Britain’s new MEP had mixed feelings about bombing synagogues
Matthew Yglesias links to this Guardian profile of Britain’s newest MEP, Andrew Brons of the British National Party: The group he first joined included among its members people responsible for arson attacks on Jewish property and synagogues. According to the anti-fascist organisation Searchlight, which has been tracking his career for decades, Brons appears to have ...
Matthew Yglesias links to this Guardian profile of Britain's newest MEP, Andrew Brons of the British National Party:
Matthew Yglesias links to this Guardian profile of Britain’s newest MEP, Andrew Brons of the British National Party:
The group he first joined included among its members people responsible for arson attacks on Jewish property and synagogues. According to the anti-fascist organisation Searchlight, which has been tracking his career for decades, Brons appears to have approved. In a letter to Jordan’s wife, Brons reported meeting an NSM member who "mentioned such activities as bombing synagogues", to which Brons responded that "on this subject I have a dual view, in that I realise that he is well intentioned, I feel that our public image may suffer considerable damage as a result of these activities. I am however open to correction on this point."
By the 1970s, Brons had moved on the National Front, then the leading far-right group in Britain. He was voted on to the NF’s national directorate in 1974 and, as the NF’s education officer, he hosted seminars on racial nationalism and tried to give its racism a more "scientific" basis.
After the late John Tyndall left the NF in 1980, Brons was promoted to the post of chairman. Among his allies was Richard Verrall, the author of Did Six Million Really Die?, with whom he edited the NF journal, New Nation. In August 1981 he led a rally in Fulham, west London in support of "rights for whites" and concluded his speech with a call for compulsory repatriation, chanting: "If they’re black, send them back." According to Searchlight, in 1982 Brons led an NF march through Northfield on which marchers chanted "We’ve got to get rid of the blacks".
Pretty vile stuff. Now that far-right parties like the BNP have turned most of their ammunition onto the "Islamization" of Europe, it’s ironic that their standard bearers once supported activities not far from the worst that Islamic extremism has to offer.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
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