Lancashire ‘soldiers posed with EDL flags’ probe

Army chiefs are investigating allegations that soldiers posed with English Defence League flags after Blackburn's ‘homecoming’ parade.

The Ministry of Defence has been handed a dossier of pictures purporting to be of soldiers with material from the organisation. One of the Blackburn photos is being studied to see whether one, or more, soldiers are posing with, or endorsing, a flag representing the right-wing EDL. Other pictures taken elsewhere show a serviceman, with his face covered and holding a gun, standing in front of an EDL flag.

Troops are banned by the MoD from taking an ‘active role in political campaigning’.

A spokeswoman said: “Instances of unacceptable behaviour in the armed forces are investigated, and appropriate action taken, up to, and including, dismissal. An investigation is already under way into allegations that individuals have breached army regulations through their involvement with the EDL.”

Last December’s march by Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment soldiers through Blackburn attracted thousands of well-wishers and followed a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. The event also attracted scores of EDL protesters who carried banners and flags. Some of the photos taken are now being investigated by army chiefs.

An MoD source said: “There’s a group of soldiers and an EDL flag and it is hard to tell whether a civilian, or a soldier, is holding it.”

Blackburn with Darwen EDL spokesman Ned Kelly said: “Some soldiers are involved with the EDL for their own reasons, but they should be free to be able to do so.”

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: “These are serious allegations and it is correct that the MoD should investigate them.”

Lancashire Telegraph

Commission urged to tackle BNP fake charities

The Charity Commission has been urged to clamp down on “BNP organisations masquerading as veterans charities” by a group of former senior army generals.

The call came in a letter signed by General Sir Mike Jackson and General Sir Richard Dannatt, former heads of the army; Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, former chief of defence staff, and Major-General Patrick Cordingley, commander of the Desert Rats in the Gulf War. The letter, widely reported in the national press, warns that the armed forces are in danger of being hijacked by far-right extremists “for their own dubious ends”.

It is the start of a campaign launched this week to highlight the British National Party’s strategy of cloaking itself in the military.

Earlier this month The Times reported that the BNP has made a point of targeting veteran charities with offers of support. It has also highlighted on its website, individual donations by its members to organisations including the Royal British Legion and the Gurkha Welfare Trust.

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: "The Charity Commission is aware of the press coverage regarding Nothing British about the BNP's report, Stolen Valour, in which the Commission is mentioned. We have obtained a copy of the report and will be responding directly to Nothing British on the points that they have raised.

"Charities should usually seek to maximise their income. However, in some circumstances trustees may decide that it would not be in the best interests of their charity to accept a donation, if this would damage the charity’s reputation or its ability to do its good work would be compromised. Trustees should be able to demonstrate how and why they have made any such decision and the Commission is happy to advise in such cases.

"There is nothing in charity law that prohibits members of a political party from establishing and/or being the trustee of a charity. However, no charity can have political purposes or support a political party. All trustees must act only in the charity’s best interests and must not represent the interests of any outside organisation or their own personal interests. To do otherwise would be a breach of trust.

"‘Soldiers off the Street’ is not a registered charity, and must not claim to be a registered charity. We have not received any application to register from an organisation by that name. Any application to register as a charity would be considered in line with the registration criteria as set out on our website. In order to register, charities must be established for exclusively charitable purposes for the public benefit and must not have any political purpose."

Charity Finance

Harry's set the clock back 10 years

A former sergeant, Nassir Khan, 44, from Blackburn, Lancashire, spent nine years in the Royal Artillery. But after suffering consistent racial abuse as a Muslim he sued the Ministry of Defence for discrimination and won a five-figure out-of-court settlement. He has family members still serving in the Army.

My first experience of racism in the Army came on the day I completed my enlistment. The lieutenant-colonel in charge put two pound coins down and said: 'Here is the Queen's shilling, go and buy yourself a cup of tea and a chapati.'

That was the start of what became a regular pattern of behaviour during my nine years in the military. It was not unusual to be called a 'Paki' or a 'black bastard'. I served during the first Gulf War and during this time I was told I was fighting on the wrong side, that people like me should be shot and that all Muslims should be put in holes. It got to the point where I was not sure whether the men who I was fighting alongside would not shoot me in the back.

I was the first non-white face in my regiment when I joined up in 1988. But even then I realised that the language being used was completely unacceptable. I always made an issue of it because I was not prepared to be verbally abused just for the colour of my skin, but it felt like a lonely fight.

There is a perception that this abuse is restricted to the lower ranks, but in my case the worst abuse came from the non-commissioned officers. When I eventually brought my discrimination case, it was against two senior NCOs.

That is why racism of any sort is so damaging and unacceptable and why what Prince Harry said is so disappointing. If the senior officers don't make it clear that using a word like 'Paki' is offensive and improper then how can they expect the lower ranks to do it?

