Updated Wednesday 06 Mar 2024

CASE FILE: The Woodlander Initiative

Name The Woodlander Initiative
Tags Nazi, Fascist and Ethnonationalist
Categories Organisation
Related People/Groups The Fyrgen
Years Active 2023 – Present
Active Areas England

 

The Woodlander Initiative is a land-buying scheme spearheaded by Simon Birkett (AKA Woodlander), a Wiltshire-based tattoo artist and long-standing far-right activist.

Birkett, who has a past in the National Front, the British National Party and the Conservative Party, has been on the fringes of Patriotic Alternative (PA) since 2020. From his self-built, “off grid” cabin in the Warminster area, Birkett runs a YouTube channel and appears on various fascist streams, usually to give advice about homesteading.

In June 2023, Birkett launched the The Woodlander Initiative, a land-buying scheme aimed at far-right activists and conspiracy theorists. Purchasing land is a long-standing aspiration for many on the far right, who desire a space in which they can host events with fewer risks. With funding from its shareholders, The Woodlander Initiative has the long-term aim of owning land in every county in the UK.

Alongside Birkett, the other director of the venture is Joe Knight (AKA Wessex Nomad), an online content creator from Somerset. Dan Capp (AKA The Fyrgen), covered elsewhere in this report, is also heavily involved in the project, building its website. Others include Craig Whyte (AKA Ruffian Dick), a former co-host of the now-defunct fascist podcast, The Absolute State of Britain, who was outed by HOPE not hate in 2021. Senior members of PA have invested in shares, as have members of the Homeland Party.

As of December 2023, The Woodlander Initiative claims to have 400 members, to have raised £100,000 and to to be in the process of finalising a plot purchase.

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