According to the court, the supposed head of a group promoting white supremacy had a photograph of Adolf Hitler and propaganda posters from the Third Reich on display in his residence.
Sam Melia stands accused of operating the far-right group Hundred-Handers from his residence in Pudsey, Leeds. He is facing two charges related to public order: publishing written material that incites racial hatred and knowingly encouraging or aiding the commission of a crime.
The Leeds crown court was informed that Melia is facing charges for creating and distributing racist stickers from 2019 to 2021. He allegedly posted them in public areas in his community and encouraged his online followers to do the same. The stickers contained messages like “Reject white guilt”, “Nationalism is nurture”, “By 2066, we will be a minority in our own country” and “Diversity – a plan to fail, built to replace”.
The prosecutor, Tom Storey, referred to Melia as being “media-savvy” in his management of Hundred-Handers. He also noted that Melia was careful to disguise any actions taken in support of racially offensive views as being legitimate.
The authorities discovered stickers on the defendant’s computer that contained blatantly racist statements such as “Mass immigration is white genocide,” “Second-generation? Third? Fourth? You have to go back,” “There is a war on whites,” and “They seek conquest not asylum,” as reported by the jury.
According to the court, authorities also discovered a book written by Oswald Mosley on the bedside table and a poster of him displayed in the living room.
The court was informed that Melia had made discriminatory remarks towards black, Asian, and Jewish individuals on Telegram, where they had 3,500 followers.
One time, he had shared his plans of “plastering” his hometown of Pudsey with stickers the night before a Black Lives Matter protest.
The prosecutor mentioned that Melia stated he planned to distribute stickers aggressively before a March Against Racism in the neighboring town of Otley. Later, Melia shared a photo of a sticker on a lamp-post outside the Otley and Yeadon Labour party offices with the message “Mass immigration is white genocide.”
The court was informed that all of these actions were ultimately motivated by racism.
The group, known as the Hundred-Handers, was inspired by the mythical creatures in Greek mythology who had 100 arms. In court, it was referred to as “anonymous,” meaning that the members did not know each other’s identities. This was a deliberate way for the defendant to protect both himself and others from potential investigation. The group was active not only in the UK but also in various other parts of the world, according to the court proceedings.
In the course of the inquiry, the court was informed that law enforcement discovered several types of stickers specific to different countries in Melia’s computer files, including phrases in Spanish and Italian.
The decals also held a multitude of messages opposing the BBC, lockdowns, and masks in regards to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Some examples include: “Fearful living makes you more easily manipulated.”
The trial continues.
Source: theguardian.com
