Man who threatened to murder worshippers and urinated on mosque jailed

August 14, 2023 Article

A racist who threatened to murder Muslim children and other worshippers and blow up a Tyneside mosque received a four-year prison sentence, the ChronicleLive newspaper reported.

The newspaper described how “race hate thug” Alexander Bolam, 33, came ‘nose-to-nose’ with a 5-year-old child outside the Heaton Mosque and threatened to murder them by making a throat-slitting gesture.

The prosecution outlined how Bolam shouted statements like “you f****** Muslims taking over my country” and “I’m going to cut your heads off, I’m going to behead you all, I’m going to blow you all up.”

We previously reported news of his court appearance last February after Bolam faced charges of racially aggravated criminal damage after Bolam had urinated on the mosque door, threats to kill, and racially aggravated common assault.

Bolam, who has 26 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to the above charges, as those impacted described how his threats and abuse left a “devastating impact” on Muslims locally.

The court also heard about his anti-Muslim comments online dating from 2013.

Following our investigation, we unearthed such online materials, which included calls to join the far-right street defence movement Britain First in 2014.

A collection of historic anti-Muslim and Islamophobic comments from Alexander Bolam which included his support for the far-right Britain First.

A year earlier, he wrote about Muslim communities “slowly taking over” and that “our population” will decrease “untill their is no white man left” and called for population control. Such anti-Muslim and Islamophobic conspiracies fall within the tropes of myths of the so-called “Islamification” of Europe, which academics and the BBC have debunked and analysed over the years. In our wide-ranging 170-page report, ‘A Decade of anti-Muslim Hate,’ our researchers draw special attention to how such anti-Muslim myths percolate and, tragically, inspire terrorism and violence.

A 2017 tweet from Bolam referenced “Islam destroying us” and further support of Britain First.

The judge called Bolam’s urination on the mosque door a “filthy act of desecration” and mentioned his actions’ lasting impacts.

Following news of his jailing, Northumbria PCC Kim McGuinness tweeted: “This was a disgusting, cowardly, terrifying attack that was in part directed at children. It had a profound impact on Muslims across our region. We will continue to send a very clear message- hate crime won’t be tolerated. This behaviour won’t be tolerated.”

Alexander Bolam will also face an extended licence period of three years after serving their sentence.

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Categories: hate crime, mosque, Newcastle, News

Germany’s Central Council of Jews dismayed by far-right election win

June 25, 2023 Article

The Central Council of Jews is deeply shocked by the electoral success of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a local election in Thuringia.

“To be clear: not every one of the AfD voters has extreme right-wing views,” said the president of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, according to the Jüdische Allgemeine newspaper.

“But the party whose candidates they voted for is, according to the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, extreme right-wing.”

Schuster said he was deeply concerned that so many people agreed with this. “This is a breach of the dam that the democratic political forces in this country cannot simply accept.”

The International Auschwitz Committee also responded with horror to the result.

Executive Vice President Christoph Heubner said, “Today is a sad day for the Sonneberg district, for Germany and for democracy. A majority of voters have obviously said goodbye to democracy and deliberately opted for an extreme right-wing party of destruction dominated by a Nazi.”

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Categories: AfD, Auschwitz, Central Council of Jews, Election, Germany, Sonnenberg District, Thuringia

Neo-Nazi jailed for extreme racist, anti-LGBT, and pro-terror group online posts

June 12, 2023 Article

A Midlands-based neo-Nazi who pleaded guilty to posting racist, homophobic content online and praised a banned neo-Nazi terror group received a prison sentence totalling almost four years.

Richard Osborne, 53, from the Marton Green area of Solihull, pleaded guilty to various offences last month.

He received a prison sentence of 3 years and ten months for posting racist and homophobic materials on the Russian social media platform VK at least 120 times.

Our investigation detailed the depths of the anti-Jewish racism – from Holocaust denial to racist caricatures from US-based white supremacists – those same caricatures included dehumanising, anti-Black racist tropes.

As detailed last month, Osborne posted disturbing material “calling for the violent removal of Muslim, Jewish, and Black communities from the UK and Europe, our investigation unearthed. Other disturbing posts linked Muslims to bestiality”.

In September 2021, he praised and shared propaganda from the banned neo-Nazi terror group National Action.

Officers from the West Midlands Police counter-terror unit recovered a baton fashioned from a metal bar in his car and a shotgun from under their bed, resulting in additional charges.

Detective Superintendent Anastasia Miller, from CTP West Midlands CTU, said: “By pleading guilty, Osborne admitted he held extreme far right views and through our investigation we were able to provide clear evidence he supported white supremacists as well as a proscribed far right group banned by the Government.

