The alleged co-founder of a neo-Nazi terror group dedicated to starting a race war in Britain has been likened to the Third Reich’s propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, a court has heard.

Ben Raymond, 32, is accused of setting up the “unapologetically racist” National Action group to wage a “white jihad” and race war in Britain.

Bristol Crown Court heard the group was established in 2013 and was banned under terror legislation in 2016 – joining the likes of the IRA, Isis and al Qaida – becoming the first far-right group proscribed since the British Union of Fascists in 1940.

Barnaby Jameson QC, prosecuting, said: “Terrorists have many faces. Some are obvious. Some are not. Some are harmless-looking, educated and articulate.

“Some you could pass in the street without ever suspecting they were the founder of an organisation so extreme it was banned under the terrorism legislation.

“Some you would never suspect they were steeped in extremist and fanatical ideology. Some you would never suspect they were pre-occupied with thoughts of extreme terrorist violence.

“Some you would never suspect they were continuously scheming to advance a violent terrorist agenda.

“Some of you would never suspect Ben Raymond, the defendant in this case.

“It was the defendant who coined the description ‘white jihad’. The word ‘jihad’ is borrowed from Islamic terrorism.

“The word ‘white’ denotes the stripe of this brand of terror – neo-Nazism – ‘white terror’ with a direct throwback to Nazi Germany.

“The terror celebrated by adherents of Hitler and the architects of the Holocaust. The terror of violent ethnic cleansing.

“For the defendant and his cohorts, the work of Adolf Hitler was, and remains, unfinished. The Final Solution to the Jewish question – to use Hitler’s words – remains to be answered by complete eradication.

“The ultimate aim of this secretive group of white jihadists was all-out race war or ‘Rassenkrieg’. Members of National Action were heavily armed and aggressive. The group was small, secretive and paranoid.”

The court heard National Action was equipped with more than just “knives and attitude” and had access to rifles, a pump action shotgun, a machete, a crossbow and CS gas.

Mr Jameson told the jury Raymond was the “public face” of National Action and was careful not to stockpile weapons or carry out attacks himself.

“His jihad was fought with words and images. He was, like Joseph Goebbels of the original cabal of Nazis, the natural head of propaganda,” he said.

“He gave media interviews, setting out the group’s virulent ethnic cleansing agenda to the media with sometimes transcendental calm. Other times his message was more direct.

“The defendant had a role – pre-ban and post – in the leadership and direction of the group, in its ideology, its activism, its recruitment and its operations security also known as ‘OpSec’.

“While others dealt with the day-to-day running of the group, the defendant became its propagandist and roving ambassador, acting as a point of contact with other neo-Nazi groups in Eastern Europe, Norway and the US.”

Mr Jameson alleged that after it was outlawed in December 2016, it morphed into a new group called NS131 – National Socialist Anti-Capitalist Action – which Raymond was involved with.

He was also accused of creating images for a Midlands-based group called KKK Mafia.

Mr Jameson explained to the jury of seven men and five women the ideology of National Action was rooted in Hitler and based upon the Sturmabteilung, a Nazi paramilitary group active in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s.

He said National Action was against Jews, Muslims, people of colour, Asians, anyone gay, as well as liberals.

Mr Jameson said Raymond had links to other people convicted of being members of National Action, such as soldier Mikko Vehvilainen, Alice Cutter and Mark Jones.

He said he was also linked to Jack Renshaw – who plotted the murder of MP Rosie Cooper – and Zack Davies, who attacked an Asian dentist in a supermarket with a machete.

Raymond, of Beechcroft Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, is accused of seven offences – one of membership of a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 11 of the Terrorism Act and six of possessing a document or record of use to a terrorist contrary to Section 58 of the Act.

According to the charges, the material includes documents entitled “Ethnic Cleaning Operations”, “2083 – European Declaration of Independence by Andrew Berwick”, “Homemade Detonators by Ragnar Benson”, “TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook”, “Homemade Molotov Cocktail” and “Cluster Bomb”.

The trial continues.

A probationary Metropolitan Police officer will face trial next year for allegedly being a member of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action.

Benjamin Hannam, 22, of Enfield, north London, is also accused of lying on his police application and vetting forms.

