iYXgGNmyGj

— Jenx (@Jenx123_) September 23, 2025

Here, the blame shifts. The attack is no longer just on the convicted man — or even asylum seekers in general — but on those who campaign for refugee rights. This tweet frames compassion as culpability, suggesting that solidarity is dangerous and that activists are responsible for crimes they had nothing to do with. It’s a rhetorical move designed to silence pro-refugee voices by equating advocacy with harm.

Another furious post attacked both the courts and the Labour leader directly:

Epping migrant jailed for 12 months for MULTIPLE and various sexual assaults.
He was put in front of the lowest possible level of court. WHY? Due to time served, this filth MAY be out by December. Starmers Justice, Starmers Joke, Starmers pandering to Islam. Starmer is criminal.

— Robot Adamantly (@Robukscot) September 23, 2025

This tweet calls the man “filth,” paints the justice system as corrupt, and weaponises Islamophobia against Labour. It transforms a sentencing decision into a partisan attack line — complete with conspiracy about “pandering to Islam.” This is the culture-war script in action: outrage at one case becomes justification for whipping up anger against Muslims and against political opponents.

The final tweet in the chain abandoned all restraint, going directly after the prime minister:

@Keir_Starmer you are the single handedly the worst UK prime minister this country has ever seen! You are beyond a traitor, you are pure evil!
How can you allow those Epping Families to have no justice for their children being attacked by literal pedophiles & child attackers!!!!

— Luke (@BigLAJOfficial) September 23, 2025

There’s no question that Keir Starmer has a lot of work to do on justice, immigration, and asylum policy.

I and many others have slammed his government for refusing to confront the hostile environment and for failing to set out a clear, compassionate strategy. But to describe him as “pure evil” and personally responsible for assaults in Epping is a massive over conflation. In fact, it distorts real policy failures into a caricature of villainy.

As a result, this kind of exaggeration fuels culture wars rather than serious debate. Moreover, it shifts focus away from the real issues — the government’s failure to dismantle the hostile environment and to deliver a clear, compassionate asylum strategy. Ultimately, exaggeration doesn’t strengthen criticism; instead, it weakens it by turning legitimate concerns into hyperbole.

Why this case matters far beyond Epping

From “feral” to “pure evil,” the tweets show how quickly one crime became collective blame. First came dehumanisation, then accusations of fraud, Islamophobic conspiracies, resentment, and finally partisan hysteria. This is how the hostile environment reproduces itself: step by step, outrage by outrage, until racism feels like common sense.

Justice means holding one man accountable for his crime. It does not mean smearing thousands of asylum seekers, vilifying those who support them, or inflaming hate for political gain. Unless we challenge this scapegoating at every level — social media, media, and politics — we risk replacing fairness with fear and justice with prejudice.

Featured image via the Canary