Apparent attempts by an MP to mislead public opinion and smear his political opponent over refugees have come to grief. East Anglia Bylines’ Spotlight investigations team reveals correspondence showing threats and criminal activity by far-right figures involved.
Tom Hunt, the Conservative MP for Ipswich, has been central to protests against the arrival of refugees in the town. He has made his opposition a central plank of his bid to keep his seat at the next election, having been accused of using inflammatory rhetoric on race and refugees after winning the seat in 2019.
Ipswich is one of a number of locations chosen by the Home Office to lodge refugees, and it has become one of the flashpoints over the government’s policy. The plan to house them at the Novotel was first announced last October and met with almost universal disapproval.
“Groups of men hanging around”
The Labour-controlled borough council applied for, and was granted, a temporary injunction. It was a move supported by Hunt, but the injunction was overthrown by the courts. Since then, the hotel has become a focal point for disgruntled groups either supporting the refugees or opposing their arrival.
“This is an appalling and intolerable situation that angers me just like it angers my constituents,” Hunt has said. “We know what a big part of the problem is. Groups of men hanging around in large groups in the Town centre. Blighting the Town centre experience for many.”
He was criticised by the Ipswich Labour Party, who said they were “incredibly concerned” about his language and his failure to recognise far-right groups they feared were organising the demonstrations against the presence of the refugees.
Attempts to smear pro-refugee groups
Meanwhile Hunt appeared to attempt to smear both the pro-refugee counter-demonstrators, and his Labour opponents, implying they welcomed the difficulties which some felt the arrival of refugees had caused. He also suggested more than once on his Facebook page that the Labour parliamentary candidate, Jack Abbott, had encouraged refugees from the camps in Calais to travel here.
Hunt denied there was any evidence of organised far-right involvement in the protests. On 25 March he declared in a Tweet: “I’ve been told two things by the Police. I was told there was no confirmation that the far-right were present or in any way involved with the organisation of the protest.”
“No far-right links” claim disproved
He chose his words carefully, however, only going so far as to say there had been “no confirmation”. He went on to add: “I’m pleased it’s being investigated properly by the Police. It will be interesting to see what facts emerge from this investigation. It must be recently that this came to light as it certainly hasn’t been mentioned to me by the Police.”
But investigations by East Anglia Bylines have revealed the full extent of far-right involvement in the demonstrations. On 18 March, in correspondence a man claiming to be an organiser claims that his house was raided by armed police that morning, and he subsequently spent 14 hours in the cells before release on bail. He is charged with inciting racial hatred. East Anglia Bylines has a copy of his bail documents.
This dramatic arrest however occurred a week before Hunt’s statement which claimed the police had told him there was no far-right involvement.
Evidence points to Combat 18 and English Defence League
The leader of the Ipswich branch of the far-right English Defence League has admitted in social media messages that he was present at the protest. Another was an Ipswich man listed in leaked documents as a member of the British National Party, and who also appears in a photo dressed in a Combat 18 uniform. Combat 18 is a neo-Nazi organisation which takes its name from the first and eighth letters of the alphabet, ‘A’ and ‘H’, the initials of Adolf Hitler. The organisation is considered extremely dangerous and is banned in several countries.
Wikipedia reports that in Germany: “Combat 18 members have been suspected of being involved and directly responsible in the deaths of numerous immigrants and non-whites”. However the organisation is not proscribed in Britain.
The picture of this man in Combat 18 uniform has been sent to Hunt by one of the counter-protestors, who tells us there has been no response.
East Anglia Bylines has the picture.
Incompetence or untruths?
There seem three possible explanations for the discrepancies between Tom Hunt’s statements and what the police knew. The police may have been incompetent in not realising that they had already arrested one of the ringleaders.
Or, either they or Hunt were withholding information. Did police for some reason not tell Hunt they knew the organiser had already been arrested on a charge of inciting racial hatred? Or did they perhaps suggest the possibility to Hunt, but he based his statement on their lack of confirmation?
The careful wording of the Hunt statement gives scope for a possible eventual acceptance that far-right groups may have been involved. It says there is “no confirmation” from the police and “It will be interesting to see what facts emerge from this investigation. It must be recently that this came to light as it certainly hasn’t been mentioned to me by the Police.”
That seems to suggest at least an inkling of far-right involvement, albeit perhaps without confirmation at the time. That confirmation has now emerged.
East Anglia Bylines has tried to contact Hunt at his Westminster office earlier today, but nobody was available to speak to us and we were unable to leave a phone message because the inbox was full. Instead, we emailed him, but at time of going to press we have heard nothing from him.
