“BNP mole” Ray Hill to speak at Union
“BNP mole” Ray Hill to speak at Union
Ray Hill, advertised in the Union’s term card as “the famous ‘BNP mole’”, is set to address Cambridge students about his experiences on the political far right.
Hill’s Tuesday appearance at the Union, co-hosted by CUSU, is expected to illustrate the severity of BNP policy.
It closely follows ‘Cambridge University Stands Up’, a campaign against the “xenophobia, racism, sexism and homophobia we face in our community”.
Hill became involved in far-right politics with Leicestershire’s Racial Preservation Society in the 1960s, later occupying high-level positions in the South African National Front and the British Movement.
Returning to the UK he became involved with the BNP, but began acting as an informant for anti-fascist group Searchlight in 1979. In 1984 he revealed himself to be a ‘mole’ in a Channel 4 documentary.
Natalie Szarek and Amiya Bhatia, CUSU Women’s and Welfare Officers, have been coordinating the CUSU diversity campaign of which Hill’s appearance is a part.
“Issues of equality are exactly what a students’ union should be campaigning on: all students have a right to a positive student experience, which includes living and studying in an inclusive and diverse university setting” Szarek said.
Tuesday’s event is co-hosted by Cambridge University Jewish Society (JSOC). JSOC co-president Marc Wiseman told Varsity that the society was pleased to be hosting Ray Hill. “Among other things, the BNP stands for racist and anti-Semitic values,” he said.
“Their Holocaust denial and endorsement of neo-Nazism is a concern for the Jewish community. We, like many other minorities in the UK, feel threatened by the re-emergence of the BNP.
“We hope that Tuesday’s talk will educate Cambridge students about the threat that the BNP poses to minorities in the UK.”
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