He allegedly claimed he was not a member of National Action, which was outlawed under terrorism legislation in December 2016.

The junior officer is further accused of possessing an indecent image of a child and a prohibited image of a child.

Hannam is charged with belonging to or professing to belong to a proscribed organisation, namely National Action, contrary to section 11 of the Terrorism Act 2000, between December 2016 and January 2018.

He is also charged with two counts of fraud by false representation in relation to his police application and vetting forms.

The charges state he claimed he had not been a member of an organisation similar to the BNP, namely National Action, intending to make gain for himself, contrary to section 1 and 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.

Hannam also faces a charge of possessing an indecent photograph of a child, contrary to section 160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, as well as having a prohibited image of a child, contrary to section 62 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

He was charged in July following an investigation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and has been suspended from duty, Scotland Yard said.

At a brief hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday, Mr Justice Sweeney fixed Hannam’s trial for March 1 2021, with the case expected to last for five weeks.

Hannam, who appeared in a navy blue suit, spoke only to confirm his name and address. He is due to return to court for a plea hearing on December 14.

He has been bailed on conditions, including that he live and sleep at his home address, does not apply for foreign travel documents or travel abroad, and can use only one internet-enabled device which he must allow police to access.

Justice Sweeney told Hannam: “It is essential that you comply to the letter with each and every bail condition and you will know, should you breach any condition, you are going to find yourself up in court with the possibility of being remanded into custody.”

The judge also warned him that if he failed to attend his plea hearing or trial, then the case would be likely to proceed in his absence.

A neo-Nazi couple who named their baby in honour of Hitler are due to be sentenced.

Adam Thomas, 22, and Claudia Patatas, 38, were found guilty after a trial of being members of the extreme right-wing organisation National Action, which was banned in 2016. The pair will be sentenced on Tuesday with three other men convicted of the same offence.Thomas and Patatas gave their child the middle name “Adolf” and had Swastika scatter cushions in their home. Photographs recovered from a search at their home showed Thomas cradling his new-born son while wearing the hooded white robes of a Ku Klux Klansman.

The couple of Banbury, Oxfordshire, will be sentenced on Tuesday, concluding a three-day hearing which started on Friday.

Patatas, a wedding photographer who was born in Portugal, also wanted to “bring back concentration camps” and after a 7-week trial were found guilty. Former Army applicant, Thomas was also convicted of having a terrorist manual, named the Anarchist’s Cookbook. This contained instructions on how to make a viable bomb.

For years, Faith Matters has been working to ensure that people and communities in our country, have a stake in their future and in decision making. We know full well, that disaffection and alienation are avenues by which extremists can manipulate young men and women in these vulnerable positions.

Both far right and Islamist extremists have been working for years to foment hatred and division in our communities. Yet, it is also clear that both have been feeding off each other and squeezing the middle ground of balanced opinion that is so much part of our country.

Take for example, the fact that the UK took in so many Islamist extremists who came from countries where torture and persecution were part of the norm, in places like Algeria, Libya and Syria. Whilst many fled because of persecution, by taking them into the UK, we effectively stored up problems for the future. Which leads to this question. Whilst we value the position of human rights, which is a fundamental part of the values of our country, did we truly believe that incoming Islamist extremists would be model citizens, given that many of them had bought into violent Jihad as a means of implementing their views? Did we think that they would stop their activities in the UK? Did we even consider that they would try and access Muslim communities in order to promote their sectarian, Jew-hatred and violent Jihad in our country? By allowing active Salafist Jihadists into our country, we let down the vast majority of British Muslims who were not part of this extremism and who wanted to simply practice and get on with their lives. 

We also let Islamist extremist proselytise and foment their hatred in Muslim communities and within time, their message and narrative overlaid any sense of attachment to the State within some sections of Muslim communities. It was a failed and disastrous policy that has led to social problems which many of us have had to tackle.

Muscular Liberalism

On the other side, the State has only started to use its ‘muscular liberalism’ against far right activists and groups. The Home Secretary has banned National Action and a handful of far right groups. Yet, the fact is that far right groups have splintered and are well organised and entrenched online. Their hatred of Muslims is spawning plots to harm Muslims and Muslim institutions and the State’s actions against these groups has been slow off the mark. This allied to the ‘anything goes’ attitude of social media companies, who held this position for years, meant that the hatred from far right groups consolidated the reciprocal hatred towards western values and society emanating from Islamist extremist groups. 

