They were outnumbered by anti-fascists, corralled by the police and ignored by the public. Britain’s First’s latest attempt to whip up ‘remigration’ fever ended in yet another humiliating failure.
With midday fast approaching, even the most seasoned reporters were shocked by the tiny numbers making their way to the Britain First meeting point outside the Grosvenor Casino opposite Birmingham New St Station.
Paranoid poseurs
A hundred? Maybe a little more. But lots of paranoia as everyone took pictures of everyone else. And this was a national mobilisation. Of an organisation, let us not forget, with more than 20,000 (claimed) paid up members whose leader Paul Golding had promised us would turn out ‘thousands of patriots’ today.
It wasn’t to be. While BF supporters came from north, south-east and north west, the problem was there were handfuls of them. One minibus broke down in the East Midlands, rather summing up the day as far as the fascists were concerned.
Eventually, as BF supporters hoped for more troops, leaders Golding and Ashlea Simon turned up in one of their beat-up battle buses full of thugs and equipment. Their insides must have frozen when they saw the paltry turn out.
Golding did interviews for friendly media, and Ashlea Simon ran around like a mother hen, covered by her personal security. Flags were duly handed out, which didn’t take long, and one policeman was heard to say, “I think we might outnumber them!” And they certainly did.
“I don’t see the point of this,” said another chap, a security guard outside the Casino. Neither did the vast majority of claimed BF supporters, so the march started, lasted five minutes, and the public looked on bemused and seriously unimpressed.
Less a march and more a quick walk up to Victoria Square. The majority were made up of a gaggle of angry, middle-aged men, a few kids along for the ride and hardly anyone else.
In the beautiful square, a testament to 19th Century municipal pride and modern improvements, one could be forgiven for thinking that this was a medium-sized family gathering.
But the neo-nazi tee-shirt worn by Ryan Ferguson, a friend of student fascist leader James Harvey was enough to give the game away. Emblazoned with Polish lettering and a nazi swastika, Ferguson seemed to know many of those in attendance.
Maga hats, Tommy Robinson tee-shirts, fascist tattoos and plenty of mock outrage. That’s the recipe for a BF event.
Crazed activist
Everyone was deafened by the PA system, and only around half the audience was even listening to the speeches. These were given by Golding and Simon by an American MAGA nut who said that Donald Trump’s movement is closely aligned with Britain First and shares the same values.
Just what those values are were clearly evident when a video message from crazed Polish anti-Muslim, anti-abortion activist Robert Bakiewicz.
He shares much in common with Golding, including a conviction for serious violence, except he has some support nationally as he taps into traditionalist Roman Catholicism and is a big wheel in organising the annual Polish independence march.
This event welcomes the most extreme elements of European fascism with attendees from Sweden’s NRM, Italy’s Casa Pound, Germany’s Dritte Weg, and similar unpleasant organisations.
Gaggle of hooligans
At PA and Homeland events there is at least some pretence of intellectualism. Britain First is much more like a gaggle of football hooligans and the speeches are certainly aimed at that level. The hooliganism naturally came with chants which Golding enthusiastically encouraged.
Strangely, there was a video featuring patriotic imagery and words between every speech, coupled with sing-along hymns. The lyrics were helpfully on the screen for the benefit of those who didn’t know them by heart, which was pretty much everyone.
Unfortunately, handing out flags to everyone meant you couldn’t see the screen unless you were at the front, which meant almost nobody was singing the hymns. During the speeches members from the north west went through the crowd with donation buckets, but very few were seen reaching into their pockets, despite Golding and Ashlea Simon’s pleading.
Another speech came from American Jason Rapert, a Christian Nationalist” organiser associated with the Republican Party, but at that stage more people were interested in the police drone that gently hovered above the heads of the faithful hundred.
Manchester next
“But it’s on to Manchester next, 2nd August,” proclaim Golding and Simon, at which point he asks audience members to chip in (yet another) fiver. Goodie, we say, do come to Manchester, and we’ll triple the Tenconi treatment once again.
If this is a movement of any sort, it’s dead if not dying
If this is a movement of any sort, it’s dead if not dying. In speaking to some of those in attendance it’s clear that they’re fed up, but this is not the answer they’re looking for.
The formalities over, most people dispersed to the nearest Wetherspoon’s and continued their football-style chants in the pub, much to the annoyance of the other patrons and the staff.
Lowlight of the day? Other than the neo-nazi tee-shirt, which tells us exactly who we’re dealing with, it must be the sheer hypocrisy of Britain First speaker Sharon Workman.
A former big noise in BF, and once very active, we wondered where the Coventry super patriot had gone. Well, she loves Britain so much that she’s…wait for it…moved to Cyprus. Probably not the Turkish Muslim sector, but who knows.
Plastic patriot
And there they are complaining about fake, plastic patriots. Sharon is doubtless happy and secure in her Mediterranean armchair, but one wonders if the right brain cell told the left brain cell that her double standards might be, um, a little problematic.
“How can she claim to be patriotic if she’s living in a foreign country?” said a man out loud.
And to that, sir, there is nothing we can add…
