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Combat 18

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File:Combat18 skull.jpg
Combat 18 logo, which is based on the Totenkopf of the 3rd SS Division

Combat 18 (or C18) is a British neo-Nazi organization formed in 1992 after meetings between the group Blood & Honour and football hooligans such as the Chelsea Headhunters. The "18" in their name is commonly used by neo-Nazi groups, and is derived from the initials of Adolf Hitler; A and H are the first and eighth letters of the Latin alphabet.

History

The group was formed in the early 1990s in response to attacks by Anti-Fascist Action on meetings of the British National Party (BNP) and other far-right wing groups. C18 soon attracted national attention for its members' violent attacks on immigrants and its left-wing opponents. In 1992, it started publishing Redwatch magazine, which contained photographs, names and addresses of political opponents. The later, more well-known website of the same name was set up by Simon Sheppard, who had been expelled from the BNP for a matter unrelated to the website.[1]

At a February 15, 1995 football match in Dublin between England and the Republic of Ireland, English Combat 18 members started chants of "No surrender to the IRA!" after the Republic of Ireland team scored.[citation needed] English fans soon began smashing seats and assaulting Irish supporters. The game was called off, and riot police were brought in to deal with the hooligans.

Between 1998 and 2000, in dawn raids, dozens of Combat 18 members in the UK were arrested by the police on various charges in several operations conducted by Scotland Yard in co-operation with MI5. Those arrested included Steve Sargent (brother of Charlie Sargent), David Myatt, Andrew Frain, Jason Marriner, and also two serving British soldiers, Darren Theron (Parachute Regiment) and Carl Wilson (1st Battalion, The Queen's Lancashire Regiment).[2] [3] One of those whose house was raided was Adrian Marsden, who later became a councilor for the British National Party.[4] Several of those arrested were later jailed, including Frain (seven years) and Marriner (six years). The number of arrests led some to believe Combat 18 was a government operation to entrap Neo-Nazis.

A group calling itself the Racial Volunteer Force split from C18 in 2002, although they have retained close links to their parent organisation.[5]

Some journalists believed that the White Wolves were a C18 splinter group. They alleged that the group had been set up by Del O'Connor, the former second-in-command of C18 and notorious Skrewdriver Security member.[6] The document issued by the White Wolves announcing their formation has been attributed to David Myatt, whose Practical Guide to Aryan Revolution allegedly inspired nailbomber David Copeland.

Combat 18 in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, Combat 18 has tried to forge alliances with the different loyalist paramilitary groups.[citation needed] Most loyalists have remained strongly opposed to any such links, although former Ulster Defence Association "commander" Johnny Adair (a National Front member in his youth) encouraged the approaches.[citation needed] Some informal links remain, and some claim that many of the racist attacks in south Belfast in recent years have been carried out by Ulster Volunteer Force members sympathetic to the aims of Combat 18.

Combat 18 has been further blocked from expansion in Northern Ireland by loyalist support for Israel, whose flag is sometimes flown alongside the British Union Flag in loyalist areas.[7] Loyalists claim to identify to some extent with Israel's position as a small country under threat from more numerous enemies who have the sympathies of the wider world. Despite this, some believe that Combat 18 members have made links with loyalists in Coleraine and Bushmills. Combat 18 have stronger links with the Loyalist Volunteer Force than any other loyalist paramilitary group.[8]

Combat 18 outside the United Kingdom

According to Germany's internal security service, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), Combat 18 has member groups in France, Sweden, Germany and the United States (especially in Texas and Florida).[9] However, this may not be wholly correct, because the group remains widely discredited among other far right groups because of the honey-trap suspicions. Combat 18's use of the cell structure, and its call for "leaderless resistance" has remained popular among other unaligned groups. On October 28, 2003, German police officers conducted raids on 50 properties in Kiel and Flensburg believed to be linked to German supporters of the group.[10]

Notable members

Footnotes

  1. ^ http://www.heretical.org.uk/British/bhullbnp.html
  2. ^ http://republican-news.org/archive/1999/March11/11comb.html
  3. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1999/03/07/narm07.html
  4. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/programmes/2001/bnp_special/membership/organisers/adrian_marsden.stm
  5. ^ http://www.meta-religion.com/Extremism/White_extremism/Combat_18/combat_18.htm
  6. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/bombs/Story/0,2763,204778,00.html
  7. ^ http://www.allianceparty.org/news/1149.html
  8. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1999/08/22/nnazi22.html
  9. ^ http://www.adl.org/racist_skinheads/skinhead_alpha_list.asp
  10. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3220563.stm

Further reading

  • Lowles, Nick (2003). White Riot: The Violent Story of Combat 18. Milo Books. ISBN 1-903854-00-8.
  • O'Hara, Larry (1996). Searchlight for Beginners. Phoenix Press. ISBN 0-948984-33-3.
  • O'Hara, Larry (1994). Turning Up the Heat: MI5 After the Cold War. Phoenix Press. ISBN 0-948984-29-5.

See also


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