Ashington and Blyth MP Ian Lavery(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)A Northumberland MP has demanded an apology from the organisers of a protest in his constituency to apologise after a banner bearing the name of a far-right group was displayed in front of a war memorial. Blyth and Ashington MP Ian Lavery said the banner was “completely unacceptable” following a protest in Ashington on Saturday.
Images seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service showed protesters in front of the town’s war memorial carrying a banner for nationalist group Patriotic Alternative. Northumbria Police has confirmed that no arrests were made and no offences have been recorded in connection with the protest.
Mr Lavery said he understood that residents were justified in their protest after decades of decline in the town. However, the long-serving Labour MP was furious that the banner was displayed in front of the war memorial.
He said: “Yesterday afternoon, a small group gathered in Ashington for their second protest in a month. The good people of our town have endured enormous challenges over the past century, and many continue to live with the legacy of deindustrialisation and poverty.
“Frustration with successive governments failing to tackle inequality and crumbling public services is understandable and justified. But let’s be clear: this protest was never about tackling inequality or fighting for better public services.
“It was led by a banner that was then displayed in the memorial garden bearing the name of a group identified by Hope not Hate as a neo-Nazi organisation. Whether or not the organisers understood what this group represents, it is completely unacceptable to have such a banner leading a protest in front of a war memorial, let alone for people to pose for photographs with it.
“The memorial honours more than 1,000 Ashington residents who gave their lives during the two world wars. Their sacrifice was made in the fight against fascism.
“To use that sacred space to promote an organisation dedicated to spreading it is nothing short of a desecration. It is also deeply concerning to see so many young children in attendance, exposed to such hateful imagery and rhetoric.
“The good people of Ashington deserve better than to have their community and their memorial dragged into association with extremism. The organisers of this protest should apologise without hesitation for this disgraceful act of disrespect.”
Patriotic Alternative was described by The Times in 2023 as a “far-right white supremacist movement”. It was formed in 2019 by ex-BNP member Mark Collett.
Our Northumberland Live newsletter is free. You can sign up to receive it here. It will keep you up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from in and around Northumberland.