We have written many times in recent months, it's certainly not good for the Dutch right-wing activism. Of the hundreds of fans that groups like NSA and Blood & Honour had a few years ago, there are only a few handfuls of. De NJN, we recently portretteerden, has also been lifted, it seems. Developments are fast. But against the background of this development, there are two divisions of Blood & Honour those not so bad there are. In North Holland is a group operating under the name 'Ulfhednar'. We will be one of the next turn attention to. The other group is the "Division North Country ', a Blood & Honour group around Groningen Winschoten.
Blood & Honors exists in the Netherlands in fact from the beginning of the nineties. A group of young right-wing skinheads then tried to get a club from the ground to the example of the British parent organization. They called themselves "Stop Kontakt 'club and brought a leaf out under the same name. In addition, they organized pub meetings, which often derailed in fights and assaults. There were also a few concerts with Nazi bands organized. Because a lot of negative publicity, opposition and fell infighting "Hold Kontakt 'around 1995 However, apart again.
A few years later arose from a number of young right-wing extremists, who had a background in the gabber scene, again the need for a group such as Blood & Honour. In 2001 they established a Dutch branch. This group quickly became a likeness of other Blood & Honour groups abroad: Lots of beer, Nazi music, fight and occasionally organize a concert or visit a demonstration of another organization. And not to forget themselves quite quarrelsome, fighting and splitting. For example, in the past decade with some regularity inextricable tangles arise from unclear friends groups, the name Blood & Honour used and kept himself intensively engaged in fighting same groups that did the same turn. A familiar example of this state of affairs was a Blood & Honour-concert in 2004 which was held under NCE-flag. Attendees of a competitive Blood & Honour club broke down the tent, destroyed instruments and beat people up. This fight was accompanied by a first serious rift in the Blood & Honour ranks in Netherlands.
The same was also seen in the province of Groningen, which originated by a group of young people from the extreme right-wing gabber environment, a club founded. Initially they call themselves 'Skinheads Groningen', but ducked quickly called 'Blood & Honour 'for the first time. In (probably not coincidentally) we saw this old name also a familiar pop. Keep Contact the leader of the early nineties, Martin of the grind (1969), was in fact moved from New York to Winschoten. And he played a decisive role in the establishment phase of the new group. So he made contact with other right-wing extremists in the country, organized a training weekend in the Ardennes, made his home available as hang out and took a number of boys in the service of his klussenbedrijf. But it was not long before the young people could stand on its own. That came from the grind fairly well, because he was the media interest surrounding his person the extreme right-wing activities entailed, could not appreciate.
That publicity was the result of a number of local incidents. Because what the new Blood & Honour group in the first period was characterized mainly causing a lot of inconvenience: demolitions, intimidation, brawls and serious assaults. After some considerable violence and negative publicity this series culminated in the center of Winschoten. There stood a newly unveiled memorial in honor of the murdered Jewish inhabitants of Winschoten. De Blood & Honour group went on a spring evening in 2005 to that monument to. She posed with the Hitler salute and Nazi attributes, took photos and one of them urinated against the monument. Bar-goers after angry youth claims thereto, much de Blood & Group honors them, they were assaulted and destroyed the café. After a few months later some Blood & Honour supporters in Winschoten a Turkish boy very badly abused is the measure of the municipality full. From the municipal group was tackled. Some members were already behind bars, but the rest had to deal with a kind stalking-approach. It integrates known Blood & Honourable Members seated behind their pants and faced them with probing interviews and police action.
At the same time tried new supporters and other interested people to get away from the area of the group. That approach seemed reasonable to work, Thrice. Firstly, there were hardly any new members to the group. Secondly threw some active stakeholders the towel. And thirdly, the group was forced to disappear from the streets Winschoten. They found a new hangout in the neighboring village of Nieuw Scheemda.
