Nine members of the neo-Nazi British Movement have escaped prosecution following a ten-month police investigation sparked by a gathering at which they celebrated Hitler’s birthday.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed this week that all nine suspects, arrested in dawn raids last May, have been released from bail with no further action.
Despite uncovering what officers themselves described as extremely concerning material, police concluded there was insufficient evidence to pursue charges under the Public Order Act.
The case began after Searchlight first highlighted the birthday party, which BM had itself publicised on its Telegram channel.
Members of the group had met at a pub in Royton, Oldham, openly displaying swastika flags and an Iron Cross banner while marking what they called the birthday of “Uncle A” (no prizes…)
A cake decorated with a swastika was among the more grotesque touches.
The police raids that followed produced a disturbing inventory: replica firearms, swords, a crossbow, and a canister bearing the Zyklon B logo, the gas used by the Nazis in their industrialised murder of Jewish people and others in the death camps.
Counter-terrorism officers were brought in to advise.
The haul pointed to a group with more than a passing interest in its ideological forebears.
The police dcided,however, that Section 18 of the Public Order Act – covering displays intended to stir up racial hatred – sets a bar that the evidence did not clear.
The Crown Prosecution Service was never sent a file.