“Someone who holds extreme views against those that don’t look like him or hold the same views is not welcome in our society. Today’s sentence should be a clear message to those who intend to spread hate and terror, we will continue to work with partners and the CPS to protect our communities by pursuing and prosecuting such individuals.

“We work tirelessly to counter terrorism. Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the West Midlands area.”

 

 

 

 

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Categories: Antisemitism, Far Right groups, homophobia, National Action, News, terrorism, VK

Far-right terrorist guilty of plotting attack he hoped would start ‘race war’ in Britain

May 16, 2023 Article

A white supremacist who plotted a terror attack on a police station to instigate a “racial war” was today (May 16) found guilty.

Luke Skelton, 19, from the village of Kielder in Northumberland, conducted hostile reconnaissance work, posted racist, sexist and anti-LGBT+ hate messages online, and drafted a screed to further his violent, racist ideology after the attack.

Details of the two-week trial revealed that Skelton spent innumerable hours online posting far-right speech and propaganda for over a year before his arrest.

19-year-old Luke Skelton joins a growing list of men convicted of far-right terrorism offences in the UK who praised or took inspiration from the Christchurch terrorist, as Tell MAMA continues to document.

Skelton, who also praised other neo-Nazi terrorists like Anders Breivik, wrote of his desire to “accelerate the coming collapse and racial war”.

He glorified fascists like Oswald Mosley and Adolf Hitler, praised Enoch Powell, and sought to propagate civil unrest in France.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “The evidence clearly demonstrated that he was not just a person who held strong views but a terrorist who wanted to cause serious harm.”

Prosecutors outlined how Skelton took a keen interest in napalm in the hopes of developing his explosive device, as expert witness Lisa Dunn, from the Ministry of Defence detailed how Skelton had gathered enough information to create, in her words, a “viable explosive”.

The Independent revealed how Skelton disengaged from the Prevent programme in May 2021 following a college referral in November 2020.

In one of the screeds penned by Skelton, he envisioned that 93 per cent of the society would be “native British”, outlaw Islam, remove suffrage for women and ban equal marriage, the Independent further revealed.

Skelton also called for violence towards drag acts.

Jurors proved unconvinced by claims that his white supremacist views were mere ‘jokes’.

Following a joint investigation between Northumbria Police and counter-terror police charges against Skelton came in November 2021.

He was found guilty of a single offence under Section 5(1) of the Terrorism Act 2006 -engaging in conduct in preparation of a terrorist act.

Sentencing will occur on June 19.

 

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Categories: Christchurch, Enoch Powell, Far Right groups, far-right terrorism, Hitler, Neo-Nazi, Newcastle, News, Police

British neo-Nazi terrorist and paedophile jailed in Ireland over mosque plot

April 3, 2023 Article

A British neo-Nazi who absconded terrorism and child abuse charges by fleeing to Ireland received a ten-year sentence after Irish police (Gardai) foiled his Christchurch-influenced terror plot and possessing child abuse images.

A lengthy investigation by Irish counter-terror police brought 37-year-old Mark Wolf to justice after pinpointing his location to a hostel in Gardiner Street, Dublin. At that point, raiding his room, they discovered his imported firearm components, a guide on building 3D-printed weapons and four electronic devices containing sickening child abuse images, the Christchurch terror attack video and snuff videos.

Several Irish media outlets covered Wolf’s trial and subsequent conviction. The profoundly disturbing details of his plots and twisted collection of child abuse images and snuff materials he downloaded appear in greater detail in the Irish Examiner – which detailed how Wolf also sought to register a pro-paedophile web domain. Other sickening details appear in other Irish media, but we will not publish them further.

The Sunday World published pictures of Wolf and his military tactical gear, flick knives, goggles, a mask and a Sonnenrud (Black Sun) flag.

Wolf possessed much neo-Nazi paraphernalia, and his choice of hostel put him near a mosque.

Wolf’s efforts to build an arsenal of deadly weapons did not go unnoticed elsewhere – as the annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report for 2022 referenced Wolf’s arrest and trial in the section headed “paramilitary training and activities”.

Mark Wolf, also known as Mark Nolan and Mark Peppered, has a long history of violence in the UK (resulting in various criminal convictions) and had awaited extradition to the UK until new charges emerged in Ireland in December 2021.

The prolific online chats Gardai officers uncovered included Wolf’s violent desire to murder children.

Weapon components Wolf had imported into his Dublin hostel included silencers, triggers and trigger bars for semi-automatic pistols, a complete set of pins and ten magazine springs.

