A far-right group recruiting in Scotland with links to neo-Nazis has applied to register officially as a political party. Patriotic Alternative (PA) is a white nationalist group set up in 2019 by Mark Collett, an extremist from Yorkshire who was once head of publicity for the British National Party. PA applied to become a political party on 5 March 2021, according to the Electoral Commission, which lists current applications on its website. An application in January by PA was rejected by the Commission as it was “incomplete”.The Commission is an independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK.Commenting on PA’s new application, the Campaign Against Antisemitism warned against an “intimidating far-right faction” in the UK being given the status of a registered political party.PA claims its aim is to “raise awareness of issues such as the demographic decline of native Britons in the United Kingdom, the environmental impact of mass immigration and the indoctrination and political bias taking place in British schools.”But PA has links to extremists and its leader, Collett, was exposed in a Channel 4 documentary saying he admired Adolf Hitler. He also made derogatory comments about AIDs, black people, drug users and gay people. Anti-racism group Hope not Hate describes PA as “fascist” and “anitisemitic”. Its report this month said PA is a “major player” in the UK’s far right scene. Hope not hate said the group’s emergence was “one of the most notable developments on the far-right scene in 2020, but added the group is not expected to grow significantly this year
via the ferret: Far right group linked to neo-Nazis applies to register as a political party