Martin Webster | |
|---|---|
| National Activities Organiser of theNational Front | |
| In office 1969–1983 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1943-05-14)14 May 1943 (age 82) |
| Political party | League of Empire Loyalists, National Socialist Movement 1962–1964 Greater Britain Movement 1964–1967 National Front 1967–1983 Our Nation 1983 |
Martin Guy Alan Webster (born 14 May 1943) is a Britishneo-Nazi, a former leading figure on thefar-right in the United Kingdom.[1] An early member of theNational Labour Party (NLP), he wasJohn Tyndall's closest ally, and followed him in joining the originalBritish National Party (BNP), theNational Socialist Movement (NSM) and theGreater Britain Movement. Webster also spent time in prison for helping to organise aparamilitary organisation, Spearhead, and was convicted under thePublic Order Act 1936. Rumours of hishomosexuality led to him becoming vilified in far-right circles, and he quietly disappeared from the political scene.
An early member of theYoung Conservatives, from which he claimed to have been expelled, Webster was associated loosely with theLeague of Empire Loyalists until he joined theNational Socialist Movement (NSM) in 1962.[2] He became Tyndall's closest ally within the NSM, and followed him in joining theGreater Britain Movement.[3] Webster also spent time in prison for knockingJomo Kenyatta to the ground outside theLondon Hilton hotel, and for helping to organise the paramilitary organisation Spearhead.[4] He was convicted under thePublic Order Act 1936.[5] 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."[6]
He continued to be a lieutenant to Tyndall, and followed him into theNational Front (NF). Webster proved an early success in the NF, being appointed National Activities Organiser in 1969,[7] and from that position effectively shared the leadership of the party with Tyndall until 1974. Webster clashed with Tyndall's replacementJohn Kingsley Read, and the clash set in motion Kingsley Read's downfall, allowing Tyndall to return to the leadership.[7] Webster later broke with Tyndall, while remaining one of the most prominent figures in the NF during the subsequent chairmanship ofAndrew Brons.[8]
Shortly after the police decided, under the Public Order Act 1936, to ban an NF march throughHyde 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 aUnion Flag and a sign reading "Defend BritishFree Speech from Red Terrorism". Webster was allowed to march, as 'one man' did not constitute a breaking of the ban. The tactic split theAnti-Nazi League (ANL) in two and made a farce of the ban, while attracting more media publicity for the NF.[9][10][11][12]
In 1982, Webster – after making claims about the activities of the ANL – was sued for libel byPeter Hain, then one of its leading members. In court, he admitted that ANL activity had severely damaged the NF.[13][14]
Rumours of Webster's homosexuality led to his becoming vilified within right-wing nationalist circles, and he also fell foul of thePolitical 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.[15]
Webster briefly attempted to lead his own group, Our Nation, although this was to prove unsuccessful.[16] 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'sBritish National Party (BNP). Webster sought outFrançoise Dior, who had by then split fromColin Jordan and returned toFrance, as a source of funding.[17] 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 activistDenis 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.[18] 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 theFlag Group afterIan Anderson had supported his initial expulsion from the NF (despite being otherwise an opponent ofNick Griffin andPatrick Harrington).[citation needed]
Webster has been semi-retired from political activity for some time (although he was associated withLady Birdwood before her death).[19] 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.[20] Griffin has denied any such relationship.[21]
Webster composes occasional e-bulletins,[22] under the title "Electronic Loose Cannon",[citation needed] and "Electronic Watch on Zion".[23] He has also written for theOccidental Observer website.[24]
In 2010, Webster spoke at the 29th meeting of theNew Right, giving a lecture on the Middle East conflict in favour of thePalestinian cause. In August 2011, he spoke at the 29th New Right meeting on Justice for the Palestinians.[citation needed]
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 1973 (by-election) | West Bromwich | NF | 4,789 | 16.0 |
| February 1974 | West Bromwich East | NF | 2,907 | 7.0 |
| 1979 | Bethnal Green and Bow | NF | 1,740 | 6.1 |
| 28 October 1982 (by-election) | Peckham | NF | 874 | 3.9 |
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