Nine arrested in dawn police raids after neo-Nazis 'hold birthday party for Adolf Hitler with swastika flags and birthday cake in pub'
They were arrested on Wednesday morning on suspicion of Section 18 Public Order Act offences.
This includes displaying written material that is threatening, abusive or insulting, intended to stir up racial hatred, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
The pub where the alleged celebration happened is in Royton, Greater Manchester, the force said.
Officers then raided properties in Rochdale, Bolton, Trafford, Stockport and Southport and found imitation firearms, weapons including swords and a crossbow, and Nazi memorabilia and materials.
The force has also said they have been in contact with Counter Terrorism Policing North West, which has offered advice on the materials seized.
Explosive ordnance disposal were also deployed following the recovery of a suspected grenade at a property in Bolton.
The item has since been declared safe and there is no risk to the wider public, police said.
Scenes remain in place while officers continue to search the addresses, the force added on Wednesday evening.
Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said: 'It's important that 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 that 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 that you remain vigilant, and if you have any information or concerns, then to contact us.'
It comes after members of the west branch of racist fringe group British Movement assembled at the Duke of Edinburgh on April 26.
The far right obsessives unfurled flags displaying Nazi symbols and even tucked into a black, red and white birthday cake emblazoned with a swastika.
They then showed off about the shocking celebration on social media, sickeningly saying the pub had been filled with the 'warm laughter of comrades' as they marked 'the 136th Birthday of Uncle A'.
After been approached about the appalling scenes, the pub has said it had no knowledge of the actions of the group of up to eight men and one woman.
After this emerged the group were labelled a 'highly fringe Nazi group that is repulsive even by the standards of the far right' who represent 'a tiny collection of crank Hitler fetishists'.
A post on the group's Telegram feed reads: 'On a gorgeous sunny afternoon in Greater Manchester, a platoon of Northwest British Movement met up to celebrate the 136th Birthday of Uncle A.
'It certainly didn't take long for the dimly lit interior of the Oldham boozer to be filled with the warm laughter of comrades old and new.
'Tables were filled with a plethora of drinks: frosty pints of beer, fruity cocktails, schooners, and birthday cake!
'As the evening wore on more laughter and lively conversation echoed around the pub, with everyone telling stories and sharing some of their own dreams and aspirations, each person adding to the tapestry of hopes for the future.
'They reminisced about the good times while planning their future BM escapades, ensuring that this celebration was just one of many more to come.'
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North Wales Chronicle
7 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Lucy Connolly freed from prison after hate-tweet jail term
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South Wales Guardian
7 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
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Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Telegraph
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The judge said: 'The only reason you have escaped immediate custody today is because of the prison overcrowding crisis.' The domestic abuser given fewer than two years A man who was found to have been mentally, physically and emotionally abusive to a woman over a three-year period was given 21 months in prison, suspended for two years. Daniel Ashbrook pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour in November 2024. He was also handed a 10-year restraining order. In a statement, the woman said she had been affected so badly by his behaviour that she doubted she would 'even be here today' without her family's support. The doctor found with child abuse images Mansoor Khan was a top NHS consultant, a father of four and was deemed a 'pillar of society' before he was found with more than 100 'abhorrent and perverted' images of children on his phone. Khan was spared jail at his sentencing in 2023. He was handed eight months, suspended for two years. The rapist jailed for 18 months A man who pleaded guilty to sexual assault and indecent exposure was given an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years. Nikhil Chopra was arrested after police were alerted to the assault in Swindon in September 2023 by members of the public who were concerned for a woman's safety. Chopra escaped immediate jail and was told to complete 55 days of rehabilitation, 43 days in a sex offending programme and ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge. The lab technician convicted of terror offences – who avoided a prison sentence A man who was convicted of seven charges of possessing terrorist information was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, in February 2024 – six months before the disorder that followed the Southport killings. Charles Cannon, who was described as having 'a dangerous mindset', collected documents on how to make homemade explosives and weapons. He spoke 'enthusiastically of the stabbing of asylum seekers'. A court heard that he 'repeated on many occasions anti-Semitic tropes' and 'said he would kill, when speaking about people of colour'. A guide to making explosives was found on his mobile phone.
