UK/Spain: RVF leaders jailed
01 November 2005
Key members of the neo-nazi Racial Volunteer Force (RVF) were jailed in November after pleading guilty at the Old Bailey to producing and distributing race-hate material. The material was published on the organisation's website and in their magazine, The Stormer, which Judge Jeremy Roberts said was designed to "encourage readers to resort to violence against people with non-white backgrounds". It also included detailed instructions on making nail and petrol bombs. Other charges related to the distribution of racist music DVDs, particularly, Skrewdriver's Live in Germany. Those jailed were Mark Atkinson (38) from Surrey, Nigel Piggins (39) from Hull, Michael Denis (30) from Tooting, south London, and Jonathan Hill (33) and Steven Bostock (27) from Greater Manchester. A sixth defendant, Kevin Quinn (40) from Bedford, pleaded guilty to possessing racist material; the prosecution dropped charges of inciting racial hatred against Atkinson's partner, Elizabeth Hunt (36).
The RVF split from Combat 18 (C18) in 2002 when members, disillusioned by years of internal feuding following the imprisonment of their leader and police informer Charlie Sargent, complained about C18's inability to mobilise following the Oldham riots in 2001. Atkinson who was a founder member of C18 as well as being in the British chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, but never arrested for this., despite being identified participating in numerous violent C18 attacks. He had also been linked to a letter bomb campaign, organised in Denmark and targeting anti-racist campaigners in the UK; Danish fascist Tomas Nakaba and two colleagues were jailed for their role in sending the letterbombs (Statewatch Vol. 7 nos 4/5).
Atkinson played a key role in setting up the RVF and he has a previous conviction for producing The Stormer. When he became aware that he faced another prosecution over it he fled to Spain where he was safe-housed by members of Blood & Honour/C18, until his arrest in April 2005, (Statewatch Vol. 15 no 2). Another of those convicted, Michael Dennis, had been involved in arranging for The Stormer to be printed in Poland. The five RVF racists were jailed for a total of 15 years, with Atkinson receiving a five year sentence; Hill received a four-year sentence, Bostock and Piggins were jailed for 2 years and 3 months and Michael Denis was jailed for one year.
BBC News 4.10.05, 4.11.05; Searchlight December 2005