British Freedom Make Violent Extremist Organiser

Matthew Collins - 14 06 12
Charlotte Lewis

Charlotte Lewis

British Freedom, the far right political party with ties to The English Defence League has made a violent extremist with criminal convictions one of its local organisers.

Charlotte Lewis, one time BNP organiser and candidate has been promoted to the position of Croydon organiser within British Freedom.

Lewis was jailed for six months in 2001 after being found guilty of four charges of harassment as part of a concerted campaign against the staff of Huntingdon Life Sciences, whom she called “animal abusing scum”.

Lewis, who was a member of Stop Animal Rights Cruelty, wrote a series of anonymous threatening letters to people working at the Cambridgeshire laboratory. One warned the recipient: “If you don’t quit HLS then your life will not be worth living. You will always have to be looking over your shoulder.” Another threatened: “This is a warning. Your life is in grave danger if you don’t stop working at HLS. You will find yourself having a gun aimed at your stupid ugly head.”

One family received over 50 such letters from animal rights activists before a brick was thrown through their window. Shortly afterwards Lewis wrote to them saying: “I was there when a brick was put through your window. If you don’t quit HLS you can expect more of the same.”

She was arrested after forensic scientists matched her saliva with DNA found on the back of the stamps used to post the letters.

In 2010 police investigated Lewis after she posted racist comments on her Facebook page advocating the murder of illegal immigrants.

Her comments refered to taxi driver Derrick Bird, who went on a killing spree in west Cumbria shooting dead 12 people and injuring 11 others.

Lewis wrote “Ok, so I may well get in to trouble for saying this – but I’ve got to get it off my chest. I wish that Derrick Bird could have come down to London & shoot dead some illegal immigrants, rather than killing his fellow British people. If that offends you then tough; it’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it.”

When quizzed by her local newspaper the Croydon Guardian regarding her comments on Facebook she told them “It would be preferable to kill illegal immigrants than fellow British people, because they shouldn’t be in this country.”

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