Neo-Nazis caught celebrating Hitler's birthday in twisted pub party with swastika cake
Last month a group of neo-Nazis celebrated what would have been Adolf Hitler's birthday with a swastika cake, leading to a number of raids in the north west by Greater Manchester Police
A group of neo-Nazis were caught celebrating the birthday of Adolf Hitler in a pub before police carried out a number of dawn raids this morning.
Police executed search warrants in Oldham, Rochdale, Bolton, Urmston, Southport and Merseyside, following investigations. Officers discovered an imitation AK47 rifle, a suspected grenade, a crossbow, a series of fake handguns as well as a number of swords, one decorated with a swastika. Police also found a ''Zyklon' gas canister, which was used by the Nazis in the mass killing of Jews in the Second World War.
Greater Manchester Police said the gas canister was not viable and the grenade was found to be safe, according to bomb disposal officers from the Army.
A spokesman for GMP confirmed that nine people, aged from their 20s to their 60s, were arrested on suspicion of a section 18 public order offence, which prohibits 'threatening, abusive or insulting' displays of written material intended to stir up racial hatred.
The police operation follows a Manchester Evening News exposé of north west members of the fringe far-right extremist group British Movement who pulled out racist flags and a cake decorated with a swastika at the Duke of Edinburgh, in Royton, on Saturday April 19.
Pub staff said they had been unaware of the group's activities, and reported the matter to police. Video footage from the gathering at the pub in Royton showed men holding a flag emblazoned with a swastika, SS bolts and the Iron Cross as they pose in photos with several other men, one of whom is holding up a British Movement flag.
The footage shows the men unfurling the flags to pose for pictures before quickly hiding them away. A post on the group's Telegram feed read: "On a gorgeous sunny afternoon in Greater Manchester, a platoon of Northwest British Movement met up to celebrate the 136th Birthday of Uncle A."
Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker of Greater Manchester Police said: 'Due to the nature of the materials we recovered at the warrants today, we have liaised with colleagues at CTPNW. This is a matter of course, and it very much remains a GMP led investigation.
'It's important all avenues are explored to establish the extent of the criminal offences which have been committed, and whilst our investigation is still in its early stages, we do not believe there to be a risk to the wider public.
'This group clearly has a deep fascination with ideas we know are unsettling for communities across Greater Manchester. We must take action when concerns are raised, and where weapons are suspected, to ensure people are free to live without fear of intimidation or harm.
'Public safety is at the forefront of our investigation, and as always, we ask you remain vigilant, and if you have any information or concerns, then to contact us.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Daughter of Benidorm attack victim in plea for answers
The daughter of a British man who died after being attacked by a stranger in a Spanish resort city in 2018 has renewed her call for information to help find his killer. Mike Rydings, 48, from Wythenshawe in Manchester, was celebrating a friend's 50th birthday and watching the World Cup at a bar in Benidorm when he was set upon in the early hours of 23 June. His daughter Hayley Barker said witnesses saw him backing away "with his hands up" before he was punched in the face, leaving him with a broken nose and serious head injures after falling on to the concrete. Mr Rydings was treated in a Spanish hospital before being moved to Salford Royal, but died 14 months later. Ms Barker said an investigation by both Spanish and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) had failed to find identify the attacker, despite GMP interviewing a range of British holidaymakers who were at the Hippodrome Bar at the time. "It makes me feel angry," she told BBC Radio Manchester. "My dad was stolen from me in such cruel circumstances, whoever has done this still gets to live their life."We can't move forward as such because we don't have justice." She called for anyone who may have new information that could help to contact GMP. "It would mean the world - we'd actually get some answers, it's what we deserve as a family," Ms Barker said. GMP said while the investigation was the responsibility of Spanish authorities, they were ready to assist if required. She said her father was 5ft 10ins (1.55m), had a stocky build and was wearing a red Hugo Boss t-shirt and glasses at the time of the attack. While Ms Barker said she had great memories of her dad being "the life and soul of the party" before his attack, her children had no memory of him. She said she was pregnant with her first child, a daughter, when Mr Rydings was attacked. "He never even got to hold her because of the condition he was left in before he passed away," she said. "In 2022 I had a son who would have been his only grandson, so that was very sad." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Campgrounds closed along Pacific Crest Trail in search for man wanted in daughters' deaths
Authorities have closed a wide swath of popular campgrounds and backpacking areas along the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington as they search for a former Army soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters. Dozens of additional law enforcement officers from an array of agencies joined the investigation and search Friday for Travis Caleb Decker, 32, four days after the girls — 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker — were found dead at a remote campsite outside Leavenworth. The girls' mother reported them missing the night of May 30 when Decker failed to return them to her home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle, after a scheduled visit. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that there were more than 100 officers involved in the search, which covered rugged terrain in the Cascade Mountains of central Washington, and more than 500 tips had poured in from the public. 'Out of an abundance of caution, we have been given notice to, and are working in conjunction with our surrounding counties in the event Mr. Decker moves through the forest into their jurisdiction,' the statement said. Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014, according to Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro. From 2014 to 2016, he was an automatic rifleman with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Last September his ex-wife, Whitney Decker, wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable, often living out of his truck. She sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with the girls until he found housing. 'He has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much but he has got to get better,' she wrote. 'I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all. ... But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men, or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.' Authorities warned people to be on the lookout for Decker and asked those with remote homes, cabins or outbuildings to keep them locked, to leave blinds open so law enforcement can see inside and to leave exterior lights on. It was unclear if Decker was armed, but the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said he should be considered dangerous. A reward of up to $20,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest. An online fundraiser for Whitney Decker raised more than $1 million, and friends Amy Edwards, who taught the girls in a theater program called 'Short Shakespeareans,' and Mark Belton thanked supporters during a news conference Thursday. 'Their laughter, curiosity and spirit left a mark on all of us,' Edwards said. 'They were the kind of children that everyone rooted for, looked forward to seeing and held close in their hearts.' Edwards and Belton said Whitney Decker hopes the tragedy prompts changes to the state's Amber Alert system as well as improvements in mental health care for veterans. The night the girls were reported missing, Wenatchee police asked the Washington State Patrol to issue an Amber Alert but it declined, saying that as a custody matter without an imminent threat, the case did not meet the criteria for one. The patrol did issue an 'endangered missing person alert' the next day, but those do not result in notifications being sent to mobile phones. As searches expanded for the girls last weekend, a sheriff's deputy found Decker's pickup in the area of Rock Island Campground, northwest of Leavenworth. There were two bloody handprints on the tailgate. The girls' bodies were discovered down an embankment nearby with evidence that they had been bound with zip ties, according to an affidavit filed in support of murder and kidnapping charges against Decker. County Coroner Wayne Harris said Friday that his office was awaiting pathology results to determine when and how the girls were killed. Authorities issued closure notices the previous day for that camping area, which lies in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, as well as for a large swath of rugged territory to the north. That included trails and campgrounds along the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the Canadian border to Mexico, and around Stehekin, at the northern end of Lake Chelan.
Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Chilling moment mum 'knew something was wrong' before daughters found dead
The heartbroken mum of three young girls who were found dead near an abandoned camping site after a trip with their dad, Travis Decker, 32, has spoken - a manhunt was launched to find the father A mum whose three young daughters were found dead after a camping trip with their dad has revealed the chilling moment she knew "something was wrong". Sisters Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were found dead on Monday, June 2, after their dad Travis Decker, 32, failed to return them back to their mum after a trip. A manhunt was launched to find the missing dad after cops found his car with two bloody handprints, close to where the girls' bodies were located, at the Rock Island Campground, in Leavenworth, Washington. The attorney for mother Whitney Decker has spoken about the mum's heartbreak for the first time. The girls vanished during a planned visitation with their homeless dad and they were reported missing on Friday, May 30, after they had not been returned on time and their ex-soldier dad stopped answering calls. Mum Whitney has spoken for the first time through her attorney, Arianna Cozart, after the heartbreaking ordeal, revealing when she knew something had gone wrong. Talking to The Seattle Times, the mum's attorney said: "As soon as he didn't bring those girls back at 8 o'clock, she knew something was going on." The lawyer raised questions as to why local police did not issue an Amber Alert, which sends a notification to nearby phones. She said: "There should be enough concern for the police to say, 'These children are missing, they are in substantial danger, even though he didn't issue an overt threat.'" Wenatchee police had reportedly wanted to send out an Amber Alert but were told by State Patrol the case did not meet the threshold, so an Endangered Missing Persons Advisory was issued. The mum's lawyer also told the outlet the father's mental health was allegedly declining and described not returning his daughters as out-of-character behaviour. The lawyer added: "We may never know if it could've meant the difference between life and death for those girls … but it could've made a huge difference." The dad had allegedly been seeking out mental health services but was unable to, as the lawyer added: "When you have a vet who is suffering from complex PTSD and other mental health issues, they do not have the mental bandwidth" to organise appointments. Mother Whitney's lawyer added: "Whitney believes, as I do, that something broke inside of him. Travis would not have done what he did if he was himself. He clearly had some sort of break and everything that he had been living with, everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long as far as trauma, just won out." This comes after a preliminary report into the tragic deaths said the sisters appeared to have died from asphyxiation, and the dad is believed to have strangled his girls to death. Authorities searching for the former Army solider said he is wanted for three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. Police have also warned the public"do not approach" the ex-solider with "extensive training" if he is seen - instead urging the public to call 911.
