‘Nazi’ on trial over Jew-hate speech claims

A “SELF-PROCLAIMED Nazi” has gone on trial over comments he allegedly made at far-right rallies in which he described “international Jewry” as a “disease”.

The 22-year old from Lancashire, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to two counts of inciting racial hatred.

The court was played a video of the defendant giving a speech in Blackpool, in which he told the crowd: “You can call me Nazi, you can call me fascist. That is what I am”.

He said Britain had “fought the National Socialists, who were there to remove Jewry from Europe once and for all.

“Instead, we let these parasites live among us, and they still do.”

A transcript of a speech was shown to the jury, in which the defendant is alleged to have said Hitler showed too much mercy to the Jewish people and explained his support for the far-right National Action group.

Amber Rudd, Home Secretary, banned the group last year.

Matthew Brook, prosecuting, told the court the defendant was a “selfproclaimed Nazi… [who] hates the Jews. “This trial is about two speeches in which he made threatening and abusive comments about the Jewish race. When making those speeches he intended to stir up racial hatred. He wanted others to hate the Jews in the same way he does”.

The trial continues.

Six people have been arrested on suspicion of being members of National Action.

Five men and one woman, aged between 21 and 37, were detained by West Midlands Police under the Terrorism Act on Wednesday.

Police said the arrests were planned and there was no threat to public safety.

Officers were searching several properties in connection with the arrests.