Wolf would plead guilty at Dublin’s Circuit Criminal Court to four charges concerning possessing components of a firearm, possessing an electronic document related to assembling a firearm, three charges of importing firearm components into Ireland and finally, three charges of possessing child abuse images in June 2021.

Judge Nolan called Wolf’s views “obnoxious”, recognising that he “demonstrated this man had an interest in violent means and had hostility towards certain groups,” and imposed a ten-year prison sentence and acknowledged how the guilty plea was an “important” factor in the length of the sentence.

Wolf’s conviction might also be the first related to far-right terrorism in the Irish courts, according to the Irish Times.

Tell MAMA continues to document those convicted of far-right terror offences and how they take influence from the white supremacist, anti-Muslim terrorism in Christchurch.

 

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Categories: Christchurch, Far Right groups, Ireland, Neo-Nazi, News

Far-right politician will be denied entry to UK, says security minister

March 20, 2023 Article

A far-right politician planning to burn a copy of the Koran during a visit to Wakefield will “not be allowed access” into the UK, the security minister has said.

Tom Tugendhat said Danish-Swedish Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Stram Kurs party founded in 2017, has been added to the “warnings index” and will be barred from entering the country.

Mr Paludan has held several protests in which the Koran was burned, some of which have led to violent counter-protests.

In a Twitter video on Sunday, he said that he plans to burn a copy of the Islamic sacred book in a public square in the English city of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, this week to coincide with Ramadan.

Speaking in the Commons during Home Office questions, Labour MP Simon Lightwood (Wakefield) raised concerns over the potential visit and protest.

He said: “Far-right Islamophic Danish politician Rasmus Paludan said he is going to travel from Denmark to Wakefield for the sole purpose of burning a Koran in a public place.

“Mr Paludan was previously jailed in Denmark for his hateful and racist statements. He is a dangerous man that should not be allowed into this country. Can the Home Secretary assure me and my community that the Government is taking action to prevent this?”

Mr Tugendhat replied: “May I inform the House that Mr Paludan has been added to the warnings index and therefore his travel to the United Kingdom would not be conducive with the public good and he will not be allowed access.”

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Categories: Koran, Rasmus Paludin, Stram Kurs, Tom Tugendhat

Neo-Nazi Luca Benincasa jailed for terrorism offences and child abuse images

January 26, 2023 Article

A neo-Nazi from Cardiff who admitted various terrorism offences and the possession of violent child abuse images received a nine-year and three-month prison sentence.

Cardiff-based Luca Benincasa, 20, acted as a self-styled recruiter for the proscribed Neo-Nazi group Feuerkrieg Division and possessed materials related to bomb-making.

The BBC reported that Benincasa, who identified as an “incel”, had previously admitted to multiple counts of possessing violent child abuse images where the victims were just four to seven years old.

Other high-profile convictions for far-right terrorist offences included 19-year-old Daniel Harris and Thomas Leech, also 19, both had pleaded guilty to the possession or, with the latter, creating violent child abuse materials.

The court heard how Feuerkrieg Division grew from the proscription of other banned neo-Nazi groups like National Action.

Internet searches from Benincasa included child sacrifice, rape, and a pro-paedophilia t-shirt.

Counter-terror police raids uncovered a tactical vest, camouflage clothing, an SS dagger and flag, a Nazi Party armband, and masks at Benincasa’s home in Whitchurch in January 2022.

Benincasa owned a flag of the SS-Heimwehr in the then-free city of Danzig (now Gdańsk), which the Nazis illegally annexed following the invasion of Poland in 1939. Today, the Polish Post Office in the Free City of Danzig museum in Gdańsk honours the bravery of the Polish Post staff who resisted the Nazis on September 1, 1939.

Flag of the Nazi SS-Heimwehr (L) and the battle flag of the fascist Salò Republic (R), credit: Counter Terrorism Policing.

The third and final flag in Benincasa’s possession concerned the war flag of the fascist Italian Social Republic, broadly known as the Salò Republic – a Nazi puppet regime established in 1943 by Benito Mussolini, which controlled northern and central parts of the country until 1945.

Luca Benincasa entered guilty pleas via videolink at Winchester Crown Court last July to five offences – membership of a proscribed organisation and possession of four documents of a kind likely to be useful to a terrorist.

Detective Superintendent Mark Pope of Counter Terrorism Policing Wales, who led the investigation, said: “The dangerous nature of the material in Benincasa’s possession cannot be underestimated. This is why it is of such importance to hold to account those who seek to join proscribed organisations and gather material which may be useful to a terrorist.