Faith Matters has been working to tackle both ends of the extremist spectrum for over a decade now. Yet, we cannot continue to push ahead if there is no real stomach by this and future governments who sit inactively whilst civil society groups are harassed, targeted and undermined in this battle against extremism. There comes a time when we must disengage and step out for the sake of our resources and frankly, our security. That time is coming close, unless this Government can clearly show that it is committed and has the stomach to push back in a concerted way against such groups. 

There is still a small window of hope. However, that hope is fading fast.

The Scottish Defence League’s demonstration in Edinburgh on March 20 brought together just 50 white supremacists, nationalists and national socialists.

Social media posts confirmed that individuals had driven from Nottingham and Bradford to attend.

Like in Dover, the protest brought together individuals linked to or inspired by National Action, Combat 18, the Scottish and English Defence Leagues, North West Infidels, Misanthropic Division, Central Scotland Infidels and Blood and Honour. This protest, however, passed without violence or arrests.

Chief Inspector Bob Paris told the National: “I would like to thank the wider public for their patience and hope that the minimal disruption during the events did not spoil their day.”

A Unite Against Fascism counter-protest brought together minority communities and speakers from the SNP, Labour and Green Party.

Chants of “Refugees welcome, Deport the Nazis,” were said to have drowned out the vocal far-right minority.

Police Scotland had escorted the far-right groups to the City Chambers as they did not have permission to gather at Waverley Station.

One protester held a sign that read ‘Stop the Invasion Say No to Islam Say No to Mosques Say No to Halal Say no to Europe’. Others threw Nazi salutes – as one person wore a jumper promoting the infamous neo-Nazi punk band Skrewdriver.

Paul Whiteside, the EDL supporter who allegedly vandalised a proposed mosque in Lincoln, also attended the protest.

In contrast, the Stand Up to Racism event drew between 2,000 to 5,000 people in Glasgow on March 19. It coincided with other marches in London and Cardiff to mark UN anti-racism day.

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Lincolnshire Police are investigating claims that a supporter of the English Defence League (EDL) vandalised the site of a proposed mosque with offensive posters.

At 9:03pm on March 17, Paul Whiteside uploaded an image to his Facebook outside of the proposed site. Two of the posters made reference to child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. The other poster read ‘No More Mosques’. Whiteside captioned the photo ‘Licolnite mosque lol’.

One poster parodied the Daily Mirror’s front page headlined ‘Horrific betrayal of 1,400 children,’ published on August 27, 2014. The crude edits morphed the front page into the ‘Daily EDL’. Its subheading read ‘Don’t let it happen in Lincoln’.

DAILY MIRROR FRONT PAGE: “Horrific betrayal of 1,400 children” #skypapers pic.twitter.com/4VXWuqKZ67

— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 26, 2014

The front page gave weight to the idea of a culture of ‘political correctness’ shielding criminals. This, however, did not tell the whole story.

For people like Paul Whiteside, these complexities do not matter. He’s already found the justification in his own beliefs. Whiteside posted, “The reason behind the posters on the gates of the mosque is a protest against all the mosques being built in britain”.

He went on to claim that, “Grooming gangs like Rotherham all stem from mosques, are you telling me that the information about the girls wasn’t passed around at the mosque but no-one at the mosque was willing to notify the police”.

Whiteside told the Lincolnite that: “The media aren’t telling you what’s really going off, grooming gangs all over the UK, terrorists storing weapons in mosques all over Europe.”

On Facebook, he speculates that the ‘influx of Muslim refugees’ will create more problems. He offers no evidence for it. But that’s not the point. He has his own online echo chamber – which contains conspiracy and hate websites. This crossover of conspiracy theory and hate sites fits Barkun’s theory of ‘stigmatized knowledge‘. In short, ‘stigmatized knowledge’ allows individuals to present information that mainstream institutions have not validated as ‘true’.

