Redwatch....still operational

[SuperHans]

I hadn't realised until reading it the other day that the far right website www.redwatch.org was still being manned, and very far from being shut down.

The website was created by activists on the right of the British National Party. What differentiates it from other fascist websites like Stormfront? Well, as well as posting pictures of anti-fascist rallies, they also provide personal information (including addresses) of prominent anti-fascists. This has led to the results you would expect, and Google has picked off the worst of them:

There have been many reports to the police of people receiving death threats after their details have appeared on the Redwatch website. These have included Members of Parliament and their families. According to Searchlight, a Leeds teacher who complained about a far right activist, Antony White, leafleting his school, had his details listed on Redwatch, allegedly after the jailing of White. Far right supporters then firebombed the teacher's car. According to Indymedia, an anti-racist was followed and attacked on May 16, 2006 after the recent appearance of his personal data on the Redwatch website. The assailants reportedly shouted "We'll kill you, you leftist motherfucker!".

Merseyside Trades Union Congress organiser Alec McFadden received death threats shortly after his details appeared on the website. At precisely the same time, Joe Owens, a Merseyside BNP candidate with several convictions for violent offences, began sending him emails gloating that he had photographic details of his house, car and family. Since standing as a Respect - The Unity Coalition candidate in the May 2006 elections, McFadden has been physically attacked, including being stabbed in the face at his home.

In May 2006, a Polish political activist was attacked and stabbed, requiring surgery. He stated that he believed the attack was linked to his recent listing on the Polish version of the website. In March 2008, the attacker, a member of the neo-Nazi Blood and Honour, was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for attempted murder.

The website has been running since 1992. It's been shut down several times, but no one has made an effort to put it to sleep for good. I'm all for political discourse, and I don't have the deep and total level of hatred for the BNP that some people do (still pretty unpleasant though) but if we're talking about a direct incitement to violence, something has to be done.

[RubySlippers]

Are they advocating violence against these persons, if they say its there for protesting purposes that could be writing letters or picketing their homes not any sort of violence. Plus since the servers are likely in the US there is our 1st Amendment concerns even hateful speech is generally protected as long as it doesn't advocate violence. One anti-abortion site did that and was considered unprotected its not fullproof but the bar is very high.

[Callie Del Noire]

Wow.. I thought there was a wall to the right of the BNP. I didn't think there was anyone more radical than them. Of course last time I looked at them was when I was still living in Spain and had heard something about them on the BBC.

[SuperHans]

Are they advocating violence against these persons, if they say its there for protesting purposes that could be writing letters or picketing their homes not any sort of violence. Plus since the servers are likely in the US there is our 1st Amendment concerns even hateful speech is generally protected as long as it doesn't advocate violence. One anti-abortion site did that and was considered unprotected its not fullproof but the bar is very high.

I'd say it's incitement to violence. Simon Sheppard, who runs the site, is affiliated with Combat 18, who are a (now pretty much defunct) fascist paramilitary group. They specialised in this exact sort of thing. Sheppard himself is also Grade A unstable, Tim McVeigh/David Copeland style.

Wow.. I thought there was a wall to the right of the BNP. I didn't think there was anyone more radical than them. Of course last time I looked at them was when I was still living in Spain and had heard something about them on the BBC.

The BNP disown these guys, if it gives you an idea of how right they are  :o