White supremacists jailed over 'vicious' online messages

Two white supremacists were jailed today after being convicted of posting violent and vicious racist messages on the internet.

Michael Heaton, 42, and Trevor Hannington, 58, described Jews as "scum" and called for them to be "destroyed". The "proud neo-Nazis" were unanimously cleared of soliciting murder at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday but Heaton was jailed today for 30 months after being convicted of four counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting words likely to stir up racial hatred.

Hannington previously admitted two counts of stirring up racial hatred, two further counts of possessing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and disseminating a terrorist publication. He was jailed for two years.

Sentencing, Mr Justice Irwin told Heaton, of Leigh, in Wigan, Greater Manchester, his internet posts were "vicious and repulsive". He added: "You saw yourself as the leader of a potentially significant and active National Socialist group. Your sustained racist rants were intended to bolster that group. You wanted to start a race war. You are clearly filled with racial hatred and also with violent and angry beliefs."

The judge told Heaton his words were of the most "insulting and extreme nature" marked by "violent racism" and said only a significant jail term was acceptable.

Hannington, from Hirwaun, Cardiff, was described as a loner by the judge, who told him: "You are a long standing racist who has never hidden your views, which are violent and vicious in the extreme. You are a lonely man with little in your life. You habitually told lies about a non-existent army career and your knowledge of survival techniques in an attempt to gain status. You are, to some degree, pitiable in this, however repugnant what you said."

Heaton, a packer for a food company, was jailed for 30 months for each of his four offences, to run concurrently. He nodded to the judge and said he understood as he was taken to the cells. He admitted in police interviews he was a founder member of the Aryan Strike Force (ASF), whose goal was "the eradication of ethnic minorities from Britain", the prosecution said.

In one posting on the ASF website, he said of Jews: "They will always be scum, destroy 'em with whatever it takes."

He also wrote: "I would encourage any religion or race that wants to destroy the Jews, I hate them with a passion."

And in another posting he said Jews were leeches and "treacherous fucking scum" and that black people were "less intelligent than other species".

Heaton made more than 3,000 posts on the ASF site between January and June 2008, before he had a "bust-up" with the organisation and created his own, the British Freedom Fighters (BFF). The website changed its name to Legion 88 and then Wolfpack, before it was closed down.

The trial jury, nine of whom returned to court for today's sentencing, were told the number eight refers to the eighth letter in the alphabet, H. So 88 stands for HH, as in Heil Hitler, a common greeting for neo-Nazis. Both men had a number of user names when they posted their comments on the website. Heaton called himself Wigan Mike, and then later Lenny.

David Fish, mitigating for Heaton, said the defendant had been banned from accessing the internet while on bail and was no longer involved in the BFF. He said: "(Heaton) has, in effect, shed the habit and lost interest in putting up these posts."

Hannington admitted he was an administrator for the ASF, Legion 88 and Wolfpack websites and gave himself the user names Fist, Lee 88 and Paul. He pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred with internet posts stating his beliefs that Jews were "parasites feeding on others" and "utterly evil sub-beings". The self-employed builder also posted the message: "Kill the Jew, Kill the Jew, Burn down a synagogue today! Burn the scum."

Hannington admitted owning the Anarchist's Cookbook, Kitchen Complete and The Terrorist Encyclopaedia, all of which are considered useful tools to someone preparing or committing an act of terrorism. He also admitted publishing a post on the internet with instructions on how to make a flame thrower out of a water pistol.

Richard Mansell QC, for Hannington, said: "There is a significant element of the fantasist about him and the jury's verdict accepts the posts were made without a great deal of thought but are, nevertheless, extremely offensive. Having had the terror books he never made any effort to produce such items or seek components for them. He has reflected on the language he used and his conduct and he also recognises he has problems with alcohol and anger management."

Hannington showed no emotion as he was jailed for a total of two years for all his offences. As he was convicted under the Terrorism Act he must inform the police of his home address for the next 10 years.

