Mark Collett
Mark Adrian Collett (born 3 October 1980) is a former chairman of the Young BNP, the youth division of the British National Party (BNP), and is Director of Publicity for the Party[1]. From Rothley, he was educated at Loughborough Grammar School and the University of Leeds where he gained a 2.2 in Economics. [2]
Collett has been widely rumoured to be gay, particularly after his homo-erotic semi-nakedness was broadcast during a Channel 4 documentary on the BNP, Young, Nazi, and Proud - aired in November 2002 and which concentrated almost exclusively on Collett. Collett declared his admiration for Adolf Hitler and UDA terrorist Johnny Adair, unaware he was being filmed. Collett was sacked from his position in the party days after the broadcast, although party leaders continued to share speaking platforms with him. Collett is now the party's head of publicity and produces the party's monthly magazine Identity[3].
As a result of a police investigation into another documentary, BBC1's The Secret Agent, which in July 2004 broadcast secret footage of alleged racist activities, Collett, then aged 24, was bailed on race hate offences at Leeds magistrates' court on 7 April 2005 alongside party founder John Tyndall and party leader Nick Griffin. The trial ended on 2 February 2006 after a jury acquitted Collett of two charges of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred, and two alternative charges of using words likely to stir up racial hatred. The jury failed to reach a verdict in respect of a further four charges. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently announced that he and Nick Griffin would face a retrial on the remaining charges of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred. This retrial began at Leeds Crown Court on 1 November 2006 and he and Griffin were found not guilty.[4]
On Russell Brand's 2002 TV show RE:Brand, Mark Collett described homosexuals as "AIDS Monkeys", "bum bandits" and "faggots".[5] As seen on the documentary, Young, Nazi and Proud, Collett said that he considered AIDS a “friendly disease because blacks, drug users and gays have it."[6]
Elections contested
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Leeds Central | BNP | 1201 | 4.1 | The Guardian, 7 May 2005 |
See also
References
- ^ Identity, "Editorial Team", (retrieved 10 June 2009)
- ^ Channel 4 Documentary - Dispatches: Young, Nazi and Proud (2002)
- ^ Editorial team, Identity website, accessed 26 Nov 2008
- ^ BBC NEWS | UK | England | Bradford | BNP leader cleared of race hate
- ^ "Naziboy". RE:Brand. UK Play.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ What the jury did not hear - Times Online