Criminal investigation into neo Nazi group which celebrated Hitler's birthday ends without charges
A ten-month police investigation into members of a neo Nazi group who were caught celebrating Hitler's birthday in an Oldham pub has concluded without any criminal charges being brought, the Manchester Evening News can reveal.Nine people who were arrested in dawn raids in May last year following our expose of north west members of the fringe far-right group British Movement have been told no further action will be taken against them. Campaign group Hope Not Hate expressed concern that the closing of the police investigation suggested that British Movement 'continues to operate with apparent impunity'.Oldham MP Jim McMahon stopped short of criticising investigators but expressed outrage about the group's 'blatant and extremely concerning' conduct.Members of the group pulled out flags and a cake decorated with a swastika at the Duke of Edinburgh, in Royton, on Saturday April 19 last year.Video footage from the gathering at the pub showed men holding a flag emblazoned with a swastika, SS bolts and the Iron Cross as they posed in photos with several other men, one of whom was seen holding up a British Movement flag. The footage shows the men unfurling the flags to pose for pictures before quickly hiding them away.A post on the group's Telegram feed, which has almost 600 members, read: "On a gorgeous sunny afternoon in Greater Manchester, a platoon of Northwest British Movement met up to celebrate the 136th Birthday of Uncle A."'Uncle A' is a reference to Adolph Hitler.The British Movement was founded in 1968 and 'succeeded in attracting violent, racist thugs to its ranks', according to campaign group Hope Not Hate.A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed all nine suspects, who had been released on bail under 'strict conditions', have been informed they are no longer under investigation and no further action is to be taken against them.Despite a significant police investigation, the force admitted it had not amassed enough evidence of any public order offence to send a file of evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider."We did seek early CPS advice but following our investigation it was determined that there was insufficient to evidence to enable the police to submit a file to them," said a GMP spokesman.Investigators decided that, although their finds were extremely concerning, it did not amount to a crime under Section 18 of the Public Order Act which prohibits 'threatening, abusive or insulting' displays of written material intended to stir up racial hatred.On May 7 last year the M.E.N. joined police as officers carried out a series of co-ordinated raids at 5am. Officers uncovered an arsenal of replica guns as well as a Nazi-era gas canister, the Manchester Evening News exclusively revealed.GMP executed the search warrants in Oldham, Rochdale, Bolton, Urmston and as far away as Southport, Merseyside, following our investigation. A team of officers, along with forensic investigators and the bomb squad, descended on a property in Bolton.Among the items recovered at the address in Bolton appeared to be an imitation AK47 rifle, a suspected grenade, a crossbow, a series of fake handguns as well as a number of swords, one decorated with a Swastika.Officers also found a 'Zyklon' gas canister. Zyklon gas was used by the Nazis in the mass killing of Jews in the Second World War.GMP stressed the gas canister was not viable and that the suspected grenade had been 'declared safe' by Army bomb disposal officers. The force stressed at the time all the weapons analysed appeared to be imitation or replica and it is understood further testing confirmed confirmed this.GMP confirmed it had been 'in contact' with colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) who 'offered advice on some of the materials which have been seized'.The Manchester Evening News joined officers during the raid at a property in Bolton, where three people, two men and a woman, were arrested and led away by officers. It is understood an imitation AK47, found in a gun cabinet, was among at least eight guns found inside the property as well as ammunition.Two swords, a Nazi flag and a hard drive were also seized. Nazi memorabilia and weapons were found at one other address.Following the decision to end the police investigation, Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton MP Jim McMahon said: "We respect the rule of law but what British Movement, the Neo-Nazi group, did in Royton last April was blatant and extremely concerning."As I said at the time, the event held was an affront to those from the borough who gave their lives to fight the Nazis and whose names are listed just a short distance away at Royton Park."There is no place in our community for an ideology being glorified that was responsible for the deaths of millions. These vile acts must always be called out and rooted out and are a stark reminder that the threat of the far-right is real."David Lawrence, senior researcher at Hope Not Hate, said: “The British Movement represents the very worst of British politics. Its unalloyed extremism is striking even by the standards of the far right, for example recently describing Hitler as 'far too moderate'. That fact that it continues to operate with apparent impunity will do little to reassure the communities it targets.”
