Martin Sellner, the face of the Europe-wide far-right youth movement Generation Identity (GI), was due to speak on “threats to speech in the modern world” to a crowd of GI members and supporters at London Hyde Park’s Speakers’ Corner on the afternoon of 11 March.
According to a statement put out by the British GI branch, however, both Sellner and his partner – US alt-right vlogger Brittany Pettibone – were refused entry by UK Border Police at Luton airport after arriving early Friday afternoon. At the time of writing, reports from those who claim to have spoken to Pettibone suggest that both have been detained and whilst Sellner’s status is unknown, she is due to be deported to Vienna Sunday evening.
The British GI went ahead with the event, assembling on the pavement outside Speakers’ Corner to read Sellner’s ‘free speech‘ talk to a crowd of between 30-40 people.
A crowd is gathering at #SpeakersCorner in Hyde Park, London for much-hyped @GeneratIdentity rally this morning. Members of GI are handing out leaflets in advance of speech. pic.twitter.com/WCDKJBkLsK
— HOPE not hate (@hopenothate) March 11, 2018
Four short speeches were made, two from GI London activists – a member believed to be called Adam and a Charlie Fox (AKA Charlie ‘Roberts’) – as well a Benjamin Jones from GI Scotland and a member of the GI Ireland and Northern Ireland branch.
Speeches at @GeneratIdentity rally took place on the pavement outside Hyde Park in the end… some familiar EDL faces in attendance pic.twitter.com/EmeujsbPqx
— HOPE not hate (@hopenothate) March 11, 2018
Also in attendance were prominent members including Tore Rasmussen, understood to be a key organiser of UK activity and GI UK and Ireland’s main liaison with the wider European GI network, as well as Jordan Diamond (AKA ‘James Windsor’), who was the initial leader of GI UK and Ireland though his current status is unclear.
In addition to members of the more well-known English Defence League, supporters of the Football Lads Alliance were also in the crowd.
The Football Lads Alliance (FLA), a hooligan-led street movement that was able to mobilise up to 50,000 people onto the streets of London last October in the wake of tragic terror attacks. “Lads” is used as a euphemism for current and ex-football hooligans. Recently, the “alliance” has succumbed to increasing splinters.
GI is a pan-European far-right movement launched in 2012 and known for its provocative stunts, usually aimed at Muslims and immigrants.
The group uses veiled terms to hide the extremity of its beliefs, for example advocating “ethnopluralism”, the idea that different ethnic groups are equal but ought to live in separation. In practice, this means racial segregation. Leaflets handed out at the Hyde Park event exemplified this approach, claiming GI is for Europeans “without a migration background”.
GI’s Martin Sellner became a celebrity on the international far right for leading “Defend Europe” in the summer of 2017, the failed mission of European identitarian activists to impede the life-saving search-and-rescue missions of NGOs in the Mediterranean.
Sellner planned to resort to addressing Speakers’ Corner after his scheduled address to UKIP’s youth wing, Young Independence (YI), was scrapped after their venue cancelled the booking. This was the second time YI have failed to host Sellner, after a scheduled event was cancelled in September due to fear of protests.
Sellner’s attempts to launch GI in the UK has been met with multiple difficulties. Soon after its launch in October 2017 the group suffered acute embarrassment when it was revealed that ITV, with the help of HOPE not hate, had infiltrated the group and secretly filmed its activities, catching Sellner using racist language and discussing the “Jewish Question”.
Despite this, GI’s UK branch has become increasingly active in recent months, and the European-wide GI plans to hold a major conference in London in April.
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