We need to talk about boomer radicalisation

Andrew Leak, the man named as the perpetrator of the petrol bomb attack on Dover migrant centre was, on the surface, an unlikely terrorist. Aged 66 and living in High Wycombe, reports paint him as a somewhat odd but largely harmless character. His internet history told a different story. Though he does not appear to have been led on to his attack by anyone else, there is a clear pattern of self-radicalisation.

Analysis from Hope Not Hate, the anti-far-right campaign group, shows that his online presence was riddled with racism. He seemed to support Tommy Robinson and engaged with several other personalities who post inflammatory coverage of issues around migration. Elsewhere he posted theories about migrant boats being made by the UN, while his neighbours hinted at a belief in Covid vaccine conspiracies. An hour before the attack, he Tweeted ‘we will obliterate them Muslim children’. His story points to a new and worrying trend: the online radicalisation of older people.