“This intelligence-led investigation has resulted in the conviction of a dangerous individual and highlights the commitment by counter terrorism policing to tackle all forms of extremist ideology.”

Judge Jane Miller KC reflected in their sentencing remarks that Benincasa presents a “serious risk” to the public and will serve his sentence in a young offenders institute.

The detailed BBC reporting added that he sought to recruit teenage boys across the UK and, in one example, Germany, as sought to stay connected with those in the United States.

Det Supt Gareth Rees, who leads on far-right terrorism at Counter Terrorism Policing, told the BBC: “We need to understand how we can stop young people making decisions and being drawn into an area that is both very sad and very damaging and, ultimately at the top level, very threatening.”

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Categories: Far Right groups, Feuerkrieg Division, National Action, Neo-Nazi, News, terrorism

Neo-Nazi Luca Benincasa jailed for terrorism offences and child abuse images

January 26, 2023 Article

A neo-Nazi from Cardiff who admitted various terrorism offences and the possession of violent child abuse images received a nine-year and three-month prison sentence.

Cardiff-based Luca Benincasa, 20, acted as a self-styled recruiter for the proscribed Neo-Nazi group Feuerkrieg Division and possessed materials related to bomb-making.

The BBC reported that Benincasa, who identified as an “incel”, had previously admitted to multiple counts of possessing violent child abuse images where the victims were just four to seven years old.

Other high-profile convictions for far-right terrorist offences included 19-year-old Daniel Harris and Thomas Leech, also 19, both had pleaded guilty to the possession or, with the latter, creating violent child abuse materials.

The court heard how Feuerkrieg Division grew from the proscription of other banned neo-Nazi groups like National Action.

Internet searches from Benincasa included child sacrifice, rape, and a pro-paedophilia t-shirt.

Counter-terror police raids uncovered a tactical vest, camouflage clothing, an SS dagger and flag, a Nazi Party armband, and masks at Benincasa’s home in Whitchurch in January 2022.

Benincasa owned a flag of the SS-Heimwehr in the then-free city of Danzig (now Gdańsk), which the Nazis illegally annexed following the invasion of Poland in 1939. Today, the Polish Post Office in the Free City of Danzig museum in Gdańsk honours the bravery of the Polish Post staff who resisted the Nazis on September 1, 1939.

Flag of the Nazi SS-Heimwehr (L) and the battle flag of the fascist Salò Republic (R), credit: Counter Terrorism Policing.

The third and final flag in Benincasa’s possession concerned the war flag of the fascist Italian Social Republic, broadly known as the Salò Republic – a Nazi puppet regime established in 1943 by Benito Mussolini, which controlled northern and central parts of the country until 1945.

Luca Benincasa entered guilty pleas via videolink at Winchester Crown Court last July to five offences – membership of a proscribed organisation and possession of four documents of a kind likely to be useful to a terrorist.

Detective Superintendent Mark Pope of Counter Terrorism Policing Wales, who led the investigation, said: “The dangerous nature of the material in Benincasa’s possession cannot be underestimated. This is why it is of such importance to hold to account those who seek to join proscribed organisations and gather material which may be useful to a terrorist.

“This intelligence-led investigation has resulted in the conviction of a dangerous individual and highlights the commitment by counter terrorism policing to tackle all forms of extremist ideology.”

Judge Jane Miller KC reflected in their sentencing remarks that Benincasa presents a “serious risk” to the public and will serve his sentence in a young offenders institute.

The detailed BBC reporting added that he sought to recruit teenage boys across the UK and, in one example, Germany, as sought to stay connected with those in the United States.

Det Supt Gareth Rees, who leads on far-right terrorism at Counter Terrorism Policing, told the BBC: “We need to understand how we can stop young people making decisions and being drawn into an area that is both very sad and very damaging and, ultimately at the top level, very threatening.”

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Categories: Far Right groups, Feuerkrieg Division, National Action, Neo-Nazi, News, terrorism

Far-right terror: neo-Nazi jailed for encouraging others to make explosives

January 17, 2023 Article

A neo-Nazi from Bath received a prison sentence of three years and three months after being found guilty of various terrorism offences.

25-year-old Elliot Brown was found guilty of two terrorism offences at Bristol Crown Court on January 16 (Monday), including for sharing an instructional video of how to create the explosive substance thermite via their Amazon device to a far-right Telegram channel.

A university dropout with no prior convictions, Brown had recorded a short video in March 2020 of his Amazon Alexa speaker responding to his question about making thermite, the BBC reported.

