Martin Webster
Encyclopedia
Martin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.
until he joined the National Socialist Movement in 1962. He became John Tyndall's
closest ally within the NSM and followed him in joining the Greater Britain Movement
. Webster also spent time in prison for knocking Jomo Kenyatta
to the ground outside the London Hilton
hotel, for helping to organise the paramilitary organisation Spearhead, and was convicted under the 1936 Public Order Act
. He attracted further notoriety in 1972 when he was recorded as saying: "We are busy setting up a well-oiled Nazi machine in this country."
. Webster proved an early success in the NF, being appointed National Activities Organiser in 1969. and, in this position, effectively shared the leadership of the party with Tyndall until 1974. Webster clashed with Tyndall's replacement John Kingsley Read
and the clash set in motion Kingsley Read's downfall, allowing Tyndall to return to the leadership. However, Webster later broke with Tyndall, while remaining a most prominent figure in the NF during the subsequent chairmanship of Andrew Brons
.
In October 1977 after the police decided to ban
a National Front march through Hyde
town centre on the grounds that it was likely to be a focus of "serious disturbances", Webster undertook one of the most famous acts in post war British
nationalist politics. He announced that there would be two NF marches, the second being conducted by him alone. Then, watched by a crowd of members of the public and surrounded by an estimated 2,500 police, he marched down the main street of Hyde carrying a Union Flag
and a sign reading "Defend British Free Speech from Red Terrorism". Webster was allowed to march as 'one man' did not constitute a breaking of the ban. The tactic split the Anti-Nazi League
in two and made a farce of the ban whilst attracting more media publicity for the Front.
In 1982, Webster - after making claims about the activities of the Anti-Nazi League
- was sued for libel by Peter Hain
, then one of the leading members of the Anti-Nazi League. However, Webster's claims came to nothing since, in court, he admitted that ANL activity had severely damaged the NF.
wing of the NF. In 1983, they ensured that he lost his position as National Activities Organiser, then deprived him of his place on the National Directorate, before expelling him from the party altogether. Many activists also reproached Webster for being too friendly with the police. He briefly attempted to lead his own group, Our Nation, although this proved unsuccessful despite the financial support he received from Françoise Dior
and the organisational involvement of Denis Pirie
.
before her death). He re-emerged in 1999 to claim that he had a four-year homosexual affair with newly-elected British National Party
leader Nick Griffin
beginning in the mid-1970s, when Griffin was a teenager. Webster composes occasional e-bulletins, and "Electronic Loose Cannon".
In 2010, Webster spoke at the 29th meeting of the New Right
, giving a lecture on the Middle East conflict in favour of the Palestinian
cause. In August 2011, he spoke at the 37th New Right meeting in the New Crown Public House in Oxford Circus, London, on Zionism and the EDL.
Early political activism
An early member of the Young Conservatives, from which he claimed to have been expelled, Webster was associated loosely with the League of Empire LoyalistsLeague of Empire Loyalists
The League of Empire Loyalists was a British pressure group , established in 1954, which campaigned against the dissolution of the British Empire. The League was a small group of current or former members of the Conservative Party led by Arthur K...
until he joined the National Socialist Movement in 1962. He became John Tyndall's
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...
closest ally within the NSM and followed him in joining the Greater Britain Movement
Greater Britain Movement
The Greater Britain Movement was a British far right political group formed by John Tyndall in 1964 after he split from Colin Jordan's National Socialist Movement...
. Webster also spent time in prison for knocking Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyattapron.] served as the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation....
to the ground outside the London Hilton
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
hotel, for helping to organise the paramilitary organisation Spearhead, and was convicted under the 1936 Public Order Act
Public Order Act 1936
The Public Order Act 1936 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed to control extremist political movements in the 1930s such as the British Union of Fascists ....
. He attracted further notoriety in 1972 when he was recorded as saying: "We are busy setting up a well-oiled Nazi machine in this country."
With Tyndall
Webster continued to be a lieutenant to Tyndall and followed him into the National FrontBritish National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
. Webster proved an early success in the NF, being appointed National Activities Organiser in 1969. and, in this position, effectively shared the leadership of the party with Tyndall until 1974. Webster clashed with Tyndall's replacement John Kingsley Read
John Kingsley Read
John Kingsley Read was chairman of the British National Front from 1974 to 1976 and a founder of the National Party.A former member of the Conservative Party and chairman of the Blackburn Young Conservatives, Read left to join the NF in 1973 having addressed a rally against the arrival of Ugandan...
and the clash set in motion Kingsley Read's downfall, allowing Tyndall to return to the leadership. However, Webster later broke with Tyndall, while remaining a most prominent figure in the NF during the subsequent chairmanship of Andrew Brons
Andrew Brons
Andrew Henry William Brons is a British politician. Long active in far right politics in Britain, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the British National Party at the 2009 European Parliament election...
.
In October 1977 after the police decided to ban
Public Order Act 1936
The Public Order Act 1936 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed to control extremist political movements in the 1930s such as the British Union of Fascists ....
a National Front march through Hyde
Hyde, Greater Manchester
Hyde is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2001 census, the town had a population of 31,253. Historically part of Cheshire, it is northeast of Stockport, west of Glossop and east of Manchester....
town centre on the grounds that it was likely to be a focus of "serious disturbances", Webster undertook one of the most famous acts in post war British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
nationalist politics. He announced that there would be two NF marches, the second being conducted by him alone. Then, watched by a crowd of members of the public and surrounded by an estimated 2,500 police, he marched down the main street of Hyde carrying a Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
and a sign reading "Defend British Free Speech from Red Terrorism". Webster was allowed to march as 'one man' did not constitute a breaking of the ban. The tactic split the Anti-Nazi League
Anti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
in two and made a farce of the ban whilst attracting more media publicity for the Front.
In 1982, Webster - after making claims about the activities of the Anti-Nazi League
Anti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
- was sued for libel by Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
, then one of the leading members of the Anti-Nazi League. However, Webster's claims came to nothing since, in court, he admitted that ANL activity had severely damaged the NF.
Later NF activity and expulsion
Rumours of Webster's homosexuality led to him becoming vilified within right wing nationalist circles and he also fell foul of the Political SoldierPolitical Soldier
Political Soldier is a political concept associated with the Third Position. It played a leading role in Britain's National Front from the late 1970s onwards under young radicals Nick Griffin, Patrick Harrington and Derek Holland of the Official National Front...
wing of the NF. In 1983, they ensured that he lost his position as National Activities Organiser, then deprived him of his place on the National Directorate, before expelling him from the party altogether. Many activists also reproached Webster for being too friendly with the police. He briefly attempted to lead his own group, Our Nation, although this proved unsuccessful despite the financial support he received from Françoise Dior
Françoise Dior
Marie Françoise Suzanne Dior, also known as Françoise de Caumont La Force, Françoise Dior-Jordan, and Françoise Dior-de Mirleau , was a French socialite and post-war Nazi underground financier...
and the organisational involvement of Denis Pirie
Denis Pirie
Denis Pirie is a veteran of the British far right scene who took a leading role in a number of movements.He began his career as a member of the 1960s British National Party and was appointed a member of the party's national council not long after its foundation...
.
Current activity
Webster has been semi-retired from politics for some time (although he was associated with Lady BirdwoodJane Birdwood
Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood was the wife of Lord Birdwood and a political figure on the far right in the United Kingdom who took part in a number of movements.-Early life:...
before her death). He re-emerged in 1999 to claim that he had a four-year homosexual affair with newly-elected 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...
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....
beginning in the mid-1970s, when Griffin was a teenager. Webster composes occasional e-bulletins, and "Electronic Loose Cannon".
In 2010, Webster spoke at the 29th meeting of the New Right
New Right (UK)
New Right is a UK-based pan-European nationalist, conservative revolutionary think tank and school of thought, led by national-anarchist Troy Southgate and Jonathan Bowden....
, giving a lecture on the Middle East conflict in favour of the Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
cause. In August 2011, he spoke at the 37th New Right meeting in the New Crown Public House in Oxford Circus, London, on Zionism and the EDL.
Elections contested
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 1973 by West Bromwich by-election, 1973 The West Bromwich by-election of 24 May 1973 was held after the appointment of Labour Member of Parliament Maurice Foley to the European Commission... |
West Bromwich West Bromwich (UK Parliament constituency) West Bromwich was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1974. It was based around West Bromwich, in the West Midlands... |
NF British National Front The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes .... |
4789 | 16.0 |
| February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... |
West Bromwich East | NF | 2907 | 7.0 |
| 1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... |
Bethnal Green and Bow | NF | 1740 | 6.1 |
| 28 October 1982 by Peckham by-election, 1982 The Peckham by-election of 28 October 1982 was held after the death of Labour Member of Parliament Harry Lamborn on 21 August 1982. The seat was retained for Labour by Harriet Harman.-Results:... |
Peckham Peckham (UK Parliament constituency) Peckham was a borough constituency in South London which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom... |
NF | 874 | 3.9 |
See also
- British National FrontBritish National FrontThe National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
- White supremacyWhite supremacyWhite supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...