More White lies?

White: Longstanding Leeds thug

There was somewhat of a surprise and a shock for long term antiracist and antifascist activists in Leeds yesterday.

Long time activists were horrified to see on the protest for Gaza the notorious neo-Nazi thug of Redwatch, BNP and C18 infamy Tony White.

White was one of the founders of the infamous Redwatch website which targeted innocent individuals including Trade Uninonists, antifascists, and school teachers for violence, harassment and intimidation.

White helped fellow Nazi Kevin Watmough set up the website while at the same time running a violent campaign in line with the website’s instructions. White has been jailed three times for his Nazi activities, most recently four years ago.

At the peak of White’s activities in Yorkshire, antitacist and antifascist activists lived in fear of theirselves or their homes being attacked. The website regularly publishes photographs and the home details of people- photographs often taken on demonstrations.

It was in and around Leeds, where White and Watmough are based where most of the attacks happened. One activist, a member of the Anti Nazi League (ANL) and the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) even had her car firebombed in an attack which was directly linked to the website.

White was also a close associate of members of the Aryan Strike Force and British Freedom Fighters. Members of the group were sentenced for terrorist related offences in 2010. One of the men, Mike Heaton was particularly close to White. As was Nazi paedophile Marty Gilleard who was jailed for 16 years in 2008.

There’s no denying that White has been one of the most active and violent Nazis on the British scene.

So it came as some surprise that when confronted by antifascists in Leeds yesterday, White claimed he was now an activist with the SWP and that he is regularly attending SWP meetings.

Perhaps people in the local SWP are unaware of White’s past in threatening, intimidating and attacking their members. When pressed further on his claims that he is no longer a violent Nazi, White claimed he is working for Searchlight. A likely story.

Our advice to people who are attending meetings where this violent thug is active is that they should keep him away from their membership lists, petitions and personal details. There has been no word from his friends in the far-right that he has had some kind of miraculous conversion and it seems more likely with what little evidence is at hand, that White is probably gathering details for his old friends.

Leeds is one of the places in the country where fascists and nazis remain most active.

[Update] Leeds SWP has contacted us to say that while Tony White approached them with a view to getting involved and they refused his offer of “help”.

White: