It's been a fairly quiet time for the far-right in the UK, but history has always shown that whenever a snake is quiet it is usually because they are planning something - a point activists and researchers may wish to consider as we slide into election year.
Once again, Patriotic Alternative’s Sam Melia is in trouble. Melia, an ex-National Action member was found guilty of running an online archive of downloadable stickers he created that the prosecution argue were designed to stir up racial hatred. Naturally, Melia is screaming he is innocent and arguing that all he was trying to do was "start a conversation".
What should be made clear her is that Melia has confirmed he was the head of the Hundred Handers, an anonymous group of activists responsible for a spate of anti-immigration “stickering” incidents between 2019 and 2021. During its heyday the group organised into two sub-groups – the Heads and the Hands. The Heads design stickers and posters, using specific printers to ensure their material does not run in the rain. The Handers then receive the material at the beginning of every month to disperse over their designated area.
As part of their campaign to supposedly “start a conversation”, in January 2020, fake Extinction Rebellion posters were reported in Brighton. These included: 'Stop white genocide', 'House the world, destroy the environment' and 'population control in the third world'. Then in March 2020, further such stickers appeared in Bedford and in September 2020, stickers with racist slogans and linked to the Hundred Handers appeared in the Crookes area of Sheffield. Stickers were also reported in Scotland.
In June 2020, it was reported the
group had put up messages in Canada, such as: "Never apologise for being
white," and "There is a war on whites" and "It's okay to be
white.”Further incidents were recorded when in 2021, Hampshire Police increased
patrols and examined CCTV footage in response to the Hundred-Handers posting
anti-immigrant, pro-white stickers in the town of Romsey, including some that
read "White Privilege Excellence."
He will be sentenced on March 1st.
On the subject of Patriotic Alternative, it is worth
mentioning that well-known Pro-Palestinian blogger, Muhammad Dilmar ‘Dilly’ Hussain, who is no stranger to distorting
the truth for political gain was happy to invite PA’s ‘fuhrer’, Mark Collett to
his home to be interviewed for his Islamist blog, ‘5 Pillars’.
Hussain is no stranger to
controversy and has accused Tell MAMA (an independent, non-governmental
organisation that works on tackling anti-Muslim hatred) in a Tweet on X that
they are, in his words, “run by Zionists who support murder of children” and
that it supposedly has “militant Zionist patrons and trustees”. Separately, Hussain
has written a longer Facebook post in which he attacked Tell MAMA because he
believes “their board of trustees and patrons are infested with hardcore
Zionists.”
Britain
First may face a little unpleasant publicity in Northern Ireland when former
Belfast councillor Jolene Bunting goes to the High Court in a bid to overturn
her three-year ban on seeking re-election.
Apparently, an appeal against her
disqualification is being mounted amid confirmation that she will not be
prosecuted over any allegations of fraud by misrepresentation. From what we are
able to gather, her challenge to the sanction imposed by the Northern Ireland
Local Government Commissioner for Standards (NILGCS) will not be heard until later
this year. Ms Bunting, a former independent unionist councillor, was
disqualified in February 2023 for breaching the code of conduct when the
watchdog found she had brought her position into disrepute by doctoring a
payslip in a bid to obtain cash from far-right party Britain First following a
complaint lodged by the group’s leader, Paul Golding.
While on the subject of Britain
First, it appears they told their supporters that “jihadists” burnt the
officers of Conservative MP, Mike Freer in north London, even though the police
already ruled out any hate crime motive. Two non-Muslim homeless people were
charged with arson last month over the attack on Freer’s office in Finchley,
but that failed to stop Britain First inciting its supporters against Muslims
by trying to pin the blame on “radical Islamists.”
In a newsletter distributed on the
3rd February, with the title “Radical Islam on the Rise,” Britain
First told their supporters: “It has emerged that a sitting Member of
Parliament has been forced to step away from politics due to attacks and
threats from Islamist extremists. Mike Freer, representing a seat in London,
had his office burnt out by jihadists. Mr Freer said he – and his staff – would
wear a stab vest, and carry a panic alarm, when meeting the public on the
advice of police. Mr Freer has received endless death threats, going back as
far as 2011, from groups including ‘Muslims Against Crusades’, which was later
classified as a terrorist organisation by the government and banned.”
It seems voters at the next
general election will have the dubious delight of being able to vote for
candidates representing the Homeland
Party. The white nationalist group applied to the Electoral Commission (EC)
last May to become a political party. Its application has now been granted and
the group is officially registered, allowing it to field candidates at
elections across Britain.
Announcing its registration with
the EC, Homeland Party claimed it is “returning politics to the bedrock
foundations of nation and community” and would be calling for a “binding
referendum on immigration”.
Anti-fascist critics raised serious
concerns, including the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), who said it is
“extremely concerning when a far-right group successfully obtains political
party status”. The Scottish Greens said Homeland’s “worldview has no place in a
modern or progressive Scotland” and that voters would reject it. We can but
hope.
Steven
Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson) remains in the news. It seems the former
leader of the English Defence League and ‘friend’ of Paul Golding is touring
the north-west of England whipping up hate by weaponising child sexual
exploitation. As part of this ‘tour’ he descended on Telford in the West
Midlands on 27th January and announced he will go on to Oldham in
Greater Manchester on 23rd March. The ‘tour’ will concern democrats
from all political persuasions amid a by-election announced for 29th
February in nearby Rochdale, another town in the north-west scarred by a child
sexual exploitation scandal. It seems almost certain Lennon will use the tragic
experience of child sexual exploitation in the city to scapegoat migrants and
refugees. It seems almost certain he may receive further support from candidates
like Simon Danczuk, the ex-Labour MP, who is now standing for the Reform Party
and Billy Howarth, founder of Parents Against Grooming UK.
Finally, many readers will be
aware that several ex-members of National Action have now either been released
or will be due for discharge in the coming months. Among those now able to roam
the streets include Matthew Hankinson,
who was 24 when jailed for membership of the banned terror group, National Action (NA) in 2018. He was
one of eleven people arrested in late 2017 as part Operation Harplike, an
investigation launched by counter-terror police. Hankinson has been released
having served a full sentence during which time he made and received no
telephone calls; nor did he receive visitors or write or accept any mail during
his time. During his time languishing under His Majesty’s pleasure, Hankinson
resolutely refused to cooperate with rehabilitation initiatives and as such,
having served a full sentence, he is free to live wherever he chooses without
having to report to the Probation and Aftercare Service – this is despite the
fact that many would still describe him as a high-risk offender.
Other notable NA members to have
been released include, Alice Cutter, the highly reported runner up in the
group’s disturbing ‘Miss Hitler’ competition and Mark Jones, her previous
boyfriend, though a condition of their release was that they were not allowed
to contact each other. Like Hankinson, Jones was released despite refusing to
undertake extra work to back up a number of jail programmes he completed to
address his extremist views.
However, unlike these little
cherubs, Darren Fletcher, (aka Darren
Clifft and Christopher Phillips) who was jailed for three years and four
months, with an extra 18 months added on for breaching an outstanding order
against him was released into the community on strict license conditions
(similar to those applied to former members or adherents of Islamic State),
Fletcher worked as an HGV driver and continued to brag he was still spreading
hatred and that nothing could stop him. He proved as much by attending a
hardline anti-immigrant rally in Walsall several months ago where he was letting
everyone know that he was back up to his old tricks.
Darren Fletcher
Thankfully, his antics were being
monitored and he was returned to court for breaching a criminal anti-social
order and as a consequence is now serving a further four years in prison.
Well that about completes this
news round-up. If you want to keep up to date, please subscribe, and above all –
stay safe
