Police have launched an investigation after neo-Nazis celebrated Adolf Hitler’s birthday at a pub in Oldham, unveiling swastika flags and a cake decorated with a swastika.
Members of the British Movement, a fringe far-right group, gathered at the Duke of Edinburgh pub in Royston last Saturday. Footage posted on the group’s Telegram channel showed members unfurling Nazi banners, posing for photos and appearing to give Nazi salutes. One man was filmed wearing a German football shirt with “Fuhrer 44″ printed on the back.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed they are investigating the event as a possible Section 18 public order offence, which covers the use of threatening or abusive material intended to stir up racial hatred. A GMP spokesperson said the incident is being treated “with the utmost sensitivity and severity” and urged anyone with information to come forward.
Pub staff said they were unaware of what had taken place at the time. Jean Anderson, who is due to take over management of the Duke of Edinburgh, told the Manchester Evening News, “We thought it was a birthday party. They covered everything up. I have never seen them before, but they definitely won’t be coming in here again.”
The Duke of Edinburgh pub in Royton, where the incident took place. Photo Credit: MEN Media.
Craft Union, which operates the pub, said it was “absolutely appalled” by the incident and confirmed that the group would not be welcome at any of its venues.
The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism and supports victims of hate crime, condemned the gathering. A CST spokesperson told Jewish News: “There is absolutely no place in any civilised society for those who celebrate hatred and evil. Honouring Hitler is not an act of free speech; it is a shameless glorification of one of the darkest crimes in human history. Neo-Nazism must be unequivocally condemned, and we urge the police to investigate.”
Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton MP Jim McMahon also condemned the gathering, calling it a “disgraceful insult to the memory of nearly 100 local men who died fighting Nazism”. He said: “These acts of hate and division must always be called and rooted out.”
