While others out there on the far right have prospered in the last two or three years, with Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson, having become more than adequately well off on the backs of his followers, and Generation Identity managing to spread their hip new version of Nazism around Europe, the group which got linked to the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox has fared less well.
Yes, two years after that next court appearance
Britain First was heavily implicated in the killing via their operative Thomas Mair. More recently, the leadership has split up, with Jayda Fransen going off to form her own version of the Judean Popular People’s Front, leaving Paul Golding, still on bail after another of those unfortunate brushes with the law, to do the bigotry thing on his own.
But Golding has not become downhearted by these setbacks, and to prove that he was still strong, he rocked up in Manchester today, his forces bolstered by, well, very few followers. So few that they those who gathered in the City Centre could be counted on the digits of one hand. Yes, as the HalfWrite Twitter feed has shown, there were five of them, including Golding and the obligatory clown dressed as a crusader knight.
Fortunately, he left his shrubbery at home. But the accompanying Tweet said it all: “just look how huge the Britain First movement is here in Manchester lolz … also, look closely and you can see Paul Golding inspiring us all by staring at his phone. All [your] mates are around you, Paul, stop pretending that you’re texting”.
Red Vests UK had more: “Both #EDL #YellowPests led by Ashlea Simon and the #Racist Britain First led by Golding the criminal currently on bail supported by a band of #fascist losers are prancing around #Manchester city centre @Manchester_SUTR Golding suggests he is visiting at 1pm”. What then? They already knew that.
“Chat shit get banged they say! Golding’s #BF was brought to #Manchester by the scrounging #paypalpaytriot @junglist40 John Lawrence - they intend to incite violence @Manchester_SUTR conference & Later hold their own #fascist #racist conference in #Heywood”. Lawrence allies himself with Anne Marie Waters’ For Britain movement.
That there was to be a gathering later had also been picked up on by Hope Not Hate, who kindly identified the venue, so everyone else could avoid it: “Britain First are having a top secret meeting today at 14.30hrs at the Jolly Miller pub in Middleton, Gtr Manchester. Paul Golding to speak and hand out bin bags to new recruits”.
Strange how the fascist far right has difficulty stopping information leaking. All that was left was to feel a little sympathy for the whole pointless exercise, which Mike Stuchbery duly did: “Britain First goofballs are apparently wandering around Manchester today. Do go and give them a warm welcome, friends. Sure they'd love your questions”.
Lennon may still be surfing the wave of transient popularity, but Golding and his rump of no-hopers have been very publicly beached - and hopefully for good.
The Fash always end up getting beaten. It’s a lesson they seem most reluctant to learn.
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