National Action, a neo-Nazi group whose activity Student Rights has documented on numerous occasions, has issued more threats against UK universities and their students.
The group has a long history of campus activity, and Student Rights has previously logged evidence of the group at Coventry University and the University of Warwick, as well as appearances at University College London (UCL) and London Metropolitan University, and the University of Leeds.
Back in April 2014, National Action warned students of a “reign of terror” which, fortunately, failed to materialise.
The group has had little success and its activities at universities appear to have been limited to sporadic leaflet drops, such as those seen earlier this year at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University.
However, in its latest online report, the group ominously tells students:
“If you think a few stickers are the worst of your problems, just you wait what is in-store for you.”
The same report boasts that National Action now has 50 supporters across UK universities and publicises its latest activity in the West Midlands.
The group claims to have “hit” the University of Wolverhampton and has posted photos showing a number of recruitment posters plastered on street signs across Wolverhampton itself.
In a new move, National Action also appears to hope to exploit students’ current disillusion with student politics, writing:
“Fascist organisations like our own thrive in this kind of chaos and division, especially when the conclusion for many students will be ‘the moderates can’t break the deadlock, maybe the Nazi kids are right?’”
Universities must remain vigilant against this virulently racist organisation and not allow campuses to become recruiting grounds, however unlikely this prospect may seem.
This means safeguarding vulnerable students who may be drawn towards far-right movements and ensuring security measures are in place to stop far-right groups and propaganda appearing on campus.
National Action regularly shares Nazi imagery and Holocaust denial online. More worryingly, the group’s racist propaganda is backed by violent rhetoric, with the call “Gas the kikes, race war now!” heard at its conference last year. Members are also reported to carry weapons and practice martial arts.
The fact that a National Action member has been convicted for attempted murder for stabbing someone who “looked Asian” also shows how dangerous individual members of this group can be.
Universities must take these latest threats from National Action seriously and work with the police to ensure students are safe on campus. National Action’s latest report is a reminder that the far-right persists in targeting universities for recruitment purposes, and Student Rights will continue to follow these actions closely.