A gay former extremist Caolan Robertson has said that leaving the far-right was like leaving “a cult”, and explained how homophobia contributed to his radicalisation. Robertson grew up in the Republic of Ireland, and moved the the north of England as a child. He knew he was gay from a young age, but according to the New York Times, when he later moved to London he began to experience more homophobia than ever before, including from Muslim communities in the city’s East End. This caused him to start building resentment towards Islam, and begin his journey into the folds of the far-right. When the tragic Pulse massacre took place in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, the shooter’s religion added fuel to his hatred, and he began watching videos on YouTube to learn more.