Crime and offence

Kieron Trent and Matt Tait, part of the BNP mob
that brought violence to the streets of Barking and Dagenham

The wheels of justice often grind very slowly. A few days before polling day, David Clarke, a thuggish BNP activist, failed election fraudster and would-be Croydon councillor, was convicted on four counts of assault on anti-fascist leafleters in May last year. He had repeatedly pushed and grabbed at two campaigners and then returned two days later to swear at two others, push them and grab their leaflets.

Released on bail awaiting sentencing, he made the local press again when a female companion allegedly performed a sex act on him in full view in The George pub in Croydon, a regular BNP watering hole.

An eyewitness also connected him to a threat by a gang of local BNP activists earlier this year to cut the throat of an anti-fascist campaigner.

Election fraud is a habitual weapon in the BNP armoury. The Sunday Telegraph revealed that a number of BNP candidates for Barking and Dagenham council had placed themselves on the Electoral Register at “front” addresses in the borough when they were really living elsewhere. They included Jeffrey Marshall, the BNP’s central London organiser, Eddy Butler, a key organiser of the party’s local campaign, and Chris Roberts, a paid aide to the BNP’s London Assembly member. All three also stood in the general election, Marshall in Bethnal Green and Bow, Butler in Harlow and Roberts in Basildon South and Thurrock East.

HOPE not hate has produced many leaflets quoting the vile remarks by Marshall, who welcomed the death of David Cameron’s disabled son. That did not stop Tony Gladwin, the BNP’s parliamentary candidate in Southend West and a council candidate in Basildon. Gladwin, a regular on the East of England BNP security team, posted offensive jokes on his Facebook page ridiculing victims of the thalidomide tragedy, who suffered severe birth defects as a result of the drug.

The election campaign brought reports from several parts of the country of BNP thugs trying to run off HOPE not hate activists. Mostly they failed either because of a police presence or because trade unionists and others on the HOPE not hate teams refused to be intimidated.

The most serious incident took place in Barking the day before the election. Nick Griffin, the BNP leader and Barking parliamentary candidate, protected by car loads of Essex “BNP Security” and other thugs from further afield, clashed with local people in front of a BBC film crew. Young black and white kids shouted down the would-be MP and some Asian lads were more explicit in their threats but limited their action to lobbing a few tomatoes in his direction.

The BNP heavies responded by bundling Griffin out of the line of fruity fire and then piling into two cars to hunt the Asian youths.

BBC video footage shows the well known foulmouthed drunk and failed BNP councillor Robert Bailey leading the confrontation. They tracked down the three Asian youngsters, called them over and shouted abuse. The smallest youth faced down Bailey at which point it is clear that Bailey’s touched him twice with his hands and the youth backed away. After more shouting and Bailey telling them to get on their fucking way, the smallest youth spat at Bailey.

At this Bailey went berserk, threw him to the ground and aimed a series of kicks at him. Bailey is a former Royal Marine commando, but has clearly lost his fighting skills, probably as a result of his predilection for strong drink. He fell backwards to the ground after tripping over his victim and the kerb and his BNP colleagues rushed into battle as the two other Asian youths tried to protect their friend.


(above) BNP former councillor Robert Bailey confronts Asian youths just before viciously assaulting one of the men. (below) Questioned by Searchlight editor Nick Lowles, Nick Griffin defends Bailey’s conduct


Among the BNP group were Matt Tait, the BNP’s rich brat parliamentary candidate in Milton Keynes South, and Kieron Trent, the BNP’s only candidate for Milton Keynes council and a keen kick boxer. Both had been imported for the rough stuff and Trent is clearly visible landing blows and kicks to someone on the ground joined by a fourth BNP heavy.

As Searchlight went to press two Asian youths have been charged with assault and affray and Bailey only with assault. All have been released on police bail. It is unclear why only the Asian youths attracted the more serious charge.

There were at least two independent witnesses on the BBC film, who could help identify Trent and Tait, whose photographs we reproduce here. We will be happy to pass on their addresses if the police ask us.

At the local election count, Searchlight’s editor Nick Lowles asked Griffin whether he was happy with Bailey kicking the lad in the head. Griffin, surrounded by some of his thugs including one of those who seriously assaulted a reporter from The Times in February, tried to evade the issue, saying the young man had threatened to kill him earlier in the day. Put on the spot and in front of the media, Griffin eventually admitted that in his view kicking a man in the head while on the ground was acceptable self-defence.

In south London Cormac Hollingsworth, a HOPE not hate activist and Labour Party council candidate was leafleting when he was assaulted by a man screaming “f***ing Labour bastard”. As the thug, well known from National Front marches, rained blows on Cormac and kicked him while on the ground, Cormac captured a photo of his attacker on his mobile phone, enabling us to find a better photo of the same man. The matter is in the hands of the police.

Like rats with their backs to the wall, BNP activists, in-between fighting each other, are likely to seek more revenge for their abject failure at the ballot box.

Searchlight