This is not a book for the faint-hearted or the politically correct. But if you care about politics, the history of the fascist fringe in the UK, and the emergence of the British National party as a political threat in the last decade then this is essential reading.
Hate is the true story of Matthew Collins’ political journey from the deepest, murkiest fascist fringes in London to his current role as one of the leading anti-fascists in the country. It will make you think again about how the Labour party has really failed to provide leadership and a voice to our working-class vote across the country, the real dangers that can emerge when we as a party fail to engage, and quite how big the stakes can be.
Collins’ journey started in south-east London where he rose through the ranks of the BNP and National Front, ultimately becoming head of the South London NF, a member of Combat 18, one of the most high-profile fascists in the country, a participant in the Battle of Welling, and a mole for the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight. At 15 Matthew was a fascist, at 19 he was passing information to Searchlight, and by the time he was 21 he had to flee the country in fear of his life after Combat 18 declared him a target.
He returned to the UK in 2003 and started working for Searchlight and the Hope not Hate campaign full time, working within the same communities that he had fled in terror, trying to make sure that young vulnerable people do not make the same mistakes he did.
I joined the Hope not Hate campaign because I stand for everything that
the BNP, the English Defence League and their ilk oppose. But for me it is a choice. Collins lives and breathes the anti-fascist fight because he knows exactly who they are and how evil but persuasive their politics and propaganda can be. He campaigns simply because he cannot not.
His story is extraordinary. It is as much a tale of his naivety and bravery as it is about the extremist politics that we need to fight against every day, and I am proud to call him one of my best friends.
Ruth Smeeth is former Labour parliamentary candidate for Burton
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