Britain First

[Danny Jarman]

Britain First is a British far-right[SUP][3][/SUP] political party and pressure group, registered in November 2011 as a political party, although it is also associated with an unregistered [B]National People's Party and the Northern Ireland-based Protestant Coalition. It campaigns primarily on what it perceives as the Islamification of the United Kingdom.

[/B]Britain First was launched in May 2011 with as its chairman Paul Golding, who had been a councillor in Sevenoaks in 2009-11 representing the right-wing British National Party (BNP).[4] Golding had also been the BNP's Communications Officer,[5] and editor of the BNP's main magazine.


The group was created by Jim Dowson, a former fundraiser for the BNP. Dowson's links with the BNP had ended acrimoniously in October 2010 and he then campaigned against its leader, Nick Griffin, through the "British Resistance" website.[6][7] Dowson, a Scottish Christian fundamentalist, based in Ballygowan, Northern Ireland, also led an anti-abortion campaign, the UK Life League.


Others involved in Britain First's launch included the former South East regional organiser of the BNP, Andy McBride, and Kevin Edwards, a former BNP councillor and organiser in Wales.

National People's Party[edit]
In November 2011 Britain First announced the registration of a political party, the "National People's Party", with Golding named as leader, Edwards as nominating officer and McBride as treasurer.[8][9] However the Electoral Commission register shows Britain First listed itself from November 2011 as a political party, with the same roles for the three officers, and no current or past listing for a National People's Party,[10] so it is not clear whether the National People's Party has a separate existence. The Britain First website carries a constitution for the Party stating inter alia that "The campaign group Britain First will... be entitled to put forward a representative to sit on the Standing Committee", a six-person group "tasked with the direction of the Party and running all its affairs".[11]


Northern Ireland offshoot[edit]
The principal figures in Britain First, Dowson and Golding, launched a new political party in Northern Ireland in April 2013.[12] Dowson was registered with the Electoral Commission as the Protestant Coalition's leader, and Golding as its treasurer.[10] However Dowson stated at the launch that the Coalition had no one leader.[12]


Golding had flown into Belfast in December 2012 to help co-ordinate protests over the decision by Belfast City Council to limit the flying of the Union flag over Belfast City Hall.[13] Dowson had been prominent in the protests, and at the time of the launch, was awaiting trial for public order offences, as was another of the Coalition's founders, Willie Frazer.[12]


The website and logo of the Protestant Coalition closely resembled those of Britain First, although neither site explicitly mentioned an organisational link.[14]


Christian Patrol incident in East London[edit]
In February 2014, Britain First conducted what it called the "Christian Patrol"[15] in a heavily Muslim area in Tower Hamlets, East London, to counter continuing Muslim Patrols which had first came to media attention in 2013.[16][17] Around a dozen or so Britain First activists recorded themselves holding a banner proclaiming "We Are The British Resistance" and emptying cans of beer outside a mosque to "bait" Islamic extremists operating in the area. A video uploaded onto social media showing the event gained national media attention in the UK.[18]


Use of Lee Rigby[edit]
In 2014, the party registered the phrase "Remember Lee Rigby" for use in the 2014 European elections. The chair of the Electoral Commission later issued an apology "for the offence that has been caused" by accepting the registration.[19]

Policies

Britain First seeks to protect "British and Christian morality", and campaigns against Islam, immigration and abortion.[6] Its objective is "to save this country and our people from the EU, politically correct, multicultural insanity that is now engulfing us".[20]

[Magda Hassan]

Is this the same group that invaded a mosque yesterday in Birmingham ?

[Danny Jarman]

So what the hell is going on here?

I came across their facebook and twitter page today. At first, I genuinely thought it was satire but then realised they are completely serious and are running in the forthcoming European elections.

They have cute little uniforms and seem well funded - my suspicions arose almost instantly.

Today they broke into and vandalised 10 Mosques in the north and harassed peaceful worshippers.

I sense a storm coming in the UK and the escalation of this nonsense.

MI5's Anjem Choudry et al vs MI5's Britain First?

EDIT: Magda: Yes, and they are recruiting people across the country to do "street patrols" ::face.palm::::

[Magda Hassan]

I saw something about this on George Galloway's twitter feed seconds after it was reported to him. Apparently 11 mosques were invaded by uniform wearing fascists and bibles were thrown around and they abused the people there.

