National Action (UK)

National Action
Leader Chris Lythgoe
Founders Benjamin Raymond, Alex Davies[1]
Founded 2013
Headquarters Warrington, United Kingdom
Membership 60–100[2] (2016 estimate)
Ideology
Political position Far-right

National Action is a far-right neo-Nazi[3][4] organisation based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 2013, the group is secretive, and has rules to prevent members from talking openly about the organisation.[3] It has been a proscribed organisation in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000 since 16 December 2016,[5] the first far-right group to be proscribed since World War II. In March 2017, an undercover investigation by ITV found that its members were still meeting in secret.[6] It is believed that since proscription, National Action has organised itself in a similar way to the also banned Salafi jihadist Al-Muhajiroun network.[7]

Members

A member known as "Tom", who was 18 years old at the time, was interviewed by The Huffington Post in March 2014. He named José Antonio Primo de Rivera of the Spanish Falange, Alexander Raven Thomson and Oswald Mosley of the British Union of Fascists, and writer Wyndham Lewis as inspiration for National Action.[3] The group's strategy document twice quoted Adolf Hitler, which "Tom" called "a bit dodgy". He explained it by saying "What has been a successful nationalist movement? Oh it was [the Nazis]...That's why we're using [the Nazis]. They used it and they were able to gain power...Gottfried Feder, who was an economist and a member of the NSDAP, he had some good ideas".[3]

Due to the secretive nature of National Action, it is not clear who the leadership of the organisation are. Former National Front member Ashley Bell (pseudonym Tommy Johnson) has been referred to as the organisation's leader, and is thought to be one of a number of activists behind National Action's founding document.[8]

In an investigation by the Daily Mirror, Benjamin Raymond, age 25 in June 2014, was found to be the leader of National Action. He is a former double-glazing salesman who graduated with a degree in Politics from the University of Essex in 2013.[9] By 2014, he had written on his blog: "There are non-whites and Jews in my country who all need to be exterminated. As a teenager, Mein Kampf changed my life. I am not ashamed to say I love Hitler."[10] He has expressed admiration for Anders Breivik, the far-right terrorist, who is "the hero Norway deserves".[11] Raymond told BBC News in 2015: "The source of all of the conflict in society is all the different racial groups that have been brought here. They have been brought here to create a people who are deracinated and easier to control".[12]

Another member was found to be 19-year-old Alex Davies of Swansea, who withdrew from a first-year course in philosophy at Warwick University in June 2014 after his involvement in National Action was revealed.[13] A university spokesman said, "Any such allegations are taken seriously."[4] Davies had joined the Young BNP at 16, but found the group to be in "disarray". He describes the difference between the two groups as: "We're targeting universities regularly. That's something the BNP never had. We've built something in a few months the BNP didn't have in 20 years."[4]

Jack Renshaw, a former Youth BNP activist and a senior spokesperson for the organisation, faced criminal charges over incitement to racial hatred,[14] with his trial scheduled for 2 January 2018.[15] Renshaw had called for Jews to be "eradicated" as "nature’s financial parasite and nature’s social vermin", and had said that the UK had backed the wrong side in the Second World War, since the Nazis "were there to remove Jewry from Europe once and for all." A person who had committed those same offences, whose name cannot be legally published in the UK, was found guilty at Preston Crown Court of inciting racial hatred on 8 January 2018.[16]

In November 2017, six people – 31-year-old Christopher Lythgoe, from Warrington, Garron Helm, 24, of Seaforth, Merseyside; Matthew Hankinson, 23, of Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside; and Andrew Clarke, 33, and Michael Trubini, 35, both of Warrington, and Jack Renshaw, were charged with being members of National Action, which is banned in the UK. Two of the men, Lythgoe and Renshaw, were also charged with being involved in a plot to murder the West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper with a machete, and of threatening to kill a police officer. In July 2017, a former National Action member, Robbie Mullen, reported the plot to the anti-racism organisation Hope Not Hate, who reported the matter to the police.[17]

The six faced trial on 11 June 2018 at the Old Bailey in London.[18] On 12 June 2018 Renshaw pleaded guilty to plotting to murder Rosie Cooper, and to threatening to kill a police officer.[19] In July 2018, Hankinson and Lythgoe were found guilty of being members of National Action and jailed for six years and eight years, respectively. The presiding judge, Mr Justice Jay, told Hankinson: 'You are a neo-Nazi who glorifies and revels in a perverted ideology, has a deep hatred of ethnic minorities and Jews and has advocated violence to achieve your objectives'. Helm was found not guilty of being a member of the group and Lythgoe was found not guilty of encouragement to murder for allegedly giving Renshaw permission to kill Ms Cooper on behalf of the group.[17]

