Latest news with #neo-Nazi
Metro
4 days ago
- General
- Metro
I tried to give Gran a hug – her reaction still haunts me
As soon as Gran opened her front door, I excitedly ran over to embrace her. But just as I got close, she forcefully pushed me away. I was 10 and visiting her during the school holidays, alongside my older brother and mum. She hugged my brother warmly and spoke to him affectionately. Meanwhile, I kept getting told off for things that went over my head. To this day, I still don't know why she thought I deserved that – and similar interactions have routinely happened ever since. My maternal grandmother has never written me a warm message in a Christmas or birthday card, told me funny stories from her younger days, or even looked concerned for my welfare. In fact, she's been actively hostile. By the time I was in college, she'd make disparaging remarks like, 'you'll never work in your life' or 'you'll just live on benefits'. This is despite me voluntarily mowing Gran's lawn, washing her car, painting her fences, and helping out wherever I could between my studies. Her words hurt and made me angry. I wanted to react but my mum would shake her head as if to say 'don't'. I felt stifled and had to bottle up my feelings. On one occasion around the same time, I stayed overnight and – without provocation – she said I was 'emotionally thick', that I'll amount to nothing and I'll die alone. I was in total shock at what I heard. I was lost for words. I was stunned that my mum didn't say anything. During university, I actively avoided Gran whenever I could. But at my graduation in the mid-2010s, she came to the ceremony with my parents and brother, even though I didn't want her there. While the rest of the family were away from the table at one point, she said to me that I'd likely be in the dole office the following week. She spread a bizarre and unfounded rumour I was a neo-Nazi Three years of university, hard work, an exchange semester abroad and volunteer work in my free time, from teaching English privately and working in charity shops to gain retail experience. None of it seemed to matter to her. I felt invalidated. I calmly replied that wasn't to be the case because I'd received a scholarship for an intensive language course in Germany and had a job lined up after that. Gran simply grimaced and looked away quickly as my brother and parents returned, as if to hide what had just happened. Even after I moved to Germany, her nastiness continued, and she spread a bizarre and unfounded rumour I was a neo-Nazi. Once again, I didn't confront her. I was discouraged from saying anything by other relatives and told it wouldn't make any difference. I lived and worked in Germany for a few years, then came back to the UK and got a job in the NHS. But when I called Mum to tell her my happy news, Gran was in the background and I heard her say: 'That sounds like a lot of responsibility for someone like you.' Thankfully, Mum stood up for me on this occasion but I ended the call and felt so upset that another good moment had been spoiled. The physical and mental toll of her actions has been immense. I've gained a lot of weight and I have high blood pressure, low self-esteem, and I recently had to take time off work due to depression. My work arranged counselling sessions, and Gran's demeanour towards me was a key focus. I told the therapist that I believed it has led to my lack of any sense of belonging within our family as well as a constant need to validate or justify my every action. I feel like an outcast and adrift. The therapist could only surmise that there was significant damage and it would take more than just our sessions to begin any sort of healing process or self-care. To this day, I have never had an explanation for why Gran dislikes me or treats me the way she does. Whenever I have expressed to my mum, dad and brother that I want to confront Gran, I am discouraged and told that I'll never get an answer. And so, I have lost all hope of any successful confrontation. Devastatingly, I found out that her hostility even predates my birth, when it was revealed that she had even suggested my parents abort me. This series aims to offer a nuanced look at familial estrangement. Estrangement is not a one-size-fits-all situation, and we want to give voice to those who've been through it themselves. If you've experienced estrangement personally and want to share your story, you can email My Gran is still alive, but we have no relationship. It is understandably difficult for my mum, who lives with Gran and feels caught in the middle, so for her sake I keep any interaction to a bare minimum: a polite 'hello', 'goodbye' or 'thank you', even if it is not reciprocated. As harsh as it sounds, I pretend Gran isn't in the room so that I can properly teach myself to ignore her frequent grimaces and scowls behind Mum's back, which most recently occurred at my brother's wedding. Given that I was his best man, I had a duty to perform and was not going to let any negativity spoil my brother's day. More Trending I could not let Gran win – and on that day, she didn't. This is not just estrangement – it's abuse – and I don't deserve to be treated that way. Grandmothers are supposed to be protectors, guides, and teachers. Mine can't even give me a hug. Thankfully, I have come to appreciate over the years that, no matter what twisted reason she thinks she has for hating me, it's simply her loss. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: My date showered me with compliments – until I turned down his request MORE: My date said I had one drink to impress him – so I downed it MORE: A weekly 'porn night' helps keep my relationship alive Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
5 days ago
- Politics
'Active clubs' are all over Canada. What are they?
The members of these groups, known in white nationalist communities as active clubs, are hiding in plain sight. They obscure their faces and locations in social media posts, but a months-long investigation (new window) , in collaboration with The Fifth Estate , has uncovered exactly where they are operating. What are 'active clubs'? Active clubs tend to be male-focused groups that promote white supremacist ideals. Their activities range from public protests to vandalism campaigns to social media posts. They expect the current political order will be swept aside, potentially by force, for a new white-focused society. Antisemitic and anti-immigrant themes are common, and some groups use Nazi iconography. Names of the specific groups include Second Sons and Nationalist-13. Second Sons was founded by Jeremy MacKenzie, creator of the controversial right-wing network Dialagon, which the RCMP has labelled (new window) an extremist, militia-like organization. However, these groups are not a singular movement. They are part of a decentralized white supremacist and neo-Nazi network. Where did they come from? The idea was started by two neo-Nazis, according to the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. One is a Russian. The other is American Robert Rundo, who is responsible for spreading the concept of setting up racist fight clubs. The U.S. Attorney's Office in California says Rundo has been doing it since 2017. He called it the Rise Above Movement, and spent the next few years setting up an international network of such groups in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and elsewhere. These are what became active clubs. Last December, Rundo was sentenced to two years in prison for planning and engaging in riots across California. This defendant sought to further his white supremacist ideology by plotting riots and engaging in violence at political rallies, said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. Not just boxing clubs They appear to be groups of men interested in fitness and martial arts, and they recruit others to join them. But that hides a dark reality, says Mack Lamoureux at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based think-tank that studies authoritarianism, hate and extremism. The minute you peel back even the slightest layer of this onion, it becomes far more insidious, he said. These are virulent white supremacists. Enlarge image (new window) NS13 members have trained at this undisclosed location on multiple occasions. Comparing it to pictures from public parks in southern Ontario revealed it was the John Wright Soccer Complex in Brantford, west of Hamilton, Ont. Details that gave it away included the gazebo ceiling and the piece missing from it, combined with the soccer goalposts in the background. Photo: CBC In Nationalist-13 videos, their faces are hidden with the Totenkopf , the grinning death mask used by the Nazi SS. In one video, a member shows off a lighter emblazoned with a Nazi swastika. The black, grey and white banner of the Second Sons is a deliberate echo of the Red Ensign, Canada's original colonial flag, which was replaced by the maple leaf in 1965. White nationalists call the Red Ensign Canada's true flag, representing the country before they say it was spoiled by immigrants. These guys hide their faces and locations. How do we know where they are? Covered faces and blurred parts of videos were not enough to fully conceal the identities and locations of Nationalist-13 and Second Sons members. The CBC visual investigations team was able to uncover the location of their training sessions by matching up distinctive features of the inside of boxing clubs, such as padded walls, as well as the specific shape and position of windows. Enlarge image (new window) The location of the NS13 video on the left was unknown, until CBC's visual investigations team compared the distinctive windows above the boxing ring to those in the Amazing Fitness gym, on the right, in Hamilton, Ont. Photo: CBC Some prominent group members also have clearly visible tattoos that can be compared with other photos of them, which allowed the CBC team to confirm their identities even though their faces were obscured. What's been the reaction? Owners of gyms who CBC News approached said they were unaware some of the people using their facilities were actually fascist fight clubs. John Moran, the manager at Amazing Fitness, said we have no affiliation whatsoever with these individuals or their ideology, and we categorically reject any form of hate or discrimination. Rob Barham, the owner of Hammer BJJ, said I don't affiliate myself with … any sort of white supremacy groups. Kevin Mans, owner of Niagara BJJ in Welland, said that as soon as he saw the photos CBC shared, he called his staff and told them these individuals couldn't come back. Hamilton City councillor Nrinder Nann is alarmed. I think it's a serious public safety concern. The rise of extremist organizing is a national security threat and it isn't an issue to take lightly. Lyndon George, executive director of the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre, said given the violent nature of this ideology, these groups shouldn't be able to operate with impunity in public places. We shouldn't have to wait for that violence to happen for there to be a response, said George. Enlarge image (new window) CBC's visual investigations team matched up distinctive clothing and tattoos to confirm the identity of white supremacist and Nationalist-13 member Brandon Lapointe. Photo: CBC Is this just happening in the Hamilton area? No. Active clubs can be found in various locations across Canada and in dozens of places throughout the U.S. One in Tennessee has been widely reported (new window) on. There are 187 active clubs in 27 countries (new window) , according to the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. They are seen as the next generation of white nationalist organizations in Canada, and they are in touch with similar groups elsewhere. [Canadian active clubs] have very, very deep connections with other far-right and extremist organizations, said Lamoureux. This includes America Patriot Front, which is probably the largest and most active white supremacist organization.
