U.K. cracks down on neo-Nazis, fearing mega-terror attack
British police have arrested more neo-Nazis than usual over the past few months, according to a Jewish organization in charge of the community's security. The police say they fear a "spectacular" neo-Nazi attack against minorities.
A spokesman for the Community Security Trust (CST) told Haaretz that his organization has been aware of the police's concerns for some time now, but has not upped its already high level of surveillance.
"Over the past few months, we have seen a rise in the number of arrests of neo-Nazis," said Mark Gardner, adding that his organization warned last month that far-right groups may be plotting to attack. "We were surprised mainstream media did not report about this earlier."
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British media reported Wednesday that Commander Shaun Sawyer of London's counterterrorism unit told a meeting of the Muslim Safety Forum that senior officers had increased surveillance of neo-Nazi suspects, who may be intending to carry out "spectacular" attacks. However, Sawyer added, Al-Qaida remains the unit's top priority.
Gardner said that Islamist terrorism serves as a role model for neo-Nazis. "There is a desire in some far-right groups to copy the grand-scale sort of terrorist attacks that Al-Qaida groups have carried out," he said.
Neo-Nazis in the United States are also a "source of inspirations" for British white supremacists, he added.
Both Gardner and Jonathan Hoffman, co-vice chairman of Great Britain's Zionist Federation, linked the far right's heightened activity to the British National Party's unprecedented gains in the recent election for the European parliament: It won two seats, for the first time ever. This victory, combined with a "weak" Labor Party and the economic recession, "is fertile breeding ground for the extreme right wing," Hoffman said.
The level of alert and security around Jewish institutions has not changed since January, when Britain saw a record number of anti-Semitic incidents following Israel's invasion of Gaza, Gardner said. "Security is very high right now," he stressed. "It has not been raised because of neo-Nazi activity."
A spokesman for the Community Security Trust (CST) told Haaretz that his organization has been aware of the police's concerns for some time now, but has not upped its already high level of surveillance.
"Over the past few months, we have seen a rise in the number of arrests of neo-Nazis," said Mark Gardner, adding that his organization warned last month that far-right groups may be plotting to attack. "We were surprised mainstream media did not report about this earlier."
Advertisement
British media reported Wednesday that Commander Shaun Sawyer of London's counterterrorism unit told a meeting of the Muslim Safety Forum that senior officers had increased surveillance of neo-Nazi suspects, who may be intending to carry out "spectacular" attacks. However, Sawyer added, Al-Qaida remains the unit's top priority.
Gardner said that Islamist terrorism serves as a role model for neo-Nazis. "There is a desire in some far-right groups to copy the grand-scale sort of terrorist attacks that Al-Qaida groups have carried out," he said.
Neo-Nazis in the United States are also a "source of inspirations" for British white supremacists, he added.
Both Gardner and Jonathan Hoffman, co-vice chairman of Great Britain's Zionist Federation, linked the far right's heightened activity to the British National Party's unprecedented gains in the recent election for the European parliament: It won two seats, for the first time ever. This victory, combined with a "weak" Labor Party and the economic recession, "is fertile breeding ground for the extreme right wing," Hoffman said.
The level of alert and security around Jewish institutions has not changed since January, when Britain saw a record number of anti-Semitic incidents following Israel's invasion of Gaza, Gardner said. "Security is very high right now," he stressed. "It has not been raised because of neo-Nazi activity."
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