According to the BBC and The Independent, six people – five men and a woman – were arrested in co-ordinated raids by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, and were charged with being members of National Action. The six – Nathan Pryke, 26, from Cambridge; Adam Thomas, 21, and Claudia Patatas, 38, both of Banbury, Oxfordshire; Darren Fletcher, 28, of Wednesfield, Wolverhampton; Daniel Bogunovic, 26, of Leicester; and Joel Wilmore, 24, of Hazel Grove, Stockport – appeared in court in January 2018 and entered pleas of not-guilty. All except Patatas gave their nationality as British; Patatas is Portuguese. Several of the group also faced additional charges.[20][21]

In May 2018, Wayne Bell, described as a "poster boy" for the organisation, pleaded guilty to two counts of stirring up racial hatred and three counts of possessing multiple items in order to destroy or damage property. The court heard that he had written Neo-Nazi graffiti on pillars and lamp posts in his home town of Castleford, and that he had made hundreds of racist and anti-Semitic posts on Twitter and the Russian social media site VKontakte. He was sentenced to four years and three months in jail.[22]

Policy and actions

National Action held a protest at the statue of Nelson Mandela in London, defacing it with a banana.[23]

Davies described the group as "like the BNP but more radical".[4] National Action self-styles itself as a "revolutionary nationalist" organisation which grew out of a failed offshoot within the youth wing of the British National Party and has made effective, large-scale use of social media and blogging platforms.[8]

National Action wanted to reintroduce Section 28, which prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality" in schools.[3][4] On immigration, "Tom" said "With coloured people we'd say big no to them coming over. But with [white people] we'd be a bit more lenient".[3]

The group has distributed its material on at least 12 university campuses.[3][4] In an interview with The National Student in 2014, an anonymous organiser for National Action explained why they target universities: "very soon they are going to find out just how hard the system has screwed them – if they knew what we know now we would have an army. The last Labour government aspired to send 50% of 18- to 21-year-olds to university and the total student population has grown exponentially over the past decade. That is 50% of youth who are going to be very angry burger flippers".[24] He also promised "This year will be a reign of terror",[24] and described people who are in interracial relationships as "pathetic internet nerds who can't get laid and STD-infested sluts".[24]

In October 2014, Garron Helm, a National Action member from Merseyside, was sentenced to four weeks in prison for sending a message via Twitter to MP Luciana Berger relating to her Jewish background, which was found to be "an offensive, indecent or obscene message".[25][23] "I’m not a lunatic for embracing martyrdom, I’ve just accepted that I could be more use in death than life", he wrote in early 2015.[23] Helm served two weeks of his sentence before being released.[26] In November 2014, 10 National Action activists were arrested in dawn raids on suspicion of conspiring to cause criminal damage to Berger's office; they were all bailed.[9][27] No further action was taken against them.[28] National Action's campaign against Berger was supported by US-based neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer, which offered advice on how to set up untraceable Twitter accounts in order to send abuse.[29][30]

In March 2015, National Action organised a 'White Man March' on the Quayside in Newcastle upon Tyne during which police arrested nine people; those attending included North East representatives of the British National Party (BNP) and neo-Nazis from Eastern Europe.[31] In June the same year, 26-year-old Zack Davies, who told police that he was a member of National Action, was found guilty of the attempted murder of Sarandev Bhambra, a Sikh man and trainee dentist, in Mold, Flintshire. Dr Bhambra was struck in the head and nearly lost a hand in the attack suffering "life changing injuries". Davies claimed this was revenge for the murder of Lee Rigby and chanted "white power" as he launched the attack.[32][33][34] Davies was given a life sentence the following September and is to serve for 14 years before being considered for parole.[35] National Action publicly deny any association with Davies or his actions.[12]

In August 2015, the group attempted to hold a second 'White Man March' in Liverpool. Strong opposition from the Anti-Fascist Network and local activists forced the organisers to cancel the march and take refuge in the lost luggage collection point at Lime Street Station.[36] Tensions were raised by a letter to Mayor Joe Anderson threatening race riots; National Action claimed this was a forgery by an agent provocateur.[37]

