Anon, 21.11.2003 13:19

Targets of right wing extremists Nov 19 2003
by Thomas Martin, Liverpool Echo

A Merseyside trade union leader is under police protection today (Wednesday, November 19) after being targeted by right wing extremists.


CCTV cameras have been installed by police at the home of Alec McFadden, president of the Merseyside TUC.

Another union leader, Nigel Flanagan, chairman of the north west region for Unison, and children's author and primary school teacher Alan Gibbons, have also been targeted in a website campaign by a fascist organisation.

Photos of all three have been posted onto the fascist website which also publishes the addresses of Mr McFadden and Mr Flanagan and has described them as "freaks" and "scumbags".

All three men have reported what has happened to Merseyside police who are now investigating.

The website has direct links to the extreme right wing groups Combat 18, Aryan Unity and Order of White Knights.

It purports to raise awareness within the community of marxists who threaten society by revealing personal details such as home addresses, photographs, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.

The website says: "When the time comes to revolt, we must be prepared to unleash the furies of hell."

The site, which the ECHO has chosen not to name, is registered to a Simon Shepherd, a former BNP organiser from Hull who was arrested and imprisoned in 1999 for producing antisemitic material.

Mr McFadden, a single father-of-two, recently set up the Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Fascism.

He said: "I know what these people are capable of because in 1988 my car was blown up and I received death threats - no one was ever caught for that.

"Since then I have been very careful to never release my address or phone number so these people must have followed me home to get these details.

"I have contacted my children's school and asked them to be vigilant - if someone threatens me I will make sure my children are safe."

Mr McFadden has also received a disturbing email from Merseyside BNP candidate Joey Owens featuring photos of his home and his car.

The e-mail purports to raise concerns over how he could afford such items, or lead such a lifestyle as a committed socialist.

Today Mr Owens admitted sending the e-mail but claimed it was not threatening in any way.

He said: "Mr McFadden has been doing this towards BNP members for years. The boot is on the other for now and they do not like it.

"The reason I did this was because Mr McFadden is the one who is doing this campaign to stop the BNP in the democratic campaign for the elections next year." Mr McFadden said he would not be put off by either the e-mail or the website.

He told the ECHO: "I want to re-emphasise that the BNP are not a legitimate political party.

"Political parties go about activites in a normal way by making statements and speeches - they don't go to people's houses and take photos."

Mr Flanagan, a father-of-three, said he refuses to be intimidated by the website which he describes as the "vicious face of the extreme right".

He believes he has been targeted because of the trips he organises for children to visit former concentration camps including Auschwitz to meet Holocaust survivors as well as his anti-fascism union activities.

Alan Gibbons is a Blue Peter award winning author whose recent novel Caught in the Crossfire dealt with race relations in a fictional northern town stirred up by the Patriotic League.

The father-of-four said: "This is just because I write anti-racist stories and I don't like prejudice and bigotry, and I try to write very honestly."

Mr Gibbons says he has been threatened in the past by individuals, not an organisation.

He admitted: "I find it intimidating and I have a young family, but I don't think anybody should bow to pressure - I don't believe in violence and I think it's horrifying that someone could do this."

Police are investigating the three complaints although they stress there is no evidence of a specific threat on the website.

A spokeswoman said: "We would investigate any form of threat against anyone.

"While there is irresponsible language (on the site) on the surface it does not appear that any threats have been made."

Website of hate

THE website targeting Merseyside trade union leaders has links with Nazi and right-wing extremist groups.

The site was launched in 2001 and has more than 1,000 photographs of anti-racists across the country.

The hate-site purports to be anti-marxist but has a direct links to fascist groups Order of the White Knights, the White Nationalist Party, Blood and Honour, Aryan Unity, Combat 18, Aryan Baby Drive and the National Front.

The Order of the White Knights invites people to make a pledge to white ancestral dominance, while the Combat 18 website has extracts from Hitler's book Mein Kampf.

Anti-fascist organisation Searchlight believe the site was set up by members of the White Nationalist Party - the political wing of violent Nazi group Combat 18.

The name of the site comes from a newsheet distributed by Combat 18 in the early 1990s.

To prevent police action the site is hosted on three separate sites all based abroad.

The domains on all three sites are registered to a former BNP organiser who was jailed in 1999 for producing anti-Semitic material.

DCI Kevin Sharpe, from Merseyside police's intelligence & security bureau, said: "It is often very difficult to find out who is responsible for a website, and gathering the evidence to prosecute a particular person about the content or nature of a site is a difficulty that all police forces face across the world.

"Certainly, it is unacceptable for anyone to feel personally threatened on Merseyside and I would urge anyone who is concerned about their own safety after viewing a website to contact the police directly, and let us help deal with the problem."

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The website of hate referred to in the above article is www.redwatch.org.uk
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