A new report from HOPE not hate takes a look inside Patriotic Alternative, the UK’s most active fascist organisation, and its splinter groups.
Patriotic Alternative (PA) was rocked by splits this year, with a breakaway of ex-members forming the new Homeland Party in April. Other offshoots include Alek Yerbury’s National Support Detachment, as well as the tiny Independent Nationalist Network and Highland Division.
Despite these splits weakening PA, it remains the biggest fascist group in the UK.
PA and its offshoots have been among the most active far-right groups targeting migrant and asylum seeker accommodation. These groups try and pose as representatives of local residents and then infiltrate or co-opt community campaigns. The aim is to build support, to recruit and to spread their hate.
HOPE not hate has broken down the areas where PA, Homeland and Alek Yerbury’s National Support Detachment have been active around the country.
A number of people linked to PA have been convicted of terror-related or race hate offences, five of whom have received prison sentences in the last year alone.
These include activist James Costello, who was recently sentenced to five years for 19 counts of stirring up racial hatred and was present at the riot in Kirkby in February 2023, as well as member James Allchurch, also serving time for race hate offences, and Kristopher Kearney, who served as PA’s “Fitness Officer” and is currently behind bars for sharing terror-related material. PA-linked Ashley Podsiad-Sharp, Alex Davies and Elliot Brown are all also serving time for terror-related offences.
Frustrated with PA’s slow progress in becoming a political party, many of PA’s most effective organisers defected to the new Homeland Party in April 2023.
Homeland has so far been unsuccessful in registering as a political party. However, a handful of activists have infiltrated parish and community councils, the lowest tier of local government.
“Despite being wounded by splits, Patriotic Alternative remains the most active fascist group in the UK.
PA and its offshoots, including the Homeland Party, pose a real threat to communities across the country. These organisations pose as ‘family friendly’ in order to to infiltrate communities and whip up hate, particularly around asylum seeker accommodation.
PA is a neo-Nazi organisation and a number of current and former activists hold serious criminal convictions. The overwhelming majority of the public would quickly reject the group if they were honest about what they stood for.
All the same, we cannot ignore the threat that they pose.”