Prince Harry has set the clock back another 10 years. I left the Army in 1999 with a medical discharge after all my attempts to transfer came to nothing. I was told there was no point me trying to join the special forces 'because they don't like Pakis'. I'm sure the back injury which forced me to leave was due to injuries when I was attacked by two paratroopers who racially abused me during training.

We are told that things have changed a lot. They haven't. I have a close relative who has been in for nearly 20 years and nothing has changed. He says the abuse is just the same. He transferred out of his regiment because it was so racist.

I am proud to have served my country. My great-grandfather served in the First World War and my grandfather in the Second. I was decorated during the Gulf War, but what happened to me destroyed my pride in the Army. I recently tried to join a reserve regiment along with a white friend. I was rejected because I was told I lived too far away. My friend, who lives 10 miles further away, was accepted.

I'm afraid there is still a long way to go before racism is removed from the ranks of the military.

Independent

BNP wined and dined...by Army

Army chiefs provoked fury last night after they invited a senior BNP politician to a swish do at a school.

The far-right party’s Cllr Cathy Duffy was among local politicians asked to attend a drinks and buffet reception at the Ministry of Defence’s sixth form college. Two more officials from the racist British National Party joined Duffy at the Welbeck College event, hosted by the Army Presentation Team.

Enjoying free food and drink paid for by the taxpayer, the three extremists spent the evening mingling with military personnel. The invite to the VIP event in Loughborough, Leicestershire, came from Army chief Brigadier J E Richardson, Commander of 49 (East) Brigade.

Cllr Duffy posted a long blog about the night on her website. It read: “I was delighted to have been formally invited to attend a reception and briefing at Welbeck. The evening started with a drinks reception and concluded with a finger buffet and an opportunity to chat to military personnel.”

The blunder comes at a time when the armed forces are spending tens of thousands of pounds on recruiting more people from ethnic minorities.

Anti-racism campaigners attacked the move. Matthew Collins, of Searchlight, said: “The only war the BNP want is a race war. It’s like inviting the Nazis to dinner with Winston Churchill.”

Would-be Army, Navy or RAF officers study for A-levels at Welbeck before going on to full-time military training.

The Army last night said MoD rules mean it could not discriminate between political parties and had to invite all local councillors. And the event was held during school holidays, so no students were there.

A spokesman said: “The armed forces operate a policy of zero tolerance to all forms of discrimination.”

The Sun

Prince Charles urged to halt racist abuse of soldier

The Prince of Wales has been urged to step down as Colonel of the Welsh Guards unless he can intervene to end the alleged racist abuse of a Jamaican soldier serving in the regiment.

Private Kerry Hylton is taking the army to an employment tribunal over a series of incidents at his barracks in Birdcage Walk, close to Buckingham Palace.

Hylton’s solicitor has written to Prince Charles complaining that letters to the commanding officer of the Welsh Guards detailing the abuse allegations have gone unanswered.

The tribunal has been told that Hylton, a chef with the Welsh Guards, has been repeatedly called a “n*****”, a “dumb-arsed n*****”, a “black bastard” and a “black c***”. His wife and children have been left in fear after two incidents in which the locks on the doors at the family’s married quarters were superglued shut.

When Hylton complained that a noncommissioned officer who racially abused him had also punched him, leaving him requiring hospital treatment, he was himself arrested by the Royal Military police.

The allegations of racism are likely to concern Charles, who in 1986 highlighted the race issue among the Queen’s household troops when he remarked that there were no black faces at the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

In his letter to the prince, John Mackenzie, Hylton’s solicitor, wrote: “It seems to me that your regiment has no interest in safeguarding the interests of the ethnic minority private soldiers acting as chefs in the battalion.”

Although Hylton is a private in the Royal Logistic Corps rather than a guardsman, he works full-time for the Welsh Guards.

Mackenzie’s letter went on: “In view of your constitutional position, I write to urge you to cease to act as Colonel of the Welsh Guards until the regiment can show that it takes seriously its obligation to ensure that ethnic minority soldiers are treated fairly.”

Hylton’s wife Andrea said that she and her two young children, Andre, 3, and four-year-old Kerryann had been left feeling “frightened and unwelcome” by the attacks on their army flat. She thought they had been generated by the racism claim.

After Charles complained 20 years ago about the lack of ethnic minorities in the guards regiments, they recruited Richard Stokes, their first black soldier. But Stokes quit the Grenadier Guards, despite encouragement from Charles to remain, after suffering racist attacks including verbal abuse similar to Hylton’s.

The Ministry of Defence said: “The army has a zero tolerance policy to racism and takes allegations of racism very seriously.” Clarence House declined to comment.

The Sunday Times