Independent

White supremacist admits producing ricin for terrorism

A white supremacist today admitted producing deadly ricin while preparing for acts of terrorism. Ian Davison's home in Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham, was raided by anti-terror officers who found the killer substance in a jam jar in his kitchen.

At Newcastle Crown Court he admitted producing a chemical weapon - ricin - and preparing for acts of terrorism. He also admitted three charges of possessing a record containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing acts of terrorism. The charge related to copies of three texts including The Anarchist's Handbook, which detailed instructions on making explosives.

Davison, who wore a pale blue, short-sleeved shirt and was flanked by four prison officers, also admitted possession of a prohibited weapon which related to a spray canister found during the raid on his home. He will be sentenced after the trial of his son Nicky Davison, 19, who denies two charges of possessing material containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing acts of terrorism. The case will be heard on April 12.

The father, a truck driver and ex-DJ, was remanded in custody and Judge John Milford warned him: "Doubtless you have been told only custody can follow."

Nicky Davison was granted bail until his trial.

Independent

Four investigated over neo-Nazi links

Two suspected neo-Nazis due to appear in court tomorrow are alleged to belong to the same extreme right wing organisation as a County Durham father and son arrested on terrorism charges.

Trevor Hannington, 58, and Michael Heaton, 42, are accused of being “administrators” of the Aryan Strike Force website and used wall posts to encourage others to murder Jews. They are due before the Old Bailey tomorrow facing a string of terrorism and public order offences dating back to January 2008. Also alleged to have links to the Aryan Strike Force are former pub DJ Ian Davison, 41, and his son Nicky, 18.

Ian Davison was brought before City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London last June accused of stashing deadly poison and explosives at his North East home. He was arrested along with Nicky, of Grampian Place, Annfield Plain, near Stanley, on June 2, when counter-terrorism detectives raided his home on Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham. He is currently remanded in custody charged with offences under the Terrorism Act including acquiring a quantity of the toxin ricin, explosives and other manuals and disseminated them to others, encouraging others to commit acts of terrorism.

He also faces two offences of possessing a record containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. One of those charges relates to a manual containing information and instructions on the use or production of firearms, explosives and chemicals, the other relates to information and instructions on the use or production of explosive substances and related items. He is also accused of an offence under the Chemical Weapons Act for possessing the ricin, and is due back in court in April.

Nicky Davison appeared in the same court accused of a single terrorist offence. He was released on bail and is understood to have to returned to his County Durham home. His bail conditions include a ban on contacting members of the Aryan Strike Force.

Hannington and Heaton are accused of writing threatening, abusive or insulting comments about Jews and black people. The pair were arrested on December 9. Jobless Hannington, from Cardiff, faces three charges under terrorism laws for possession of records containing information that could be used in preparing or committing acts of terrorism. He faces a further charge of disseminating information on his website informing others how to construct a flame thrower out of a water pistol.

Factory worker Heaton, from Wigan, Lancashire, allegedly stopped his alliance with the Aryan Strike Force last year. He faces no terrorism charges but is charged with two counts in relation to solicitation to murder and two counts of using threatening internet posts to stir up racial hatred.

Last month at City of Westminster Magistrates Court in London District Judge Daphne Wickham released Heaton on bail while Hannington was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey tomorrow.

Journal Live

Neo-Nazi Group Glorify Murder of Minorities

The Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC) urges the police to take action against the UK wing of the neo-Nazi group Blood & Honour (B&H). The group is currently distributing music CDs which encourage hatred and acts of terror against ethnic minorities, contrary to both the Public Order Act 1986 and the Terrorism Act 2000.

B&H, an international neo-Nazi organisation, promotes extremist music and live concerts by neo-Nazi rock bands. B&H openly states its admiration for Hitler and the Third Reich and its Field Manual claims that ‘National Socialism is the ideology of the national revolutionary movement which Blood & Honour represents’.