A self-confessed Trump supporter, he rejects political correctness and admires Nick Griffin. Anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist Pamela Geller also appears in his Facebook ‘likes’.

A hatred of refugees and Muslims underpins much of his online rhetoric. In response to an article on Syrian refugees he wrote, “You are wanting to flood England with muslims and their ideology that as no place in the west,do you really want our beautiful home to end up like Sweden”.

Whiteside had attended a far-right demonstration in Dover on January 30. An event which brought together the National Front, North West Infidels, National Action, Misanthropic Division, British Movement and Scottish Defence League.

Tanweer Ahmed, the chairman of the Islamic Association, praised community cohesion at the expense of division.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 101 or contact Inspector Suzanne Davies, Community Policing Inspector for Lincoln South West Policing area directly.

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A far-right chapter of the anti-Islam group Soldiers of Odin has called for volunteers to join its street patrols.

The Facebook page Soldiers of Odin UK South Division wants to extend patrols this weekend. Cities earmarked for patrols include Bristol, Plymouth and South London.

Online posts promote community and loyalty. The group denies holding racist or white supremacist views. But these statements erode under scrutiny. Photos from the violent neo-Nazi protest in Dover appeared in their mobile uploads folder on January 30. One photo featured the flag of the national socialist group British Movement. They shared Channel 4’s coverage of the violence and the page admins had ‘liked‘ some of the violent comments.

On February 13 the group promoted the homophobic and racist propaganda of YouTube user whiteMedia4. In 2012, whiteMedia4 uploaded a video that attempted to expunge Hitler’s deep-rooted antisemitism. The idea that Hitler’s antisemitism was a response to ‘Jewish-led’ revolutions in 1919 is a dangerous falsehood. Hitler recalled buying his first antisemitic pamphlets in Vienna – a city he lived in until 1913. He credited Vienna’s mayor and leader of the Christian Social Party Karl Lueger with helping him develop his antisemitic views.  Viewpoints popular among middle-class German nationalists.

A photo of a crude banner that read ‘Islam is the cancer. Patriotism is the answer’ appeared on their timeline on January 29. Their caption “Soldiers of odin active members doing what we do best. More to come very soon ns” invokes the language of the English Defence League and their mantra of ‘no surrender’.

Away from rhetoric and ideology, there is a heavy focus on body image and exercise. Vetted members have free access to a gym.

Other national socialist movements like National Action promote a similar message. National Action asks members to dress in a professional manner as ‘personal image is group image’. Nietzche’s Übermensch, the Superman underpins this drive for perfectibility and will to power. Members must improve their social skills, body confidence, and fitness or defence skills. National Action offers MMA classes and have sent members to Legion MMA camps.

The UK chapters of the Soldiers of Odin are less than forthcoming with their identities. Photos of street activities are stage-managed to promote group identity and protect individual identity.

pic.twitter.com/J0jmuJqJa8

— S.O.O. UK SOUTH (@SOOSDUK1) February 21, 2016

An online echo chamber promotes group identity as the solution to existential threats. Examples of this rhetoric include “Get back the British bulldog spirit and contact us to join up now!”

Merchandise remains a key component of group image. The broad appeal of this movement has resulted in chapters appearing in Canada, Ireland and Portugal. Social media allows members to remain interconnected and motivated beyond traditional borders. Pegida and the Misanthropic Division are other far-right groups which have inspired chapters abroad.

The Irish chapter of Soldiers of Odin also promotes white supremacist materials. Supporters of the far-right Ulster Awake have expressed support, according to the Irish Times.

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The self-styled “nationalist, fascist, theorist and supporter of white rights” Joshua Bonehill-Paine, of Yeovil, Somerset, has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison following his conviction for inciting racial hatred.

Police arrested Bonehill-Paine ahead of a planned neo-Nazi rally in Golders Green in July – the heart of London’s Jewish community.

Bonehill-Paine had created antisemitic images to promote his ‘anti-Jewification’ rally. One image included weed killer sprayed over the entrance of Auschwitz. The image ridiculed the horrors of the Holocaust. And called for the ’round-up’ and removal of Jewish communities from Golders Green.

