The rise of the BNP in Scotland: How we exposed this party of hatred

| Monday, 5 July 2004 | Click here for original article

THE strength of the BNP's Scottish connection was exposed by the Record earlier this year.

We told how three Scots Nazis were hired to guard French fascist leader Jean-Marie Le Pen on a controversial visit to Britain.

Notorious football hooligan Warren Bennett and cohorts David Kerr and Stevie Cartwright shadowed Europe's most hated politician as he drummed up support for the BNP.

All three have links to violent neo-Nazi group Combat 18.

Bennett, 33, of Edinburgh, is a full-time bodyguard to BNP leader Nick Griffin and protected him on his visit to Glasgow after the death of Kriss Donald.

Bennett was put on the BNP's payroll after the party's annual black-tie dinner.

During the event, held in Gloucester on October 18 last year, more than £50,000 was raised by wealthy backers.

And £10,000 was specifically to fund Bennett's appointment.

Glaswegian Cartwright, 39, runs Highlander, a neo-Nazi music business based in the city.

Recently, he and his brother John were snapped at a Rudolf Hess memorial march in Germany.

Kerr, from Port Glasgow, also has a long association with C18 and was among thugs detained with Rangers fan Bennett at the 1998 World Cup in France.

Bennett has been exposed several times in the Record.

In 2002,hewas arrested with 30 other extremists after a police raid on a pub in Edinburgh.

The gang were planning to disrupt the annual Irish republican James Connolly march.