In November 2016, The Sunday Times reported that "fears that far-right activists may be grooming a new generation of Hitler Youth in the UK emerged" after stickers from National Action proclaiming parts of Liverpool to be a "Nazi-controlled zone" appeared. The group also held a number of marches and demonstrations on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday proclaiming that "Hitler was right", and celebrated the election of Donald Trump as President-elect of the United States under the slogan of "white power".[38]

Responses

"Tom" reported that the group was monitored by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.[3] Gerry Gable, the former editor of the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight, said, "National Action are highly organised with a lot of foreign money backing them up. They’re not looking to attract thickos who just want a fight. They want thinkers who are prepared to die for National Socialism."[39] Scotland Yard is reported to be "very concerned" by the group, but gave the official response, "We cannot discuss details of individuals or organisations that may or may not be the subject of an investigation."[4]

Ian Austin, a Labour Party MP whose adoptive father fled Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, said of National Action, "Seventy years ago, British heroes were fighting to liberate Europe from the scourge of Nazis and fascism. It's absolutely disgusting to see young British people praise Hitler today."[4]

On 5 September 2017, it was reported that four serving male members of the British Army had been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of being members of National Action: a 22-year-old from Birmingham, a 32-year-old from Powys, a 24-year-old from Ipswich and a 24-year-old from Northampton.[40] A fifth man was reported to have been detained in Cyprus.[41] As a result, three men, including two British soldiers, were charged with terrorism offences.[42] On 27 September 2017, eleven men were arrested in further raids across England and Wales.[43]

On 3 January 2018, six people - five men from Cambridge, Banbury, Wolverhampton, Leicester and Stockport, and a woman from Banbury - were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, namely on suspicion of being a member of a proscribed organisation, National Action. Those arrested were aged between 21 and 37.[44][45][46]

Lead-up to proscription

In November 2016, The Sunday Times reported that National Action was supporting Thomas Mair, the murderer of the Batley and Spen Labour MP Jo Cox, posting "only 649 MPs to go!" on social media.[47] National Action also supported Mair personally, saying "don't let this man's sacrifice go in vain"[47] and altered its listing on Google to state: "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain!", a slogan Mair had said to a court when asked to give his name following Cox's murder.[2] The organisation also supported the Orlando gun homicide and has called for graphic and violent attacks on police officers in the UK.[47] Mair, however, appeared to have little involvement with National Action or any other white supremacist groups within the UK.[48]

Before it was banned, the organisation was the most active in Yorkshire, where half of the referrals to the government's anti-extremism strategy have been about the far-right.[2] In October, the Jewish Chronicle reported that the organisation's leaflets "including swastikas, a Nazi salute and the phrase 'no tolerance'" were spotted in Hull, Liverpool, Glasgow and Cardiff.[49] The Hull Daily Mail says that "The first evidence of the group in the city was in July when graffiti appeared on a wall on George Street in the city centre with an incorrectly painted Swastika, the letters NA and a logo."[49] In a newsletter, National Action claimed that although the group was "not entirely sure who could of [sic] done" the graffiti, "it seems we have got quite a following in Hull, with graffiti (even though backwards) of swastikas and an attempt at our logo and the initials NA popping up around Hull and triggering the reactionary left."[49]

National Action has promoted the antisemitic conspiracy theories that Jews were behind the September 11 attacks and has labelled Cox as the "patron saint" of grooming gangs, according to The Sunday Times.[2] At a secret meeting of the Yorkshire Forum, Renshaw said (in a video seen by The Times) that they need to adopt a "killer instinct". According to him: "As nationalists we need to learn from the mistakes of the national socialists and we need to realise that, no, you do not show the Jew mercy".[14]

The group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000, making it a criminal offence to support or be a member after 16 December 2016.[50] In laying an order for National Action's proscription, the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, described the group as "a racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organisation which stirs up hatred, glorifies violence and promotes a vile ideology".[51] National Action is the first far-right organisation to be proscribed in the UK since the now defunct British Union of Fascists in the 1940s.[52] National Action is one of only three terrorist organisations based in Great Britain to be proscribed (the other two being radical Islamist organisations).[53] Its ban was seen as an acknowledgement by the UK government that the far-right was on the rise, and figures released by the National Police Chiefs' Council show that the number of far-right referrals to the anti-terror Prevent programme increased from 323 cases in 2014–15 to 561 in 2015–16.[53]

