White supremacist behind July 4 ‘anti-Jewification’ protest arrested

Joshua Bonehill-Paine is a 22-year-old publicity-seeking white supremacist.

By JERRY LEWIS
Man gives Nazi salute (photo credit: REUTERS)
Man gives Nazi salute
(photo credit: REUTERS)
LONDON – Joshua Bonehill- Paine, a 22-year-old publicity- seeking white supremacist, who is said to be behind the “anti-Jewification” demonstration due to be held in one of the hearts of northwest London’s Jewish community, Golders Green, on July 4, has been arrested and held in custody for allegedly inciting racial hatred.
Metropolitan Police, working in conjunction with the Somerset police force (who cover his hometown of Yeovil, southwest England), took action after Bonehill-Paine – who already has a series of convictions, having previously faced charges for sending malicious communications and harassment – was discovered to have placed a number of offensive comments and neo-Nazi-related images on his website.
Already banned from the London region for a month, he appeared before Westminster Magistrate’s Court on Monday to face a charge over his anti-Semitic post. He was denied bail.
One of the offending items depicted the walls of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz- Birkenau and a can of weed killer.
Alongside it was the text: “Liberate Golders Green: An anti-Jewification event. We’ve become complacent and allowed for weeds to grow in the cracks of London. It’s time to clear them out... and liberate Golders Green for future generations of white people. Join us on July 4 for what promises to be an absolute gas!” Another, utilizing an emoticon which was supposed to appear like Hitler, read: “Hey kids! We’re going to Golders Green on July 4 for a party.
Join us for what promises to be an absolute gas!” Only a week before Bonehill- Paine was urging participants in the planned neo-Nazi demonstration to destroy Israeli flags. He also expressed his intention to privately burn copies of the Talmud.
Writing on his blog just before his arrest, he said that a few months in prison was absolutely of no consequence to him.
“I’d be back out to continue leading the Anti-Jewification initiative and my voice will remain strong,” he added.
In February Bonehill-Paine announced a “Liberate Stamford Hill” demonstration, referring to an area of north London which houses Europe’s largest strictly Orthodox community. Appealing against the “Jewification of Britain,” he said then that there was an “ongoing foreign occupation” of the area, with an “occupation force of approximately 50,000 Jews.”
He went on to encourage supporters to campaign against the Shomrim volunteer security group, claiming it enforced “evil Talmudic Jewish law” and allowed white children to be groomed and sold as sex slaves for Jews.
Meanwhile, both politicians and the police – who under current public order laws cannot ban a static demonstration – have made clear that they are still attempting to seek ways of canceling or restricting the Golders Green rally by imposing tough restrictions on its organizers.
Barnet borough police Cmdr. Adrian Usher, in a letter to residents and interested parties last week, explained: “No matter how much I, or anyone else, would prefer this event not to happen on our streets, we have no legal framework to stop it.”
Acknowledging the “enormous hurt being felt by the community” in the face of “extreme provocation,” he added that although he is not Jewish and could not truly “empathize with the anxieties and the anger that so many of my residents are feeling,” he would do his best to reassure everyone.
Usher disclosed that he had received countless emails of websites and blogs “which contain the most vile and nauseating anti-Semitic vitriol.
This material is, without question, illegal.” The police’s challenge is to be able to attribute such material to specific individuals “in order that we can prosecute them to the full extent of the law.”
He added: “I must stress that our actions have to be lawful.
We cannot be driven by emotion no matter how strongly we may feel about this. The last thing any of us want is for any group to be able to bring a successful legal action against the police with the possibility that funds are then available to promote ideals that couldn’t be further from those of the Metropolitan Police or my local community.”
Police sources have made clear that they are “continuing to assess all information and intelligence available in relation to the proposed demonstration and speaking with the organizers to ensure we have an appropriate policing response in place.
“We are aware of concerns in the local community about the negative impact this proposed demonstration may have on them and are working with residents to ensure that people can exercise their rights in a way that is lawful, while minimizing this impact,” the sources said.
Members of the Jewish community have been urged to participate on July 4 in a dignified counterdemonstration – despite it being on Shabbat – which, it has been emphasized, will not breach Halacha, alongside local representatives of other religions, including Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims.