A far right group in Scotland exposed as having links to neo-Nazis by The Ferret has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation and will be banned from tomorrow.
An undercover investigation by The Ferret, published in June in conjunction with the Daily Record, revealed that Scottish Dawn had been formed by members of a banned neo-Nazi group called National Action.
Following our revelations the Home Office has announced today that an order laid in the UK Parliament will proscribe Scottish Dawn and NS131 (National Socialist Anti-Capitalist Action) as aliases of National Action, which was proscribed in December 2016.
From tomorrow, when the order comes into effect, being a member – or inviting support for – these organisations will be a criminal offence, carrying a sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The neo-Nazi group National Action was banned last year following an assessment that it was ‘concerned in terrorism.’
The order laid today means that it cannot operate as Scottish Dawn or NS131, which have been identified as alternate names the group has used.
Our undercover investigation in June revealed that Scottish Dawn was an offshoot of National Action after we filmed members speaking about the banned neo-Nazi group.
Announcing the ban Home Secretary Amber Rudd, said: “National Action is a vile racist, homophobic and anti-semitic group which glorifies violence and stirs up hatred while promoting their poisonous ideology and I will not allow them to masquerade under different names.
“By extending the proscription of National Action, we are halting the spread of a poisonous ideology and stopping its membership from growing – protecting those who could be at risk of radicalisation.
“Our priority as Government will always be to maintain the safety and security of families and communities across the United Kingdom and we will continue to identify and ban any terrorist group which threatens this, whatever their ideology.”
National Action’s online propaganda material featured violent imagery and language, inferring that violent acts, including the attack on the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando and the murder of Jo Cox MP should be emulated.
Our seven month investigation into Scottish Dawn – who appeared publicly for the first time earlier this year shortly after National Action was banned – led to a meeting with two members who we filmed secretly in an Edinburgh pub.
During the conversation with an undercover reporter they revealed Scottish Dawn’s links to National Action.
Revealed: neo-Nazi terrorists are behind Scotland’s newest far right group
The men used the false names ‘Fraser’ and ‘John’ to protect their real identities but we later identified ‘Fraser’ as Ruaidhri McKim via the mobile phone number he provided.
Speaking about National Action McKim told our reporter: “It was getting too successful for the mainstream basically and they were really getting worried. National Action were a good organisation and the stuff we (Scottish Dawn) do is very similar”.
“Basically there are some members in the group that were in National Action. It’s kind of hard to talk about it because it’s a prescribed (sic) terrorist organisation.”
McKim also revealed he was a member if UKIP and said: “I was in UKIP for a while. Then after Brexit I just left because I didn’t see a point in it anymore.
“There’s lots of radical people within it, but no one with any position is a radical. UKIP Scotland was fucked man.”
‘John’ has not yet been identified.
National Action was the first extreme right-wing group to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK.
It celebrated the murder of Jo Cox on social media and praised the actions of Thomas Mair who stabbed the Labour MP to death 15 times in a frenzied attack.
National Action later adopted the slogan – “Death to traitors, freedom for Britain!” – which was Mair’s declaration when asked to give his name in court.
Detective Chief Superintendent Gerry McLean, head of Organised Crime & Counter Terrorism Unit (OCCTU), Police Scotland, said: “There is no place in Scotland for intolerance or any form of extreme right wing activity.
“We welcome the Home Secretary’s decision to extend the proscription of the neo-Nazi group National Action to include those groups who have reformed under the banners of NS131 and Scottish Dawn. This is a positive step towards safeguarding those within our communities at risk from radicalisation as well as maintaining the safety and security of others.
“With effect from tomorrow (Friday 29 September 2017) membership or encouraging support for these organisations will carry a sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
“The public can be assured that behaviour associated with these groups, anywhere in the country, will be responded to by Police Scotland and we will take all necessary action to identify those individuals involved and bring the full force of the law to bear on them.”
