User:Flange/Sandbox1

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I’m a reporter from South East Kent covering the stories that the mainstream media manipulate. I show the truth, what’s actually happening, without any fabrications. No fake news here.
—Steve Laws, misrepresenting what he does

Migrant Hunters are predominantly far-right anti-migrant activists who hang around migrant entry points and turn up unannounced at migrant accommodation centres and hotels housing migrants to threaten and harass staff, security and the migrants themselves.[1][2] Some coming from the so-called "auditing" movement pose as citizen journalists, attempt to provoke reactions, and video their encounters for posting online as rage-bait. They also use leafleting, banners and online forums to further encite hatred and mass protest at the site. This agenda setting by post-organisational individuals jumped on by more formal far-right organisations such as Britain First and For Britain was noted by Hope Not Hate as something new.[3]

We're going on a migrant hunt[edit]

Over Summer 2020 a number of so-called "citizen journalists", including Alan "Active Patriot UK" Leggett, Neil "The Little Veteran" Marcham, Chris Johnson, Steve Laws and Christopher "Tyrant Finder UK" Batt, living out of their cars or in long-term hostels, filming the beaches of the south coast and chasing down any arriving migrants. These videos from the "front line" went viral on far right social media reonforcing the false narrative of a migrant invasion.[3]

In November 2021, an injunction hearing brought by the Port of Dover at Canterbury Crown Court against Legett, Marcham, Laws and Tracey "XxTWxX" Wiseman banned from entering the Eastern and Western Docks in Dover, with Leggett and Marcham solemnly promising not to intimidate new arrivals.[4]

Many of these "journalist" obtained fake press credentials from the "English Press Association" (not to be confused with the actual Press AssociationWikipedia) by paying £120 to the equally fake "The Workers of England Union" affiliated with the "English TUC" (not to be confused with the real Trades Union CongressWikipedia) formed by far right-wing, anti-immigrant, racists from the English Democrats.[5] Following a High Court injuction the organisational affiliation on the cards was changed to the "English Media Group".[6]

Who's who of hunters[edit]

Alan "Active Patriot UK" Leggett[edit]

I wasn't derogatory to any immigrants yesterday...
—Alan Leggett[4]

Alan Leggett aka Active Patriot UK is a far-right racist, islamophobe and antisemite who has been described by Tommy Robinson as "our man on the ground".[7][3] Leggett, who was radicalised in 2017 following the Manchester Arena bombing,Wikipedia[8] came to prominence live-streaming speeches and making loving montages from the protests outside Robinson’s 2019 Old Bailey trial. By the end of 2020 Leggett had established himself as a Robinson-style “citizen journalist” documenting cross-Channel migration and spearheading an explosion in anti-migrant activism. Following a November 2021 injunction hearing promise not to intimidate new arrivals,[4] Leggett toured seven northern towns streaming reactions to "screenings" on a portable screen in public locations (often outside police stations) of his "documentary" on so-called "Muslim grooming gangs" pushing the "migrants are sexual predators" narrative.[9] In 2022, Leggett teamed up with Amanda Smith (aka Yorkshire Rose) to travel the country filming themselves harassing staff and residents at migrant accommodation, which eventually resulted in them being banned from West Yorkshire.[10] A subsequent legal case related to a video from 2020[11][12] resulted in further sanctions including a 10-month suspended custodial sentence[13][14] with Judge Simon Taylor stating:

What I see is disgraceful conduct, not only racist and misogynistic but also cowardly and it undermines British values and British society, things you claim to hold dear. There is nothing to be proud of in your conduct.[12]

His YouTube channel has also subsequently been taken down.[15]

Nigel "The Little Veteran" Marcham[edit]

Nigel Marcham aka The Little Veteran is a far-right anti-migrant activist described by Hope Not Hate as a "foul-mouthed reprobate".[3] Marcham was part of the initial core group of so-called "citizen journalists" filming the beaches of the south coast and in September 2020 organized a protest which closed the Port of Dover.[16] However, following a November 2021 injunction hearing promise not to intimidate new arrivals,[4] Marcham reduced his migrant hunting output and increasingly posted COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories instead.[3]

Amanda "Yorkshire Rose" Smith[edit]

Amanda Smith aka Yorkshire Rose is a racist conspiracy theorist who describes herself as a “real journalist”[17] while real journalists describe her as Britain's most prolific "migrant hunter".[18]

References[edit]

  1. Migrant-Hunters Hope Not Hate
  2. The money grabbing “Migrant Hunters” (12 March 2021) Antifascist Research Collective
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 State of Hate 2021: Backlash, Conspiracies & Confrontation Hope Not Hate
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Far-right activists, including Suffolk man, promise not to 'abuse migrants' during English Channel crossing protests (12 November 2021) SuffolkNews
  5. The Workers of England Union Explained (10 March 2022) Hope Not Hate
  6. PA wins High Court injunction against union issuing ‘fake’ press passes to ‘citizen journalists’ (13 January 2021) PA Media
  7. CASE FILE: Alan Leggett ("Active Patriot") Hope Not Hate
  8. The wedding DJ who wants to stop migrant boats by Sue Mitchell (1 November 2020) BBC News
  9. State of Hate 2022: On The March Again Hope Not Hate
  10. State of Hate 2023: Rhetoric, Racism & Resentment Hope Not Hate
  11. Far-right 'Active Patriot' denies posting racist YouTube video by Sean Axtell (25 May 2022) Kent Online
  12. 12.0 12.1 Far-right YouTube activist Active Patriot – Alan Leggett of Cleethorpes – branded racist by judge at Canterbury Crown Court by Julia Roberts (16 November 2023) Kent Online
  13. YouTuber sentenced for antisemitic abuse during online livestream (16 November 2023) Crown Prosecution Service
  14. YouTuber sentenced for antisemitic abuse during livestream, CPS says by Anahita Hossein-Pour (16 November 2023) The Independent
  15. State of Hate 2024: Pessimism, Decline & the Rising Radical Right Hope Not Hate
  16. Port of Dover is brought to a standstill by far-right groups by Mark Townsend (5 Sep 2020) The Observer
  17. ‘Migrant hunts’ double in one year by Matt Dathan, Dominic Kennedy and Ben Ellery (February 17, 2023) The Times
  18. ‘Are You Paying for this Room?’ Three Years of Far-Right Attacks on Migrant Hotels by Sian Norris (February 28, 2023) Byline Times