Incitement lyrics

B&H’s east Scotland wing, the ‘Highlander Division’, is currently selling a variety of neo-Nazi music CDs via its Highlander East Coast (HEC) website. All of the following song lyrics are taken from albums currently on sale on the Blood & Honour website.

The materials incite hatred and violence against:

Black and Asian communities

We’ll bomb your cities, destroy your towns
Wipe out the scum, kill all the browns
Hang politicians and waste the police
Until I’m feeling better, the murder will not cease!

['Bomb the Cities', from the Blue Eyed Devils' album Murder Squad]

Non white scum we’re gonna kill you
Slit your throat and watch you die
Time to crush the brown eyed subrace
Strangle, beat and crucify

Total destruction of all non whites
Right now is it time to attack
Take your guns, go shoot and kill
Cause the jew government won’t send them back

['Vandalize and Victimize', from the Blue Eyed Devils' album Murder Squad]

Nigger lover! Race traitor!
Walk in shame and hide your face

On your knees, my gun to your head
Worthless scum you know what lies ahead
With the pull of the trigger, now you’re dead!

['Hate Filled Mind', from the Blue Eyed Devils' album Murder Squad]:

Bang, bang - watch ‘em die
Watch those niggers drop like flies

['Bang, Bang', from Berserkr album Crush the Weak]

Jewish communities

Death to the ones from the underground
All I hear is victory’s call
My nation’s honor rising above all
I regret nothing that I’ve done
I’ve seen so many through the sights of my gun
But to kill for the Reich is my job
A soldier in my nation’s murder squad

My orders are simple, plain and clear
Murder on command and have no fear
In my heart I know what’s right
To do what I must for my nation’s fight

Traitors are hung and others shot dead
Kill the jew and cut off his head
Destroy the enemy and his lies
Send the filth to an early demise

['Murder Squad' by Blue Eyed Devils album of the same name]

This is only a small example of a wide range of material which contains similar language.

Other titles on sale include: ‘Fueled by Hate’, ‘Force Fed Hate’, ‘Genocidal Hate’, ‘Spread the Hate’, ‘Anthems of Hate’, ‘Operation Racewar’, ‘Race Riot’, ‘People Take the Gun’, ‘Aryan Revolution’, ‘Jew Boys’, ‘Don’t Buy From Jews’, ‘Jew Boy ‘98′, ‘Killing Spree’ and ‘Ovens Again’.

The album cover art includes images of black men hanging from the gallows in segregation-era America, and ‘Crush the Weak’ by Berserkr features a photograph of piles of dead Jews.

Glorification of Terrorism

B&H is not, at present, a proscribed organisation in the UK, as in the past it has stopped just short of advocating terrorist activities. B&H nonetheless states in its field manual that those who carry out terrorist actions in the name of neo-Nazism ‘must be respected rather than condemned’ and considers those who condemn neo-Nazi violence to be ‘pathetic’ and ‘cowardly’.

The Terrorism Act 2006 widened the criteria for proscription under the Terrorism Act 2000 to include the glorification of terrorism. Accordingly, a group which publishes or disseminates material glorifying acts or terror is liable for proscription.

B&H speaks approvingly of ‘lone wolf’ terrorists as follows:

“Die-hard ‘Nazis’ not comfortable in any watered-down, democratic outfit, still have an option through leaderless resistance and direct action. [...] These lone white wolves must be respected and left alone to stalk the worst enemies of our race. They expect no support and assistance but they deserve acknowledgement and understanding.”

Inciting Racial Hatred

According to the Public Order Act 1986, individuals who distribute recordings of visual images or sounds which are threatening and abusive are guilty if they either intend to or are likely to stir up racial hatred.

The HEC website is hosted by an American server in an apparent attempt to circumnavigate the UK’s anti-racist legislation. Although prosecuting individuals for what they post on foreign servers has long been a difficult task, a precedent was set by the Sheppard & Whittle case where the Crown Prosecution Service convicted both men for incitement to racial hatred based on material posted on US based websites.

