Met Police ups Romford patrols after hate group's leaflets

Patriotic Alternative posted flyers through doors about “invaders” being housed in a hotel.

The Home Office asked the Recorder not to name the hotel, saying it would endanger guests and staff.

But it refused to answer any questions about the claims in the leaflet, saying it did not discuss “operational arrangements”.

NATIONAL NEWS:

• Refugees targeted outside protest hotel

The leaflets alleged that housing “illegal immigrants” in Romford could place young women at risk.

The Refugee & Migrant Forum of Essex and London described them as “truly shocking”, saying the public had “nothing to fear if refugees are housed in their community”.

“It goes without saying that racist, far-right groups like Patriotic Alternative are emboldened by the government’s increasingly extreme and cruel rhetoric towards refugees,” said the forum’s head of campaigning, Nick Beales.

He added: “Such groups clearly feel the government has given them the green light to terrorise vulnerable people.”

The Home Office refused to comment on Mr Beales’s statement.

Patriotic Alternative

Patriotic Alternative is described by Hope Not Hate as “the UK’s most active fascist organisation”, with multiple members also linked to prescribed neo-Nazi group National Action.

Hope Not Hate found evidence of one member commending Adolf Hitler’s “courage, conviction and wisdom”.

Others had worn Nazi uniforms, displayed Nazi flags and been photographed performing Nazi salutes.

The organisation was listed last month in a government report as one of four groups which “seek to destroy” the UK’s “free, open and inclusive society”.

The Commission for Countering Extremism has described Patriotic Alternative as engaging in “hateful extremism”.

Refugees and others were the victims of attacks and racist abuse following protests outside a hotel in Merseyside this week, where asylum seekers were rumoured to be staying. Picture: PA Media. (Image: PA)

David Lawrence, senior researcher at Hope Not Hate, said Patriotic Alternative was a “small” group “desperate for relevance”, which promotes itself by “stirring up anti-migrant tensions in communities”.

It has distributed similar leaflets elsewhere in the UK.

“The large majority of the public would run a mile if Patriotic Alternative was honest about what it stands for – crank conspiracy theories, gutter racism and a fetish for Nazis,” he said.

Leaflets

The group’s leaflet drop in Romford was reported to the Recorder by a concerned recipient.

“There is no place for such hatred in our wonderfully diverse and welcoming borough and I worry that someone might harm these vulnerable people,” they said.

They also reported the leaflet to the police.

“Police are aware of the leaflets being distributed in Havering,” a Met spokesperson said.

“Additional officers will be on patrol in the area around the hotel in the coming days.”

Steve Blake, Patriotic Alternative’s eastern regional organiser, said the group was Britain’s “fastest growing nationalist organisation” and had “delivered thousands of the perfectly legal leaflets at the weekend”.

“We stand by the comments we published,” he said.

A previous protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice over the government's plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda (Image: PA)

“Misinformation”

But Mr Beales said the leaflets “spread dangerous misinformation”, suggesting asylum seekers are dangerous criminals.

The leaflets said: “There have been many disturbances at other hotels around the country, leading to police intervention.”

But the Met told the Recorder it could find no record of any incidents in recent months at the Romford hotel.

The leaflet also alleged: “These people have already broken the law by coming here. What is to say they won’t break more of our laws?”

In fact, it is legal to enter the country without permission, if you immediately request asylum.

“No human is illegal,” said Mr Beales. “Refugees overwhelmingly want to contribute and integrate into their new homes.”

Conservative Romford MP Andrew Rosindell condemned Patriotic Alternative and its leaflets (Image: Parliament)

Andrew Rosindell

The leaflet included a QR code people could scan, auto-generating a complaint letter to Romford Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell.

He told the Recorder he was “disturbed” by the leaflets carrying his name.

“I wish to make it clear that I am in no way connected to or sympathise with the aims of this organisation,” he said.

“Illegal immigration is a serious issue that I have been calling for action on for many years, but we must never allow this to fester into racial hatred. That is not the British way of doing things.

“We must base our arguments on facts, not scaremongering or the distortion of the truth.

“I know that the people of Romford will reject this divisive political approach, which has no place in our community.”