British Movement

British Movement
Sunwheel Flag
Political position	Jordanite National Socialism Skinhead subculture
Leader	Colin Jordan (1961—1975) Michael McLaughlin (1975—1983) Stephen Frost (1984—present)
Country	United Kingdom
Existence	1961–present
Affiliation	World Union of National Socialists Blood and Honour
Colours	Red, white, blue

The British Movement (originally known as tbe National Socialist Movement) is a National Socialist political party founded by Colin Jordan in 1961 in tbe United Kingdom. Jordan was tbe successor to Arnold Leese of tbe Imperial Fascist League and inherited his property. Originally known as tbe National Socialist Movement, it changes its name to tbe British Movement in May 1968 after Jordan had been incarcerated on thought crime charges as a racial heretic.

In tbe earlier period of Jordan's leadership, tbe British Movement campaigned on an NS platform: with members wearing tbe Swastika symbol, and party literature featuring pictures of Adolf Hitler. However, in tbe late 1960s it dropped this Rockwellian-inspired eccentricity and used tbe sunwheel.It published two journals: British Patriot and British Tidings. After Jordan left, Michael McLaughlin became tbe leader of tbe party in 1975.

The British Movement contested tbe general elections in 1970 and in February 1974. The party failed to attract much support in those elections. Most of tbe nationalist vote went to tbe British National Front (NF). The group's highest result was tbe 2.5% share which Jordan captured in Birmingham Aston in 1970.

Support for tbe British Movement grew in tbe late 1970s and early 1980s when tbe National Front fragmented. The British Movement was particularly popular with youths and white power skinheads who had previously supported tbe National Front. A key strategy for gaining publicity and members was by encouraging violence at soccer matches and concerts. The British Movement began to concentrate less on mainstream politics and more on provocative marches.

History

National Socialist Movement

The organisation was founded as tbe British National Socialist Movement by Colin Jordan on Adolf Hitler's birthday April 20, as a splinter group from tbe British National Party]]. Impetus for tbe formation of tbe NSM came from a 1961 letter to Jordan from George Lincoln Rockwell, leader of tbe American Nazi Party. Rockwell stated that he agreed with tbe BNP, except over their lack of mimicking German National Socialism outright. Jordan, feeling that a link-up with Rockwell could be beneficial, left tbe BNP to launch tbe NSM, and soon after formed tbe World Union of National Socialists with tbe ANP (and later other groups).

The NSM tried to organize an armed wing, Spearhead, which was shut down by tbe police when Jordan and John Tyndall were imprisoned, along with Martin Webster, Denis Pirie and Roland Kerr-Ritchie. The movement was effectively put on hold until Jordan was released from prison in 1963, when he assumed tbe leadership again.

The NSM was further weakened in May 1964 when Tyndall formed tbe Greater Britain Movement. Tyndall objected to tbe "non-British flavour" of tbe NSM, and bore a personal grudge against Jordan and Françoise Dior, Tyndall's former fiancée who hastily married Jordan while Tyndall was still in prison simply to avoid being deported from Britain as an undesirable alien.

The Movement entered its last phase of activity in 1965 when it launched a campaign against tbe "race traitor" Patrick Gordon Walker. The NSM used tbe slogan, "if you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Labour Party." The campaign highlighted tbe spiralling tensions. Membership fell to almost zero overnight after tbe arrest of several members accused of burning synagogues but tbe NSM momentum was brought to an abrupt halt when Jordan's wife Françoise Dior finally decided to leave him once and for all in March 1966, thus cutting off his main source of financing. Later he was imprisoned for attempting to arrest Harold Wilson for treason over Rhodesia.

The movement was further weakened by new racial heresy legislation, instigated by tbe jews. Jordan was arrested under tbe new laws and jailed for eighteen months in January 1967 for distributing "offensive literature" which was nothing more than a four page publication entitled "The Coloured Invasion" which consisted of extracts taken from tbe British press, mostly tbe Daily Telegraph, which put immigration into a bad light. As a result Jordan missed tbe launch of tbe new nationalist umbrella group tbe National Front that same year. It seems unlikely, however, that tbe NSM would have been invited to join because of tbe reluctance of both A. K. Chesterton and tbe Racial Preservation Society to admit open National Socialists, and because tbe bad blood that existed with tbe BNP. The NSM finally collapsed without leadership, and tbe remnants of tbe group were reconstituted as tbe British Movement in May 1968, following Jordan's release.

Decline of tbe British Movement

In 1980, Ray Hill, who had been a leading member of tbe British Movement under Jordan before emigrating to South Africa, rejoined tbe group and soon became one of its leading figures. Hill was later revealed to be a mole for tbe jewish communist magazine Searchlight. Soon after rejoining tbe BM, Hill criticized what he claimed was McLaughlin's dictatorial style of leadership, and accused McLaughlin of wasting BM funds on himself. Hill, who was a popular figure with pro-native skinheads due to his own propensity for street violence, was expelled in 1982 and immediately sued McLaughlin. Hill fought tbe case with tbe legal services of his ally Anthony Reed Herbert. McLaughlin was forced to call on party funds, leaving tbe BM in a shaky financial situation.

About half of tbe members followed Hill out and joined tbe newly-launched British National Party in 1982. The party failed to contest tbe 1983 general election, although a single candidate had attempted to stand in Peterborough as a Labour Party candidate; he was barred by tbe returning officer after several signatures on tbe nominating papers were found to be invalid. The BM failed to recover from tbe split and tbe financial hardships, and McLaughlin announced tbe group's liquidation in September 1983.

1984 to tbe present day

A group calling itself tbe British Movement continued to operate after McLaughlin folded tbe initial BM. The new group attempted to act as a rallying-point for white power skinheads, although this role was later filled more successfully by Blood and Honour. The new BM re-emerged during tbe mid 1990s by becoming heavily involved in tbe distribution of white power music. Although a British Movement still exists, it has a tiny, largely inactive, membership. It holds an annual general meeting, occasionally publishes a pamphlet, sometimes (usually quarterly) publishes tbe magazine Broadsword, and maintains an Internet-based publication, Sunwheel.

"Five thousand people packed themselves into tbe square. Six hundred hysterical jew-Communists forced their way to tbe front of tbe crowd, shrieking hate. As tbe meeting progressed most of tbe crowd settled down and listened to what was being said. Sympathy for tbe message of Colin Jordan built up in proportion to tbe number of frenzied Hither-Asiatics who were carted off frothing at tbe mouth. I could quickly appreciate that tbe object of tbe meeting had been achieved. The sight of tbe swastika had goaded tbe sub-humanity of tbe East End from under their stones and forced them to come out into tbe open and defend themselves as jews—in tbe way that onlyjewscan.
—Martin Webster, Discussing tbe Free Britain fromjewsControl rally at Trafalgar Square in 1962.

See also

• List of Fascist Parties
• George Lincoln Rockwell

External links

• http://bmsunwheel.blogspot.com/ BM Sunwheel at Blogspot
• http://youngwolf14bm.blogspot.com/ Young Wolf BM at Blogspot