UK Police investigating after British neo-Nazis celebrate Hitler’s birthday in pub
Manchester-area bar says it didn’t know about the incident, totally condemns it; crew of racist British Movement members caught on CCTV, may have broken hate speech laws
British police said Monday they were investigating potential violations of the law after a neo-Nazi group gathered at a pub in the greater Manchester area last Saturday to celebrate Hitler’s birthday.
Members of the north-west branch of the racist British Movement group gathered on April 20 at the Duke of Edinburgh pub in Royton, where they displayed Nazi flags and ate a cake decorated with a swastika.
One member of the group, which staff said was made up of six to eight men and one woman, was wearing a German soccer team shirt with “Fuhrer 44” printed on the back, and performed a Nazi salute.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the police are probing the incident as a potential public order offense under the UK’s “Section 18,” which bars expressions that are threatening, abusive, or insulting in nature, when they are known by those speaking to be likely to “stir up racial hatred.”
The Greater Manchester Police urged anyone with information about the incident to reach out.
“The group actively concealed their clothing and their activities during the visit, and as a result, their actions were not visible to staff at the time,” said a spokesman for Craft Union Pubs, which operates the establishment.
On the eve of Adolf Hitler’s birthday at a pub in Roydon, Oldham, neo-Nazis from the British Movement gathered to celebrate their hero.
But remember, the rise of the far-right in the UK is not an issue, yeah ???? pic.twitter.com/GoaLAkae1H
— t/a Underscores Rn’t Us (@AndyPlumb4) April 27, 2025
“Upon becoming aware, the operator reported the matter to the police immediately,” the spokesman said, adding: “To be clear, we are absolutely appalled at what took place. We do not and will not tolerate this kind of behaviour, and these people aren’t welcome in any of our venues.”
CCTV footage published by the Manchester Evening News — published “to reveal the faces of those involved” — shows the participants unfurling the flag to present it for their own cameras. The video appears to show the men unfurling it next to the bar, with the face of another person, potentially a staff member, blurred.
The British Movement shared photos from the event on Telegram, writing: “On a gorgeous sunny afternoon in Greater Manchester, a platoon of Northwest British Movement met up to celebrate the 136th Birthday of Uncle A.”
The post celebrated attendance by “comrades old and new,” and reported that “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,” the group said.
The British Movement was founded in 1968 and is active in England and Scotland, with “a smattering of support elsewhere, such as South Wales,” according to the “HOPE not hate” monitoring group.
“BM’s North West branch has been rejuvenated by an influx of former Patriotic Alternative (PA) members” who defected from the latter, similar hate group in January 2025, the monitor notes on its website.
“The branch engages in regular banner drops and street stalls, with its activists performing Nazi salutes for its social media channels,” it says.
The Times of Israel Community.