Memri
7 days ago
- Memri
French Neo-Nazi Website Fundraises Via Monero, Provides Updated Tutorial For Buying, Donating Cryptocurrency
A French neo-Nazi website has been pursued for years by the French government, leading it to regularly change its URL to evade efforts to take it down. It was de-listed on Google France in 2020, but can now easily be found and accessed. It has lately posted an extended tutorial, both in video and written form, to explain to readers how to donate cryptocurrency. YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO THE MEMRI DOMESTIC TERRORISM THREAT MONITOR (DTTM) TO READ THE FULL REPORT. GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA CAN REQUEST A COPY BY WRITING TO DTTMSUBS@ WITH THE REPORT TITLE IN THE SUBJECT LINE. PLEASE INCLUDE FULL ORGANIZATIONAL DETAILS AND AN OFFICIAL EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR REQUEST. NOTE: WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A COPY ONLY TO MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, MEDIA, AND ACADEMIA, AND TO SUBSCRIBERS; IF YOU DO NOT MEET THESE CRITERIA PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST.
Novaya Gazeta Europe
7 days ago
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Ukraine wing of Russia-linked neo-Nazi group claims involvement in killing of security service colonel — Novaya Gazeta Europe
The Ukrainian wing of far-right terrorist organisation The Base, which is suspected of having ties to Russia, has claimed involvement in the recent killing of a top-ranking intelligence colonel in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, The Guardian reported on Wednesday. Last Thursday, Colonel Ivan Voronych was fatally shot five times in Kyiv by an unidentified gunman who fled the scene of the killing in an SUV. On Sunday, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) chief Vasyl Malyuk announced that two Russian FSB agents suspected of assassinating Voronych had been killed in a police raid on their place of residence in Kyiv. The Base, founded in 2018 by Rinaldo Nazzaro, a former Pentagon contractor suspected of engaging in espionage at the behest of the Kremlin, is a neo-Nazi terrorist group previously implicated in 'an assassination plot, mass shootings, and other actions in Europe', according to The Guardian. For months, the newspaper reports, The Base has been offering to pay members or voluntary collaborators to conduct 'targeted assassinations' or attacks on Ukraine's 'critical infrastructure', in a similar fashion to the sabotage operations carried out in Europe by Russia's intelligence services. In two Telegram posts published last week, White Phoenix, the alleged Ukraine-based arm of The Base, claimed that its 'activists' had carried out a 'carefully planned' attack on Voronych as a 'warning to the regime' of Volodymyr Zelensky. 'The execution of the SBU colonel is not the end, but only the beginning,' one post by the White Phoenix read, adding that it was 'proud of [its] comrades' and calling on 'all honest Ukrainians' to join them. Independent media outlet Agentstvo wrote that the Base's founder Nazzaro lives in St. Petersburg and has been married to a Russian woman since 2012. In April, The Guardian reported that former members of The Base suspected Nazzaro of having ties to Russian special services, although he has repeatedly denied the allegation, including at one occasion on Russian state TV. According to The New York Times, Voronych was a senior officer in the Fifth Directorate, an elite SBU unit responsible for killing a top Russian separatist commander named Arsen Pavlov, also known as Motorola, in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region in 2016.
