Mark Collett | |
|---|---|
| Leader ofPatriotic Alternative | |
| Assumed office July 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark Adrian Collett October 1980 (age 45)[1] Rothley, England |
| Political party | Patriotic Alternative (2019–present) British National Party (2002–2010) |
| Education | Loughborough Grammar School |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds |
| Occupation | Political activist |
| Known for | Former chairman ofYouth BNP, founder and leader ofPatriotic Alternative |
Mark Adrian Collett (/ˈkɒlɪt/; born October 1980) is a Britishneo-Nazipolitical activist.[2][3] He was the chairman of theYoung BNP, the youth division of theBritish National Party (BNP), and was director of publicity for the party.
Collett first drew media attention after his appearance in a 2002 British TV documentary, where, in his role as a representative of the BNP, he made statements celebrating the death of Africans and homosexuals from HIV-AIDS, specifically referring to them as "AIDS monkeys". After the documentary was aired onChannel 4, resulting in negative publicity for the BNP, Collett was briefly expelled from the party. He later rejoined the BNP, until his membership was suspended in 2010, following an internal conflict with party leadership.
Since 2010, Collett has concentrated on his online political commentary, in which he promotes white supremacy, neo-Nazism, and conspiracy theories about Jews.[4] In 2019, he founded afar-right,fascist andwhite nationalisthate group calledPatriotic Alternative.[5][6]
In 2020, he was suspended from Twitter.[7]
FromRothley, Collett was educated atLoughborough Grammar School and theUniversity of Leeds, where he received a lower second-class honours degree in business economics.[8]
Collett featured in aChannel 4 documentary on the BNP,Young, Nazi and Proud, broadcast in 2002 which concentrated almost exclusively on Collett. He declared his admiration forAdolf Hitler and said that he considered AIDS a "friendly disease because blacks, drug users and gays have it", unaware he was being recorded.[8][9] Collett made similar remarks while onRussell Brand's 2002 TV showRE:Brand, in which he described homosexuals as "AIDS Monkeys", "bum bandits" and "faggots".[10] Collett was sacked from his position in the party and expelled days after the Channel 4 documentary was broadcast, although party leaders continued to share speaking platforms with him. However he was allowed to rejoin a few days later with chairmanNick Griffin saying that he must change his views on the subject. Collett was the party's head of publicity and produced its monthly magazine,Identity.[11]
As a result of a police investigation into another documentary,BBC One'sThe Secret Agent, which in July 2004 broadcast secret footage of Collett making derogatory remarks about asylum seekers, whom he called "cockroaches",[9] Collett, then aged 24, was bailed on race hate offences atLeeds magistrates' court on 7 April 2005 alongside party founderJohn Tyndall and party leaderNick Griffin. Thetrial ended on 2 February 2006 after a juryacquitted 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.
TheCrown Prosecution Service subsequently announced that Collett and Griffin would face a retrial on the remaining charges of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred. This retrial began atLeeds Crown Court on 1 November 2006 and he and Griffin were found not guilty.[12]
In October 2009, Collett and the BNP's record label executive Joseph Barber were interviewed onBBC Radio 1'sNewsbeat bulletin, being introduced only as "Mark and Joey, two young guys who are members of the BNP". They said that the England international footballerAshley Cole was not "ethnically British" due to having black heritage.[13] An internal inquiry at the BBC criticised the interviewers for not identifying the pair by their full names and positions in the BNP, and for not sufficiently challenging their remarks about Cole.[14]
In April 2010, Collett was sacked from his job as BNP publicity chief and suspended from the party for being supportive of a leadership bid against Griffin, and was subsequently arrested by Humberside police, who questioned him over alleged threats to kill Griffin.[15] Despite the reinstatement of Collett's party membership he did not stand for the party in the May 2010 general election. He had previously been selected as BNP candidate inSheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, to challenge the then-Home SecretaryDavid Blunkett.[16]
Humberside Police did not bring charges against Collett over the allegations of threats to kill, formally dismissing them later in 2010.[17]
During the2016 EU referendum campaign, Collett was seen campaigning forVote Leave and was featured in news articles by daily newspapers, alongside his neo-Nazi partner Eva Van Housen.BBC News later reported that Vote Leave demanded Collett and Van Housen stop using theirBrexit campaign materials.[18]
In 2019, Collett formed a group calledPatriotic Alternative, of which he is currently the leader.[6][19]The Times revealed in October 2021 that Collett attended combat training with former members of the now-proscribed Neo-Nazi organisation National Action.[20]
In 2025, Collett called for supporters to "infiltrate"Reform UK following its recent success to push their own "pro-white" and anti-immigration agenda.[21] Collett endorsed Reform in the2024 general election.[22]
In July 2025, the government ofSweden decided to ban Collett from entering the country, and he was deported upon arriving atStockholm Arlanda Airport.[23]
According to theAnti-Defamation League, Collett is awhite supremacist with close ties to other white supremacists.[3]
Collett has expressed admiration for Russian presidentVladimir Putin, believing him to be a bulwark against Western "feminism, the LGBT agenda, attacks on the traditional family and of course, anti-white rhetoric". He defended theRussian invasion of Ukraine andblamed it on NATO.[24]
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Leeds Central | BNP | 1,201 | 4.1[25] |
| Date of election | Council | Ward | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Leeds City Council | Harehills | BNP | 209 | 3.8 |
| 2004 | Burmantofts & Richmond Hill | 949 | 15.8 | ||
| 2006 | 1,124 | 21.8 | |||
| 2007 | 898 | 18.5 | |||
| 2008 | 919 | 20.7 |