Aliases

Suspicion that some National Action followers simply swapped membership of National Action for membership of the group Scottish Dawn in order to circumvent the ban prompted the Home Office to consider whether the new group should be outlawed too. Scottish Dawn was established shortly after National Action was banned and described itself as a "new Identitarian social movement formed from various organisations in 2017 to develop a coherent conception of Scottish identity and secure its place within Scottish politics".[54]

NS131 (National Socialist Anti-Capitalist Action) was another group that appeared after National Action was proscribed and was "a platform dedicated to promoting and spreading NS street art and physical propaganda" according to its website. On 28 September 2017, after eleven suspected members across the country were arrested, the government announced that both Scottish Dawn and NS131 would be banned as aliases of National Action.[55]

System Resistance Network (SRN) is a group that is believed to have been putting up homophobic and anti-refugee posters in Dundee, Swansea, Cardiff and Bristol and is claimed by Hope Not Hate to be another alias of National Action.[56] SRN was formerly known as Vanguard Britannia, the British chapter of American far-right group Vanguard America.[57]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "MP murder plotter's group wanted to wipe out non-whites by any means, court told". ITV (TV network). 13 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gadher, Dipesh (27 November 2016). "Neo-Nazis face ban after Cox murder". The Sunday Times. (Subscription required (help)).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sheriff, Lucy (6 March 2014). "Meet New Neo-Nazi Group National Action Which Just Wants To 'Piss People Off'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Wright, Simon; Glaze, Ben; Cortbus, Colin (7 June 2014). "Exposed: Rise of Hitler-loving National Action group who want to 'ethnically cleanse' the UK". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Terrorism Act 2000". Schedule 2, Act No. 11 of 2000.
  6. ↑ "Former members of banned terror group meet at far-right training camp", ITV News, 20 March 2017
  7. ↑ "Man charged over MP murder threat". BBC News. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Hate Files: National Action". Hope not Hate. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  9. 1 2 Rosthorn, Andrew (9 November 2014). "Twitter neo-Nazis brag on Facebook about campaign against Twitter-friendly MP". Tribune. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  10. ↑ Porter, Tom (8 June 2014). "New UK Far-Right Group National Action Led By Student and Former Double-Glazing Salesman". International Business Times. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  11. ↑ James, Ben (4 June 2014). "23-year old race hate group leader uncovered in Sussex". The Argus. Southampton. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  12. 1 2 Nye, Catrin (3 September 2014). "Radicals: 'I'm a proud racist'". BBC News. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  13. ↑ Fascist leader leaves Warwick, The Boar, 18 June 2014
  14. 1 2 Hamilton, Fiona (28 November 2016). "Hitler's only fault showing mercy to Jews, youth leader told secret meeting". The Times. (Subscription required (help)).
  15. ↑ Press Association (8 August 2017). "Skelmersdale man to face trial over 'race hate' speeches". Southport Visiter. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  16. ↑ Staff (9 January 2018) "Neo-Nazi called for eradication of Jews at far-right rally" The Times
  17. 1 2 "Men jailed for neo-Nazi group membership". BBC News. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  18. ↑ Hirst, Lauren (10 April 2017) "Alleged leader of National Action appears in crown court" Warrington Guardian
  19. ↑ "MP's murder was to be 'white jihad'". BBC News. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  20. ↑ Staff (9 January 2018) "National Action: Six in court on terror group charges" BBC.com
  21. ↑ Dearden, Lizzie (9 January 2018) "National Action: Six alleged neo-Nazis appear in court charged with joining banned terrorist group" The Independent
  22. ↑ "Wayne Bell jailed for neo-Nazi group social media posts". BBC News. 23 May 2018.
  23. 1 2 3 Collins, Matthew (March–April 2015). "National Action: Young, Nazi and Dangerous". Hope Not Hate (18). Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  24. 1 2 3 Filfilan, Karam (25 April 2014). ""This year will be a reign of terror": Meet the white British Nationalists coming to your campus". The National Student. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  25. ↑ Perraudin, Frances (21 October 2014). "Man jailed for antisemitic tweet to Labour MP". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  26. ↑ Rouse, Alisha (2 February 2015). "Neo-Nazi "not sorry in the slightest" for vile abuse sent to Luciana Berger". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  27. ↑ Dysch, Marcus (11 November 2014). "Ten arrested near Luciana Berger's Liverpool office". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  28. ↑ Rouse, Alisha (31 January 2015). "No further action against neo-Nazis arrested outside Wavertree MP Luciana Berger's office". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  29. ↑ Dysch, Marcus (30 October 2014). "Neo-Nazi gave out internet abuse tips in campaign against Luciana Berger". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  30. ↑ Woolf, Marie; Henry, Robin (9 November 2014). "Hate tweets fired across Atlantic at Jewish MP". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  31. ↑ Southern, Keiran (22 March 2015). "Newcastle Quayside brought to a standstill as neo-Nazis invade the city". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  32. ↑ Harley, Nicola (25 June 2015). "Dentist attack: 'If my brother was white this would be called a terror attack'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  33. ↑ Whelan, Brian (25 June 2015). "National Action's Zack Davies guilty of attempted murder". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  34. ↑ Badshar, Nadeem (23 June 2015). "Dentist attacked with machete in revenge for Lee Rigby". The Times. (Subscription required (help)).
  35. ↑ "Zack Davies: life sentence for Wales neo-Nazi attack". Channel 4 News. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  36. ↑ Hughes, Lorna (16 August 2015). "Liverpool said no to Neo-Nazi march - and this is how the Internet reacted". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  37. ↑ "Liverpool: White Man March Neo-Nazis Cower In Station Depot After Being Pelted With Rubbish, Then Cancel Event". Huffington Post. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  38. ↑ Gadher, Dipesh (20 November 2016). "Warning over rise of Hitler youth". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 19 December 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  39. ↑ Filfilan, Karam (18 January 2015). "Hateful and here: German Anti-Islam extremists rally in Glasgow in bid to recruit Scots". The Daily Record. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  40. ↑ Boyle, Danny & Dixon, Hayley (5 September 2017). "British soldiers arrested by terror police for allegedly being members of banned neo-Nazi group". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  41. ↑ Grierson, Jamie. "Five army men held over alleged membership of banned UK neo-Nazi group". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  42. ↑ Staff (11 September 2017). "Neo-Nazi arrests: UK soldiers charged with terror offences". BBC News. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  43. ↑ Sommers, Jack (27 September 2017). "National Action: Eleven People Arrested As Part Of Probe Into Banned Far Right Group". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  44. ↑ Staff (3 January 2018) "Six held in far-right group National Action investigation", BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  45. ↑ Staff (3 January 2018) "National Action investigation: Six held over suspected membership of banned far-right group", Sky News. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  46. ↑ Dearden, Lizzie (3 January 2018) "National Action: Six alleged members of neo-Nazi group arrested on suspicion of terror offences", The Independent. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  47. 1 2 3 "Proscribed Terrorist Organisations" (PDF document). gov.uk. Home Office. p. 15.
  48. ↑ Cobain, Ian. "The slow-burning hatred that led Thomas Mair to murder Jo Cox". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  49. 1 2 3 "Banned neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action active in Hull", Hull Daily Mail, 14 December 2016.
  50. ↑ Elgot, Jessica (12 December 2016). "Neo-Nazi group National Action banned by UK home secretary". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  51. ↑ "Far right group National Action to be banned under terror laws". BBC News. 12 December 2016.
  52. ↑ "National Action the first far-right group to be banned in Britain since 1940, 'but it is not enough'". Political Scrapbook. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  53. 1 2 De Simone, Samuel, "National Action ban highlights concern over far right", BBC News, 12 December 2016
  54. ↑ Kachroo, Rohit (14 September 2017). "Scottish far-right group could become second neo-Nazi organisation in Britain to be banned". ITV News at Ten. ITN. Retrieved 15 September 2017. Video.
    - Nicolson, Stuart (29 September 2017). "Who are the Scottish Dawn neo-Nazi group?". BBC News. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  55. ↑ Staff (28 September 2017). "Two neo-Nazi groups added to banned list". BBC News. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
    - Dearden, Lizzie (28 September 2017). "11 people arrested in neo-Nazi terror investigation". The Independent. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  56. ↑ "Neo-Nazi outfit in Scotland linked to banned terrorist group". The Ferret. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
    - Briggs, Billy (27 December 2017). "Banned group behind new neo-Nazi campaign recruiting in Scotland, say activists". Daily Record. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  57. ↑ "Nazi Group Linked to Charlottesville Attack Has a UK Chapter". Vice. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
    - "Neo-Nazi terrorist groups still recruiting despite being banned as aliases of National Action". The Independent. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
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