TWAFA: Report 1999-2000
- London Bombing Campaign
- Local Press use TWAFA’s Monitoring Information
- Warhammer White Power Music
- Local Nazi Activists
- BNP Leadership Coup Supported by NE Nazis
- NE BNP Revival?
- The Future
London Bombing Campaign
The most significant event of the year was the bombing campaign in London. The racist and homophobic attacks were perpetrated by David Copeland who has admitted these crimes. It came as no surprise that he had links with the BNP and appeared in a photograph standing at the shoulder of former BNP leader, John Tyndall. The security services at first claimed that the bomber was unknown to them. However, if a national newspaper is able to publish Copeland’s photograph in the company of Tyndall then it makes one wonder about their real level of knowledge concerning the fascists. Clearly all should now be aware that the threat posed by the Nazis in this country is real and pressing.
Throughout the nineties, TWAFA, amongst others, has been warning the authorities that the Nazis were gearing up for paramilitary violence as determined by the philosophy of “leaderless resistance”. There are those in the North East who subscribe to these views and would not hesitate to attack their perceived enemies with whatever means they have available.
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Local Press Use TWAFA’s Monitoring Information
Press interest in the London bombings resulted in a feature appearing in the Evening Chronicle exposing some of the main far right players in the region and their Nazi links. TWAFA was pleased to furnish the journalist in question with much information and photographs including that of local activist Simon Biggs. Biggs played down his connection with local Nazi band Warhammer even though that musically challenged outfit acknowledge his support on the sleeve of their recently released CD.
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Warhammer White Power Music
NE UK based Warhammer have continued to play around the UK as well as visiting Northern Ireland and Germany during the year.
The recent appearance of their latest CD on the illegal market is an interesting development and TWAFA confidently predicts that Warhammer will not be entirely happy with the publicity that this will bring. Also thanked on the CD cover is former NF organiser in Newcastle, John Harwood.
Recently, Warhammer guitarist Frazer Robinson was convicted of importing pepper spray and CS gas from Germany. Frazer apparently had a shock when police in riot gear raided his house after the package from Germany was accidentally opened in the Durham sorting office. In court, Frazer claimed that he thought the package was CD’s from “his band”. Given Frazer’s violent history, it comes as no surprise that he would want these weapons. More surprising is his stupidity in thinking that materials to his address from abroad would not warrant close attention by the authorities.
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Local Nazi Activists
Simon Biggs: following the attempted murder of a disabled man by two young men with nazi sympathies in South Shields local press reported on local BNP activities. A Chronicle reporter talking with local activist, Simon Biggs, quoted him as stating that being in the BNP “… got me into loads of trouble so I dropped out. I’m a mechanic now and I’ve settled down”. Biggs neglected to mention his criminal activities that have led to charges over the past year for shoplifting and being drunk and disorderly. There was also the matter of him putting up pro-Ulster Loyalist graffiti on the night of the Peter Beardsley testimonial match against Celtic. Another fine example of how he has “dropped out” for fear of getting into even more bother.
Biggs also failed to mention his appearance at the Countryside Alliance rally in Newcastle in October. Along with half a dozen other thugs, Biggs looked very ill at ease listening to the speakers as he stood at the back of the crowd. More than one of his pals were later asking why they were hanging around like fish out of water while BNP national organiser, Chris Telford, was having a quiet afternoon in his South Shields flat with his feet up. Not even stickering central Newcastle with West End Combat 18 propaganda could satisfy some of the more bemused members of the “Arthur’s Hill Hunt” (West End home to Biggs).
Chris Telford: in his role as national organiser for the BNP, South Shields based Chris Telford is trying very hard to impress the New BNP leader, Nick Griffin. In January, Griffin addressed a meeting of the BNP in Sunderland, organised by Telford, to which members were brought from all over the region to swell numbers. In addition, Telford was a candidate for the BNP in the June 1999 Euro elections, though standing in the South East. Telford is also allegedly the author, in the first edition of Identity, the new BNP magazine under Griffin’s control, of a turgid piece of writing appealing for any Nationalist (Nazi) artists to use their skills in the furtherance of the Nationalist cause. We are not holding our breath…
NE Nazis Support BNP Leadership Coup: Chris Telford’s support for Nick Griffin described above included Griffin’s bid for National BNP leadership. Griffin, Cambridge graduate and a convicted racist, "wrested the mantle" of leadership from buffoon John Tyndall and support for this change also involved other local Nazi activists.
NE BNP Revival?
June 1999 Euro Elections: four men from the South East represented the BNP in these elections here in the North East. Following their campaign, investigation has revealed discrepancies between the details on their candidature forms and their actual circumstances. In addition, one of the men, Alan Gould, has since been convicted for racially abusing a pub bouncer and another is being investigated for housing benefit fraud.
Sunderland: the BNP Euro campaign, despite organiser Telford’s boasts, was low key. Leaflets were distributed in Sunderland trying to stir up racial hatred over the development of a Bangladeshi community centre. More recently, leaflets have appeared in Fulwell aimed at causing hostility to refugees and asylum seekers. It appears that the fascists will exploit this issue as far as they can to gain publicity, make recruits and stir up racial hatred. All anti-racists and anti-fascists need to be aware of this and be prepared.
Darlington: in Darlington, there was an attempt to revive the BNP branch in the autumn of 1999. Convicted football hooligan Paul Thompson, who has been active as a fascist for the best part of a decade, was put forward as the dupe who would run the Post Office box.
Paul Thompson (right) and Trevor Agnew (centre march ahead of former BNP boss John Tyndall.
Thompson’s mum was none too pleased by the media scrutiny under which he was placed. Nominating Thompson for this task was particularly cruel given his state of mind when last in jail. Thompson would be well advised to follow Biggs advice about dropping out of the BNP before he gets into more bother.
Another Darlington fascist, Trevor Agnew, has also raised his head over the past year. In the May local elections he stood as a UK Independence Party candidate. When TWAFA pointed out his murky past he was duly kicked out of the party. Lately, he has been writing to the Northern Echo complaining about the presence of refugees. At one point, Trevor was a member of the Green Party in Darlington. His alter ego, Hugh Agnew, has also spent some time in a Manchester commune. No doubt Trevor’s political odyssey will continue until he is at ease with himself.
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The Future
Overall there has been an increase in Nazi activity over the past year. Particularly disturbing is the heightened profile of Warhammer although it is known that some of the band members do not want to court too much publicity. BNP activity has been sporadic. Telford is happier organising barbecues than getting down to systematic political work. The next period promises to be very interesting as far as fascist activity in the North East is concerned.