Colonel William A. Phillips

Add links
This article is about the British nationalist party. For other political parties, see Homeland Party.

The Homeland Party is a British far-right nationalist political party[1] founded by Kenny Smith.

Organisation

The Homeland Party was formed predominantly by Scottish members who had abandoned the Patriotic Alternative (PA) far-right hate group.[2] Its chairman is Kenny Smith,[2][3] who founded it in May 2023. He was previously the national administration officer for PA,[4] and the head of administration[5] and an unsuccessful electoral candidate for the British National Party (BNP).[6]

The party's other registered officers also have connections with PA. Jerome O'Reilly was reportedly the Welsh regional organiser[7] and Ant Burrows East Midlands regional organiser for the group.[8]

The group first attempted to register as a political party in May 2023[9] but its application was rejected in August 2023 for being incomplete.[10] It was registered as a political party in January 2024.[11]

Political position

The group has been described as far-right by The National,[1] although its official website rebuts the use of the term and states its perspective on nationalism, emphasising self-determination, sovereignty and the principle of a nation-state based on ancestry.[12]

Connections to neo-Nazism and terrorism

The party's nominating officer, Anthony Burrows,[13] was revealed in court to have shared links to terrorist material.[14] Its founding members include former national officers, regional organisers and regional officers of PA. While they were in PA, the organisation's head of fitness, Kristofer Kearney, pleaded guilty to two counts of disseminating terrorist publications.[15] Kearney was a former host of The Absolute State of Britain (TASOB) podcast, which "has consistently featured explicit racism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, veneration of Hitler, and apologism for Nazi atrocities and right-wing terrorism."[16] An episode of the podcast was dedicated to interviewing Homeland's chairman Kenny Smith while he was in PA.[17] TASOB was founded by Ashley Podsiad Sharp who was sentenced to eight years in prison for possessing a document which may be of use to a terrorist. [18] Podsiad Sharp ran a neo-Nazi fitness club with which Simon Shepherd, a member of the Homeland Party, was involved.[19]

In April 2023, Judge Manley ruled against Alec Cave, a prominent member of the party and host for party video content,[20] in an employment tribunal relating to comments made about the actor John Boyega.[21] In her ruling, Judge Manley said of Cave's views "This is not just a belief that is shocking, offensive or disturbing to others, though it may well be all those things. It is a belief that, in at least some respects, is akin to Nazism."[22]

In October 2023, it was reported that David Gardner, a member of the party and treasurer of Forfar Community Council, had made racist and antisemitic comments and had taken part in a neo-Nazi chat group under a pseudonym.[23] [24] Garden responded to the article, describing it as a "hit piece".[25]

Later in October 2023, it was reported that James Munro, a member of the party, had been involved in the neo-Nazi group Scottish Nationalist Society.[26] The party responded that "Munro had been involved as a 'disenfranchised' teenager but had since 'grown up'".[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b "Leading Scottish writers and actors back anti-racism rally outside Erskine hotel". The National. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b Mackay, Neil (7 May 2023). "How UK far right extremists have been shattered by a Scottish-led rebellion". The Herald. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  3. ^ Morrison, Hamish (24 April 2023). "New far-right party 'eyeing power' following split from Patriotic Alternative". The National. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  4. ^ Hume, Tim (27 April 2023). "'Dangerous': The UK's Most Powerful Fascist Group Has Just Split in Two". Vice. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  5. ^ Taylor, Matthew; Cobain, Ian; Evans, Rob (3 February 2007). "Revealed: the front organisation set up by BNP members to raise money in the US". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  6. ^ Briggs, Billy (22 March 2023). "Patriotic Alternative Scotland voices support for man who pleaded guilty to terror charges". The Ferret. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
    - "Far-right extremists attempt 'hijack' of protest against asylum seeker hotel". The National. 1 February 2023. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  7. ^ Shipton, Martin (30 August 2023). "Neo-nazi worked for Welsh exam body WJEC". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  8. ^ Davis, Gregory; Lawrence, David (26 November 2021). "Patriotic Alternative: Britain's Fascist Threat" (PDF). Hope Not Hate. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  9. ^ "FOI 077-23" (PDF). Electoral Commission. 19 July 2023. p. 95. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Party registration decisions". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Registration summary - Homeland Party". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Party Policy". Homeland Party. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Registration summary - Homeland Party". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  14. ^ Martin Naylor (29 August 2023). "Man's alleged links to far-right group see shotgun appeal fail". The Derby Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Alleged Patriotic Alternative member admits terror charges". BBC News. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  16. ^ Martin Shipton (1 November 2023). "Neo-Nazi stood for Welsh nationalist party Gwlad at last Senedd election". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  17. ^ "#116: Raising The Banners (With Kenny Smith)". The Absolute State of Britain. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Barnsley Man Sentenced For Possessing Terrorist Material" (Press release). Counter Terrorism Policing UK. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Homeland: British fascism fractures" (PDF). Red Flare. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  20. ^ Homeland Party's channel on YouTube
  21. ^ Murrer, Sally (22 May 2023). "Right-wing 'English nationalist' loses discrimination case after being sacked by Open University in Milton Keynes over tweet to Star Wars actor". Milton Keynes Citizen. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  22. ^ "A. Cave v The Open University" (PDF). 26 May 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  23. ^ Mann, Jamie (15 October 2023). "Far right Homeland activists gain Scottish community councils seats". The Ferret. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  24. ^ Mann, Jamie (15 October 2023). "Politicians urge probes into councillors over far-right allegations". The National. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Democracy – but only for the left". Homeland Party. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  26. ^ Mann, Jamie (29 October 2023). "Former Scots neo-Nazi group member involved in Homeland". The Ferret. Retrieved 16 February 2024.



source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_Party_(Britain)