While the HEC website is hosted in the US, the CDs it advertises are sold and distributed within the UK, and the return address for faulty goods is a mailbox at a storage centre in Dundee. The individuals who administrate the B&H HEC site are required to comply with UK legislation regarding the sale and distribution of recorded material.

Edmund Standing, author of recent CSC report ‘The BNP and the Online Fascist Network’, who has uncovered this information, says:

“The activities of Blood & Honour and the individuals associated with it should be taken very seriously by the Home Office. The recent rise in arrests and convictions of white supremacists shows that the materials disseminated by Blood & Honour are more than just words, and there are people who are willing to act on them.”

“The dissemination of such materials is a threat to all minority communities in the UK and should be of concern to Jewish and Muslim communities, with the latter in particular facing a demonstrable rise in persecution from neo-Nazis and far right bigots.”

UPDATE:

Also being sold on the HEC site:

A nice selection of BNP merchandise…

This is a Centre for Social Cohesion Press Briefing relating to research by Edmund Standing

Harry's Place

Nerve poison ricin feared at suspect's home

Traces of the deadly poison ricin may have been discovered at the house of a suspected white supremacist, police said today.

Anti-terror officers raided the home of Ian Davison in Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham on Tuesday. Since the 41-year-old former pub DJ's arrest under the Terrorism Act 2000 forensic officers have been examining the terraced property.

Assistant Chief Constable Michael Barton said: "Specialist police officers have been carrying out a meticulous search of the property which is a 'two-up two-down' terraced house. They have uncovered a substance, which we believe has traces of Ricin. It was in a sealed jam jar that has been kept in a kitchen cupboard - apparently for up to two years. Tests on the substance were carried out at a Government laboratory in Edinburgh on Thursday."

Speaking at a press conference at the force HQ in Durham City, Mr Barton added: "Specialists from the Ministry of Defence establishment at Porton Down are due in Durham today to discuss the safe transfer of the substance to their laboratories for further tests. That transfer will take place under a police or military escort and their report should be finalised in the next few days.

"Purely as a precautionary measure the search of the house has been halted for the time being. The property is cordoned off and remains secure and under police guard. Specialist help has been offered by government agencies. Durham Police is liaising with them and will continue to work closely with our local partners and other services until this is over."

Davison was being quizzed by officers from Durham Police and the North East Counter Terrorism Unit at a police station in West Yorkshire. Also arrested in Tuesday's operation was Davison's teenage son Nicky, 18, who was held on suspicion of inciting racial hatred following a swoop at his home in Grampian Court, Annfield Plain. However, he has since been re-arrested and is also now detained under the Terrorism Act in West Yorkshire.

Durham Police said the arrests followed a long-running intelligence-led operation against extreme right-wing activity.

Mr Barton continued: "Because of the find the search of the house will be continued by officers in specialist protective clothing. That search is likely to last for several days. There may be other suspicious items in the property. Staff are on a heightened state of alert to what could be found and a cordon will remain in place until experts confirm there are no further suspicious substances at the address.

"Immediate neighbours to the house, who are fully supportive of the police operation, are being spoken to about the latest developments. They are being given advice and will be kept fully informed. On scientific advice we are told there is no need for them to be evacuated. I would again like to reassure people in Burnopfield that the substance found was sealed in an airtight container prior to its removal.

"As such no one is believed to have been exposed to the substance or be at risk of any potential ill-effects. We do not believe that there is any risk to public health. Public safety remains our priority and we are grateful for the ongoing patience and co-operation of local people while these inquiries are concluded."

Ricin has been used in plots by suspected al Qaida operatives and can be fatal if when inhaled, ingested or - most dangerously - injected. It is made from the beans of the castor oil plant and is 6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide. Experts say that 70mg or two millionths of an ounce - roughly equivalent to the weight of a single grain of salt - is enough to kill an adult.

To cause mass casualties ricin would need to be either used in aerosol form or as an additive to food or drink. Ricin was used by the Aum cult on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 in an attack that left 12 people dead.

Independent