"A guinea pig and rabbit do not cross'
But the group does not disappear. A core group of about twenty persons to remain intact at this time. The leading figures in this key were all around 2007 active in the group: Harm-Jan Smit (1989), Alagonda Walda (1988), Patrick Ploeger (1989), Alexander Kluiter (1990) Frank Boiten (1990). Under pressure from the stalking policy group, however, manifest in the region but with difficulty. They usually hang out at each other's homes. They are especially politically active by visiting demonstrations of other organizations.
But she managed to involve some new young people in the group. These new recruits, especially the trio Dennis Weering (1991), Arjan Veenhuizen (1989) en Dave Surmeijer (1993), shall soon for a new series of unpleasant incidents: Weather demolitions, violence, fights and weapon possession. As they disrupt a commemoration in 2009, and at the same time these guys are a Jeugdsoos thrown out because of quarrel search and on the dance floor puddles. Afterwards they still destroy windows in the village before being arrested.
But besides this new series of incidents also changed something else. Unlike, for example Martin of the grind, the core remains 2007 be active. Despite pressure on the group, arrests and negative publicity. The difference is that they all 20 years younger than The Grind.
In addition to involvement in violence, they also try to put some better organization on legs. Initially, this leads to a number of changes of name: Northern Skinhead Front, National Socialist Front, and finally in the spring of 2010: "Division North Country '. Furthermore, while there was a website with a forum into the air under the name 'Erwache', which by far-right youth from Northern Netherlands could be discussed, and there was a short time an extreme right webshop active. (1)
But from 2009 The group is a little more to make headway to the level of the living room and the keyboard activism to transcend. In May of that year, there is an information about the establishment of housing for asylum seekers in Winschoten. Since the group turns up with a banner and leaflets to protest against these homes. A few weeks later they still hold a small demonstration to protest against these applicants homes. There do about 25 people participated in. A short time later, summer 2009, organize it for Blood & Honour supporters from across the country barbecue. Because the AIVD issues a warning that this grill will be attacked by anti-fascists or by competing right extreme groups, Police occurs and clears the field. Also, find the group from this period with great regularity neo demonstrations, in Nederland, but more often in Germany. Nazi concerts are visited abroad.
In February this year the group organized itself a bizarre action in Leeuwarden. There was at that time an election market in the context of the regional elections underway. In that election market AFA organized a protest against the PVV. Then surfaced fifteen neo-Nazis, protesting led by Division North Country at AFA. Reason was that AFA demonstrated against the PVV and that they would not be compared by AFA with the PVV. Logic ...
That it is the Blood & Honour group in this action was not to do anything to make themselves popular proved not only the message, They handed out leaflets to preach Nazism, but also from the fact that they had made themselves unrecognizable with scarves and hats for shoppers. Eventually, a North Country activist was arrested for defamation of public accountability. He dropped his pants for attendees. To interested police on the desk explained he was again out what his motivation: "I am a supporter of National Socialism. We are maintaining different races and love for people and country. A guinea pig and rabbit cross you do not?’
How should we now see this group? It is a small group, as said around twenty people, that hold a number of years an organization on the leg knows. The growth is now fairly minimal. The activities that take place within the region of two categories. On the one hand touching the members of the Division North Country through the years with remarkable regularity involved backward, but often very serious, violent. The litany of destruction, abuse and other misconduct is endless. On the other hand, political activities have taken. But usually have no more than hands to small gatherings where someone holds a speech and then a cup of soup with sausage eaten. More serious activities are participation in actions of others and the three demonstrations that the group has organized the past three years.
When the group this size and this level of ambition is not maintained, there is much to worry about in rural context. That is of course different for the region Winschoten, where the group has been responsible for a significant amount of sickening violence. And the end is not yet in sight.
Dit artikel is ook verschenen in Alert! nummer 2, jaargang 2011
Noot:
(1 ) This shop "Country Storm Records" sold all sorts of Nazi gang. But that did not last long because justice soon opened an investigation into the activities, but mainly because the administrator the stuff sold itself not paid to suppliers. That of course caused problems and the end of the shop. See Alert! nummer 2 van 2008.