New Statesman
15-07-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Labour's misguided assault on Palestine Action
Metropolitan Police officers surround a demonstration against Palestine Action's proscription as a terrorist organisation, before arresting the in Parliament Square on July 12, 2025. Photo byAt the weekend (12 July) more than 70 people were arrested under anti-terror legislation at protests in support of the now proscribed organisation, Palestine Action. The group are the first non-violent, direct action group to have been designated a terrorist organisation in the UK, and are now listed alongside Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and the neo-Nazi group National Action – a member of whom is currently serving a life sentence for planning the assassination of former Labour MP, Rosie Cooper, in 2018 – under the Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The proscription of Palestine Action is not only a wildly disproportionate act against a group whose targets have been confined to the state and corporate infrastructure that supports the Israeli military. It is sure to have chilling effects on the already dwindling right to protest. The proximate cause, as Huw Lemmey has convincing argued, is the 'wider effort to limit jury nullification', where a jury acquits a defendant as a matter of conscience regardless of whether or not they have broken the law. Fearing embarrassment if 'the chasm between government policy and public opinion' is exposed by a jury acquittal, the government has decided it is better off avoiding juries altogether. Even so, there is a wider context at work. The action against Palestine Action is merely the latest punitive measure against non-violent protesters. In July last year, five activists from Just Stop Oil were sentenced to between four and five years for conspiring to block traffic on the M25 – imprisoned, in effect, for being on a Zoom call, and for far longer than many who are convicted of serious sexual assault or other violent crimes. While those prosecutions began under a Conservative government, the sentences were handed down weeks into Keir Starmer's term of office. Tellingly, the former human rights lawyer refused to intervene, while his home secretary Yvette Cooper has since defended the Tories' 2022 Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act and its 2023 Public Order Act, which introduced even more draconian anti-protest legislation. It was only action by the civil rights group, Liberty, that got some of regulations contained in the 2023 act quashed. On the right, meanwhile, the case of Lucy Connolly, who was sentenced to a 31-month jail term for inciting race hate after calling for protestors to set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers, has become a minor cause célèbre. While the claims that she is a 'political prisoner' are clearly absurd, her lengthy sentence has only served to further erode trust in Britain governing institutions. Labour are, of course, no strangers to this kind of social authoritarianism. Between 1997 and 2010, New Labour pursued a brand of authoritarian populism that even Keir Starmer has yet to reach. The socially restrictive measures introduced under Blair and Brown include the issuing of Asbsos for low-level social intimidation, the effects of which were further exacerbated by a 'name and shame' campaign that included the targeting of children as young as 10, the failed attempt to extend detention without charge to 90 days for terror suspects, and the escalation of police stop-and-search powers. Yet then, as now, it is who is targeted, and who evades justice, that shines the starkest light on the priorities of the British political system. While elderly grandmothers are thrown in jail for holding placards on public streets, others far more guilty of degrading the fabric of British society get away scot-free. Here I must confess something of a certain personal stake. In 2013, my second cousin was sentenced to nine months in prison for allegedly stealing thousands of pounds while running a sub post office. Of course, what we now know is that he was just one of around 1,000 innocent people who were falsely prosecuted due to failures in the Post Office's Horizon IT system. At least 13 of those implicated have subsequently taken their own lives. Yet the people who hold ultimate responsibility for this national scandal, the largest miscarriage of justice in British legal history, have, beyond public opprobrium and the odd lost directorship, continued to avoid justice. The question of jail time has barely even been raised. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe The same is true of water bosses. Only three people have ever been prosecuted for obstructing the Environment Agency in its investigations into sewage spills, none of whom even received a fine for doing so. Hundreds of cases of illegal spilling have been identified in the past few years alone; all occurred as privatised water firms paid out billions in dividends, while cutting back services, raising prices and saddling debt amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds onto the stricken companies. The government's recent water bill does strengthen its powers, but we are yet to see them utilised – all while groups like Palestine Action feel the full force of the state. All of this is deeply damaging to the public's faith in government and its institutions, already at historical lows. Last month it was revealed that just 19 per cent of the public think the British political system needs little or no improvement, while only 12 per cent trust governments to put the country's interest before their party's. The rot started long before Starmer's premiership. As Dominic Cummings, hardly a left-wing populist, has repeatedly and correctly stressed, one of the long-term factors in this was the absence of any institutional accountability for those behind the 2008 financial crisis. The shadow of 2008, long and ever darker, stretches across the contemporary social and economic landscape. We still live in the world made by the crisis. Yet repeated governments, both Labour and Conservative, have failed to face squarely the damage it has caused, let alone those who caused it. This government has acted most aggressively against the 'working people' it claims to serve. Being responsible, knowingly, for the false prosecution of over thousand people gets you just 15 minutes of televised infamy, while those who spray red paint on a few airplanes, not to mention those who do no more than wear the name of a now disbanded organisation on a t-shirt, face prosecution and jail terms of up to 14 years. It is clear evidence of a government that doesn't know who it represents, and deserves every ounce of scorn poured on it. [See also: Welcome to hot Palestine Action summer] Related
