Editing Martin Webster

{{Short description|British neo-nazi (b.1943)}}
{{For|the Archdeacon of Harlow|Martin Webster (priest)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name         = Martin Webster
| image        =
| caption      =
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1943|5|14|df=y}}
| birth_place  = 
| residence    = 
| death_date   = 
| death_place  = 
| office       = National Activities Organiser<br />of the [[National Front (UK)|National Front]]
| term_start   = 1969
| term_end     = 1983
| predecessor  = 
| successor    = 
| party        = [[League of Empire Loyalists]],<br />[[National Socialist Movement (UK, 1962)|National Socialist Movement]]<br /> 1962–1964<br />[[Greater Britain Movement]]<br />1964–1967<br />[[National Front (UK)|National Front]]<br />1967–1983<br />Our Nation<br />1983
| constituency = 
| majority     = 
| spouse       = 
| children     = 
| footnotes    =
}}

'''Martin Guy Alan Webster''' (born 14 May 1943) is a British [[neo-Nazi]], a former leading figure on the [[far-right politics in the United Kingdom|far-right in the United Kingdom]].<ref name="copsey">{{cite book |last=Copsey |first=Nigel |title=Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy |location=Basingstoke |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2004 |pages=inter alia |isbn=1-4039-0214-3}}</ref> An early member of the [[National Labour Party (UK, 1957)|National Labour Party]] (NLP), he was [[John Tyndall (far-right activist)|John Tyndall]]'s closest ally, and followed him in joining the original [[British National Party (1960)|British National Party]] (BNP), the [[National Socialist Movement (UK, 1962)|National Socialist Movement]] (NSM) and the [[Greater Britain Movement]]. Webster also spent time in prison for helping to organise a [[paramilitary]] organisation, Spearhead, and was convicted under the [[Public Order Act 1936]]. Rumours of his [[homosexuality]] led to him becoming vilified in far-right circles, and he quietly disappeared from the political scene.

==Early political activism==
An early member of the [[Young Conservatives (UK)|Young Conservatives]], from which he claimed to have been expelled, Webster was associated loosely with the [[League of Empire Loyalists]] until he joined the [[National Socialist Movement (UK, 1962)|National Socialist Movement]] (NSM) in 1962.<ref>Martin Walker, ''The National Front'', Glasgow: Fontana Collins, 1977, p. 45</ref> He became Tyndall's closest ally within the NSM, and followed him in joining the [[Greater Britain Movement]].<ref name="copsey9">Copsey, pp&nbsp;8–9</ref> Webster also spent time in prison for knocking [[Jomo Kenyatta]] to the ground outside the [[London Hilton on Park Lane|London Hilton hotel]], and for helping to organise the paramilitary organisation Spearhead.<ref>Gerry Gable [http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/features/century/cbf.php?include=page6 "A Century of British Fascism1958-1968 Rivers of blood – Fascists begin to unite"], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525130306/http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/features/century/cbf.php?include=page6 |date=25 May 2011 }} ''Searchlight'' website, [c.2000].</ref> He was convicted under the [[Public Order Act 1936]].<ref>Copsey, pp.&nbsp;13–14</ref> He attracted further notice in 1972 when he was recorded as saying, "We are busy setting up a well-oiled Nazi machine in this country."<ref name="A">{{cite news |work=The Listener |location=London |date=December 1972}}</ref>

==National Front==
===With Tyndall===
He continued to be a lieutenant to Tyndall, and followed him into the [[National Front (UK)|National Front]] (NF). Webster proved an early success in the NF, being appointed National Activities Organiser in 1969,<ref name="copseyp16">Copsey, p. 16.</ref> and from that position effectively shared the leadership of the party with Tyndall until 1974. Webster clashed with Tyndall's replacement [[John Kingsley Read]], and the clash set in motion Kingsley Read's downfall, allowing Tyndall to return to the leadership.<ref name="copseyp16" /> Webster later broke with Tyndall, while remaining one of the most prominent figures in the NF during the subsequent chairmanship of [[Andrew Brons]].<ref>Copsey, pp.&nbsp;23–24.</ref>

Shortly after the police decided, under the Public Order Act 1936, to ban an NF march through [[Hyde, Greater Manchester|Hyde]] town centre on the grounds that it was likely to be a focus of "serious disturbances", Webster announced in October 1977 that there would be two NF marches, the second being conducted by him alone. Watched by a crowd of members of the public and surrounded by an estimated 2,500 police, he marched down the main street of Hyde carrying a [[Union Flag]] and a sign reading "Defend British [[Free Speech]] from Red Terrorism". Webster was allowed to march, as 'one man' did not constitute a breaking of the ban. The tactic split the [[Anti-Nazi League]] (ANL) in two and made a farce of the ban, while attracting more media publicity for the NF.<ref>[http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2010/03/mossad%25E2%2580%2599s-one-million-helpers-world-wide/] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723121101/http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2010/03/mossad%E2%80%99s-one-million-helpers-world-wide/|date=23 July 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/authors/Webster-Mossad_files/OneManMarch08-10-1977.jpg JPG image dated to 8 October 1977] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723121126/http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/authors/Webster-Mossad_files/OneManMarch08-10-1977.jpg |date=23 July 2011 }}. theoccidentalobserver.net</ref><ref>{{YouTube|eTNfWM-IRzA|Martin Webster of the NF Marching Alone Through Hyde, 1977}}. Retrieved 30 April 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.dkrenton.co.uk/anl/northw.htm Anti-fascism in Manchester, Liverpool and elsewhere in the North West] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327233111/http://www.dkrenton.co.uk/anl/northw.htm |date=27 March 2015}}. Dkrenton.co.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012.</ref>