A racist and antisemitic caricature of a Jewish man underscored much of the propaganda. During the trial, the prosecution argued that the ‘O’ of Golders Green referenced the SS. Forensic analysis of Bonehill-Paine’s laptop revealed many versions of the flyer.

Owing to public outrage and a fear of disorder, the Met Police moved the protest to Westminster. More than 2,000 signed-up to a counter protest online. The ‘Golders Green Together’ campaign helped raise community awareness and counter-narratives.

Members of the neo-Nazi group New Dawn also had a part to play in the Golders Green protest.

Bonehill-Paine was arrested in February on suspicion of malicious communications after Labour MP Luciana Berger. Garonn Helm, 21, of the neo-Nazi group Nazi group National Action, received a four-week prison sentence after sending Ms Berger an antisemitic tweet last year.

Another neo-Nazi, Zack Davies, made headlines in June after he attempted to decapitate a Sikh dentist. He used a claw hammer and machete to attack Dr Sarandev Bhambra, shouting: “This is for Lee Rigby.”

Davies uploaded an image of himself in a balaclava with a large knife and the flag of National Action before the attack.

HOPE not hate linked Bonehill-Paine to National Action in early 2015. The Hackney Citizen highlighted his earlier political affiliations.

Bonehill-Paine’s asinine and sometimes delusional online posts provides succour to neo-Nazis offline and online. On June 25, the Jewish Chronicle reported that a Holocaust survivor had neo-Nazis knock his door. They performed a Nazi salute on his doorstep and asked him he if supported Bonehill-Paine. Before leaving, they handed the pensioner a blue Star of David with the message “Jew go home” written on it.

The interconnectivity of far-right groups online allows them to share materials outside of traditional borders. One of the United States most popular white supremacist hate sites endorsed Bonehill-Paine’s march. In the end though, counter-protestors outnumbered twenty neo-Nazis.

In a separate high-profile incident, Bonehill-Paine forced The Globe, in Leicester, to temporarily close. A malicious blog claimed that the pub had banned military personnel to avoid offending migrant groups. As it grew in popularity, people threatened to firebomb the premises and kill or assault its staff. After admitting malicious communication, he received a community order. He had his community order extended after breaching its terms in April 2015.

Propaganda from Bonehill-Paine’s Daily Bale made national headlines in 2014. A poster appealing for help to find a ‘missing’ six-year-old girl at the hands was a racist hoax. It included the message: “It is believed Amy has been kidnapped by an Asian grooming gang.” Another racist hoax appeared in Leicester.

Bonehill-Paine’s viciousness and cowardice online has real-world consequences. Earlier this year, he carried out a sustained campaign of racist and homophobic abuse via an online pseudonym. Bonehill-Paine would humiliate and defame individuals he disagreed with via his Daily Bale website. He even tarnished some as paeodophiles.

He targeted Sara Roocroft and her children online. Ms Roocroft later suffered respitory failure due to the distress of his lies. Doctors believed she almost died due to his “vile and slanderous actions”.

This sustained online harassment and slander resulted in a suspended prison sentence.

In April, Bonehill-Paine claimed police had detained him over homophobic tweets sent to Guardian columnist Jack Monroe.

In response to Bonehill-Paine’s conviction, a victim of his online hate campaign, who wishes to remain anonymous said:

“Joshua took it upon himself to share fake hoax stories and target vulnerable members of our communities on social media. Innocent victims were falsely accused and their lives tarnished by his hate campaigns. He recruited others with his ‘White Genocide’ narrative to target Jewish communities.

“Many are unaware that during this campaign accomplices of Bonehill-Paine targeted children on social media with multiple troll accounts that harassed victims and their families. Joshua worked with other racists and neo-Nazis to spread his hate campaigns. I trust these offenders will also face justice through the court system.

“Some use social media to spread hate rapidly and globally. We need new laws to protect online victims. Social media companies must be held accountable when neo-Nazi groups like National Action use their platforms to spread hate and recruit.

“Will the government also monitor extremists like Joshua Bonehill and his accomplices? Measures need to be put into place to protect communities online and deter racists from reoffending.

I would encourage others to report online hate to police – it assists with investigations – especially if you see racists bullying children online. As a community we cannot ignore hate as it destroys innocent lives.”

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