Mark Collett
Encyclopedia
Mark Adrian Collett is a British
political activist. He is a former chairman of the Young BNP
, the youth division of the British National Party
(BNP), and was Director of Publicity for the Party before being suspended from the party in early April 2010. During the same month it was reported that he had been investigated by police for making threats against party leader Nick Griffin
. His membership was reinstated just one week later, on the orders of the Party's National Chairman Nick Griffin.
From Rothley, he was educated at Loughborough Grammar School
and the University of Leeds
where he gained a 2.2 in Business Economics.
Collett featured on a Channel 4
documentary on the BNP - Young, Nazi, and Proud broadcast in 2002 which concentrated almost exclusively on Collett. He declared his admiration for Adolf Hitler
and UDA
terrorist Johnny Adair
, unaware he was being filmed. Collett was sacked from his position in the party and expelled days after the broadcast, although party leaders continued to share speaking platforms with him. However he was allowed to rejoin a few days later with chairman Nick Griffin saying that he must change his views on the subject. Collett was the party's head of publicity and produced the party's monthly magazine Identity.
As a result of a police investigation into another documentary, BBC1's The Secret Agent, which in July 2004 broadcast secret footage of alleged racist
activities, Collett, then aged 24, was bailed on race hate offences at Leeds
magistrates' court on 7 April 2005 alongside party founder John Tyndall
and party leader Nick Griffin
. The trial
ended on 2 February 2006 after a jury acquitted
Collett of two charges of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred, and two alternative charges of using words likely to stir up racial hatred. The jury failed to reach a verdict in respect of a further four charges. The Crown Prosecution Service
subsequently announced that Collett and Griffin would face a retrial on the remaining charges of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred. This retrial began at Leeds Crown Court on 1 November 2006 and he and Griffin were found not guilty.
On Russell Brand
's 2002 TV show RE:Brand
, Collett described homosexuals as "AIDS
Monkeys", "bum bandits" and "faggots". In the Channel 4
documentary, Young, Nazi and Proud, Collett said that he considered AIDS a “friendly disease because blacks
, drug users
and gay
s have it."
In April, 2010 he was sacked from his job as BNP publicity chief and suspended from the party for stirring up a coup against the Chairman and he was arrested by Humberside police. Despite the reinstatement of Collett's party membership he did not stand for the party in the May 2010 general election, and it is unclear whether he will hold any official position again within the party in the near future.
Humberside Police
did not bring charges against Collett over the allegations of threats to kill and formally dismissed the allegations from Griffin later in 2010.
Sometime in 2011 it is known that Mark Collett is no longer in the BNP. It is rumored that he is now possibly writing literature for the English Democrats.
In August 2011, after suing Nick Griffin for sacking him and getting him arrested over a lie, the Court found that the BNP would have to pay him £21,833 for the damages he received.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
political activist. He is a former chairman of the Young BNP
Young BNP
Resistance is the youth section of the far-right British National Party . In 2010 it was named BNP Crusaders but in 2011 it changed its name to "Resistance"...
, the youth division of the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP), and was Director of Publicity for the Party before being suspended from the party in early April 2010. During the same month it was reported that he had been investigated by police for making threats against party leader Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
. His membership was reinstated just one week later, on the orders of the Party's National Chairman Nick Griffin.
From Rothley, he was educated at Loughborough Grammar School
Loughborough Grammar School
Loughborough Grammar School founded in 1495 by Thomas Burton, is an independent school for boys in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It is a day school for over 1100 pupils and a boarding school for nearly 100. It is one of three schools known as the Loughborough Endowed Schools, along with...
and the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
where he gained a 2.2 in Business Economics.
Collett featured on a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
documentary on the BNP - Young, Nazi, and Proud broadcast in 2002 which concentrated almost exclusively on Collett. He declared his admiration for Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and UDA
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
terrorist Johnny Adair
Johnny Adair
Jonathan Adair, better known as Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair is the former leader of the "C Company", 2nd Battalion Shankill Road, West Belfast Brigade of the "Ulster Freedom Fighters" . This was a cover name used by the Ulster Defence Association , an Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisation...
, unaware he was being filmed. Collett was sacked from his position in the party and expelled days after the broadcast, although party leaders continued to share speaking platforms with him. However he was allowed to rejoin a few days later with chairman Nick Griffin saying that he must change his views on the subject. Collett was the party's head of publicity and produced the party's monthly magazine Identity.
As a result of a police investigation into another documentary, BBC1's The Secret Agent, which in July 2004 broadcast secret footage of alleged racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
activities, Collett, then aged 24, was bailed on race hate offences at Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
magistrates' court on 7 April 2005 alongside party founder John Tyndall
John Tyndall (politician)
John Hutchyns Tyndall was a British politician who was prominently associated with several fascist/neo-Nazi sects. However, he is best known for leading the National Front in the 1970s and founding the contemporary British National Party in 1982.The most prominent figure in British nationalism...
and party leader Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
. The trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
ended on 2 February 2006 after a jury acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
Collett of two charges of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred, and two alternative charges of using words likely to stir up racial hatred. The jury failed to reach a verdict in respect of a further four charges. The Crown Prosecution Service
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
subsequently announced that Collett and Griffin would face a retrial on the remaining charges of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred. This retrial began at Leeds Crown Court on 1 November 2006 and he and Griffin were found not guilty.
On Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
's 2002 TV show RE:Brand
RE:Brand
RE:Brand was a British documentary and comedy television program that aimed to take a challenging look at cultural taboos.It was conceived, written and hosted by Russell Brand, with the help of his comic partner for many projects, Matt Morgan. The series was shown on the now defunct digital...
, Collett described homosexuals as "AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
Monkeys", "bum bandits" and "faggots". In the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
documentary, Young, Nazi and Proud, Collett said that he considered AIDS a “friendly disease because blacks
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
, drug users
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
and gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
s have it."
In April, 2010 he was sacked from his job as BNP publicity chief and suspended from the party for stirring up a coup against the Chairman and he was arrested by Humberside police. Despite the reinstatement of Collett's party membership he did not stand for the party in the May 2010 general election, and it is unclear whether he will hold any official position again within the party in the near future.
Humberside Police
Humberside Police
Humberside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing an area covering the East Riding of Yorkshire, the city of Kingston upon Hull, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire...
did not bring charges against Collett over the allegations of threats to kill and formally dismissed the allegations from Griffin later in 2010.
Sometime in 2011 it is known that Mark Collett is no longer in the BNP. It is rumored that he is now possibly writing literature for the English Democrats.
In August 2011, after suing Nick Griffin for sacking him and getting him arrested over a lie, the Court found that the BNP would have to pay him £21,833 for the damages he received.
Elections contested
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... |
Leeds Central Leeds Central (UK Parliament constituency) Leeds Central is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :... |
BNP British National Party The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982... |
1201 | 4.1 | The Guardian, 7 May 2005 |