In 1982, Webster – after making claims about the activities of the ANL – was sued for libel by [[Peter Hain]], then one of its leading members. In court, he admitted that ANL activity had severely damaged the NF.<ref>D Renton, [http://www.dkrenton.co.uk/anl/anl_movement.html The Anti-Nazi League as social movement] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807170749/http://www.dkrenton.co.uk/anl/anl_movement.html |date=7 August 2011 }}</ref><ref>Ed Vulliamy (4 March 2007). [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/mar/04/race.otherparties?INTCMP=SRCH "Blood and glory"]. ''The Observer''. London.</ref>

===Later NF activity and expulsion===
Rumours of Webster's homosexuality led to his becoming vilified within right-wing nationalist circles, and he also fell foul of the [[Political Soldier]] wing of the NF. In 1983, they ensured that he lost his position as National Activities Organiser, then deprived him of his place on the National Directorate, before expelling him from the party altogether along with his ally Michael Salt.<ref>Copsey, p. 34.</ref>

==Our Nation==
Webster briefly attempted to lead his own group, Our Nation, although this was to prove unsuccessful.<ref>Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley, ''Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations'', Pinter (2000) p 192</ref> He viewed his new movement as being along the lines of the NF before the resignation of Tyndall; however, they had clashed before the expulsion, and so Webster was not invited to join Tyndall's [[British National Party]] (BNP). Webster sought out [[Françoise Dior]], who had by then split from [[Colin Jordan]] and returned to [[France]], as a source of funding.<ref>[[Gerry Gable|G. Gable]], "The Far Right in the United Kingdom", L. Cheles, R. Ferguson & M. Vaughan (eds.), ''Neo-Fascism in Europe'', London: Longman, 1991, p. 252</ref> Despite managing to secure a small sum from Dior, he soon found that his low reputation across the far right made it very difficult for him to attract members to his movement. Although long-standing activist [[Denis Pirie]] played a role in organising the group, his input was cut short by newspaper articles revealing that he had been involved whilst employed at a high level in the civil service.<ref>R. Hill & A. Bell, ''The Other Face of Terror'', London: Grafton, 1988, p. 206.</ref> As a result, Our Nation never really got off the ground; before long Webster was forced to abandon his plans. He was not admitted to the [[Flag Group]] after [[Ian Anderson (British politician)|Ian Anderson]] had supported his initial expulsion from the NF (despite being otherwise an opponent of [[Nick Griffin]] and [[Patrick Harrington (activist)|Patrick Harrington]]).{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

==Current activity==
Webster has been semi-retired from political activity for some time (although he was associated with [[Lady Birdwood]] before her death).<ref>Nick Lowles, [http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=template&story=80 "A very English extremist"], ''[[Searchlight (magazine)|Searchlight]]''</ref> He re-emerged in 1999, to claim that he had a four-year homosexual affair with Nick Griffin (in 1999, the newly elected BNP leader) that had begun in the mid-1970s, when Griffin was a teenager.<ref>Copsey, p. 111.</ref> Griffin has denied any such relationship.<ref>{{cite news |last=Anthony |first=Andrew |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2002/sep/01/features.magazine37 |title=Flying the flag |location=London |work=The Observer |date=1 September 2002 |access-date=19 June 2009}}</ref>

Webster composes occasional e-bulletins,<ref>"Electronic Watch on Zion" [http://www.nwn-forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=208 Martin Webster - CURRICULUM VITAE]{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> under the title "Electronic Loose Cannon",{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} and "Electronic Watch on Zion".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jrbooksonline.com/Martin_Webster_01.htm|title=The Electronic Watch on Zion}}</ref> He has also written for the ''[[Occidental Observer]]'' website.<ref>[http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/author/martin-webster/  Occidental Observer website]</ref>

In 2010, Webster spoke at the 29th meeting of the [[New Right (UK)|New Right]], giving a lecture on the Middle East conflict in favour of the [[Palestinian]] cause. In August 2011, he spoke at the 29th New Right meeting on Justice for the Palestinians.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}

==Elections contested==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date of election !! Constituency !! Party !! Votes !! %
|-
| [[1973 West Bromwich by-election|24 May 1973 (by-election)]] || [[West Bromwich (UK Parliament constituency)|West Bromwich]] || [[British National Front|NF]] || 4,789 || 16.0
|-
| [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974]] || [[West Bromwich East]] || NF || 2,907 || 7.0
|-
| [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979]] || [[Bethnal Green and Bow]] || NF || 1,740 || 6.1
|-
| [[1982 Peckham by-election|28 October 1982 (by-election)]] || [[Peckham (UK Parliament constituency)|Peckham]] || NF || 874 || 3.9
|}

==See also==
*[[National Front (UK)]]
*[[White supremacy]]

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

{{UK far right}}
{{Neo-Nazism}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Martin}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English criminals]]
[[Category:English neo-Nazis]]
[[Category:English politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:English people convicted of assault]]
[[Category:English gay politicians]]
[[Category:National Front (UK) politicians]]
[[Category:People convicted on terrorism charges]]