Bradford West MP George Galloway will be touring Bradford mosques tomorrow (Monday) which were violated by right-wing extremists on Saturday.
His aides will earlier be meeting the local police commander for a report on the incursions and talking about plans to combat them in the future.
"This was a calculated act of desecration by knuckle-dragging thugs who claim to be Christians, but who defile the very nature of Christianity," the MP said. "If the same thing had happened in reverse, if Muslims had crashed into churches, terrifying those that were there and forcing them to take copies of the Quaran and accusing them of being paedophiles there would be international outrage led, not doubt, by the Daily Mail. This is an outrageous and racist desecration of holy places. And it is an action which can only exacerbate racial tensions, which is no doubt the intention. I am urging the Muslim community, in Bradford and elsewhere, not to react to this provocation. But if this is not a race hate crime then the law is, indubitably, an ass."
Galloway added that after a report-back from the meeting tomorrow with the police commander he would be making a further statement.
Ends
Further information: Ron McKay on 07980 675998mo

Doesn't look like much in the UK media about this at all.

[Magda Hassan]

They have cute little uniforms and seem well funded - my suspicions arose almost instantly.

Always suspicious of people who like to dress up and play soldiers. Who funds this theater?

I sense a storm coming in the UK and the escalation of this nonsense.

MI5's Anjem Choudry et al vs MI5's Britain First?

Indeed. They always like a few teams in play in case harmony should break out and their services no longer required.

[David Guyatt]

Being a cynic on these things, and since timing is everything in politics, I can't help wonder if increased activity from the far right is a way of blackening UKIP, which is gaining popular support on the immigration issue and which might threaten the Conservative's at the next election.

PS, timing is everything OTHER than pocket filling activities obviously. ::hush::

[Danny Jarman]

They speak out against the "creeping Sharia law" in the UK yet on their facebook page call for public hanging for pedophiles.

I guess the irony is lost on them ::

[Magda Hassan]

Lots of things are lost on them. ::flyingpig::

[Magda Hassan]

Britain First founder quits over mosque invasions which attract ''racists and extremists''

• Jul 27, 2014 22:50
  
• By Nick Sommerlad
  

Former church minister and British National Party member Jim Dowson told the Mirror the raids are "provocative and counterproductive"

Masked guard: Britain First members at meeting The founder of ultra-right Britain First has quit the group over its "unchristian" paramilitary-style "mosque invasions".
Former church minister and British National Party member Jim Dowson told the Mirror the raids are "provocative and counterproductive".
He added that they were attracting "racists and extremists" to the organisation, which has taken over from the British National Party and the English Defence League as the biggest far-right threat in the UK.
Mr Dowson, 49, from Belfast, left the BNP in 2010 to form a "Christian" group opposing the rise of radical Islam.
Formed from other former BNP and EDL members, Britain First made headlines this year by invading mosques in England and Scotland and threatening imams.
Men in the group's paramilitary-style uniforms this month pushed their way into a mosque in Crayford, Kent, to complain about separate entrances for men and women.
Mr Dowson said he had pulled the plug on the group's funding, closed their office in Belfast and severed all links.
He described the mosque invasions as "unacceptable and unchristian", adding: "Most of the Muslims in this country are fine.
"They are worried about extremists the same as us. So going into their mosques and stirring them up and provoking them is political madness and a bit rude."
He criticised another Britain First leader, Paul Golding, who runs the self-styled "defence force" behind the Britain First invasions.
These actions see uniformed men descend on mosques to hand leaflets and Bibles to Muslim worshippers.
During one, in Yorkshire, Britain First members were filmed wearing flat caps and jackets bearing the motto "Taking our country back".
Footage showed one Muslim being told to "reject the false prophet Muhammad and read the Bible".

Intimidating: Paul Golding, centre, and supporters at Crayford mosque Mr Dowson said: "No matter how many times I told him [Golding] I did not want decent Muslims intimidated, he just continued doing it.
"I have come to the conclusion that no matter how hard I tried, you cannot escape from the fact that the group is being overrun with racists and extremists.
"I think he is fooling himself and lots of people that Britain First is a Christian group. Sadly, it has just become a violent front for people abusing the Bible.
"I think they're becoming as much a problem as [Muslim activist] Anjem Choudary who they claim to oppose. They are just as bad as each other."
Matthew Collins, of anti-fascist campaign group Hope Not Hate, welcomed news of Mr Dowson's resignation, describing him as a "key player" in the British far-right.
But he added: "Dowson may have been reined in by other Christians, but we need to make sure Britain First is finished before we move onto the next problem Dowson could create."

Provocative: Motto could incite violence Mr Golding last night denied Britain First is racist.
He said: "Some people who invade these mosques with us are mixed race themselves. Britain First is, as far as right-wing organisations go, relatively scandal-free."
He disagreed with Mr Dowson over mosque invasions and said they were a short-term campaign.
Strictly Come Dancing star Craig Revel Horwood was recently duped into posing for a snap used as propaganda on Britain First's Facebook page.
Craig tweeted: "To let all my followers know that I in no way support Britain First! Photo taken during photos and autographs for fans."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bri...er-3923810