The Telegram channel contained racist and homophobic content targeting various minoritised groups. Police also found white supremacist imagery on the phone of Elliot Brown and video footage of different neo-Nazi terror attacks.

The BBC reported that the convicted neo-Nazi terrorist Dean Morrice, a fellow group member, had purchased enough ingredients three days later to build such an explosive – having retained a copy of the video Brown uploaded to the group.

Morrice received an 18-year prison sentence in the summer of 2021 for various terrorism offences that included the stockpiling of explosives.

Like Morrice, Elliot Brown possessed footage of the white supremacist terror in Christchurch, New Zealand, that resulted in the murder of 51 Muslims.

Last summer, our investigation detailed how Dean Morrice was one of at least sixteen men convicted of far-right terrorism offences across the UK, who took inspiration from, glorified those responsible, or possessed that infamous Christchurch terror attack video.

Elliot Brown will now appear on that list as it emerged following the verdict that a video on his mobile phone included a 48-second clip that turned that act of terror into a video game.

Counter-terror police unearthed additional disturbing materials on their phone, including an antisemitic clip of Smith barbequing that featured a song with the lyrics, “All I wanted to do is grill, but these Jews, they leave me no choice but to kill.” And the livestream of the terror attack in Halle, Germany.

Detective Superintendent Craig McWhinnie, who leads Counter Terrorism Policing South West, said: “Elliot Brown was not just seeking to explore an interest in extremist related materials. The video he produced and thought appropriate to share with people harbouring similar abhorrent views will understandably shock people.

“While there is no evidence that Brown planned to commit any terrorist attack, his actions went beyond just casual talk and are a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act.”

For Superintendent Steve Kendall of Avon and Somerset Police, “People like Elliot Brown, who hold extremist views, can live absolutely anywhere and although these instances are rare, they remind us we all need to be vigilant.

“Our number one priority is always public safety and that’s why we work so closely with our counter terrorism partners and other agencies. We will always work tirelessly to root out offenders such as Brown.”

 

 

 

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Categories: Christchurch, Dean Morrice, Far Right groups, News, Telegram, terrorism

Twitter banned racist account who praised the Dover terrorist Andrew Leak

November 16, 2022 Article

Twitter suspended a racist account holder who praised the Dover terrorist Andrew Leak after Tell MAMA flagged the materials with them.

Our investigation began after a member of the public got in touch, flagging tweets from the account made on November 8, one of which called for Leak to receive a state funeral and a Victoria Cross medal.

A screenshot we captured before Twitter suspended the account holder following our complaint.

A further investigation revealed racist comments about deputy prime minister Dominic Raab being a “Jewish puppet of the WEF and UN”.

The racist currency of @BryanMc82451905 would see them trade in racialised, dehumanising comments about Muslims and refugees. Examples included myths of demographic change and so-called “Islamification” whilst linking both groups to criminality.

Examples of anti-Black racism appeared in archives, with some targeting the late Stephen Lawrence, murdered by racists in 1993. That inflammatory, hateful tweet read, “Blacks want to tear down Lord Nelson from his Column. No doubt they will replace him with St Stephen”.

Our investigation coincided with a report in The Independent that far-right individuals or groups are calling for attacks on refugee centres and hotels. On Telegram, the article described those who described the terrorist Leak as a “hero” and a “legend” who “shows that one of us [white people] has got a spine”.

In recent years, our research has detailed how a subsection of social media accounts reported to us praised or encouraged similar attacks following the far-right terror attacks in Finsbury Park and Christchurch, New Zealand. Examples of the latter resulted in criminal convictions for terrorism offences, as the murder of 51 Muslims continues to influence those convicted of far-right terror offences in the UK.

YouTube, however, did not remove comments that denied the terrorism or comments claiming it was a “false flag”.

Several high-profile far-right Telegram pages pushed similar “false flag” conspiracies, including the street defence movement Britain First, which wrote, “How on earth did the media manage to get such a perfectly timed photo of the attack on the Dover migrant processing centre?” on the evening of October 30.

As our briefing paper on Andrew Leak revealed, he was in the thrall of various conspiracy theories, notably around Covid.

Tell MAMA remains a trusted flagger across all major social media platforms and encourages the public to flag such material with us so we can escalate with the platforms or the police. Despite our reservations about Twitter’s direction, we will continue advocating for communities.

Following our investigation, we flagged the @BryanMc82451905 account with the police to investigate further.

Get advice from our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Alternatively, please leave us a WhatsApp message at 0734 184 6086.

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Categories: Andrew Leak, Dover, Far Right groups, News, refugees, terrorism