Former counter-extremism commissioner, Dame Sara Khan, believes the UK government should outlaw organizations like Patriotic Alternative. This comes after the BBC secretly filmed members of the group making statements suggesting that immigrants should be shot, sparking strong public concern and condemnation.
After watching some of the footage, lawyer Lammy Naji stated that the existing evidence is sufficient for the police to launch an investigation and submit it to the Crown Prosecution Service. A BBC undercover reporter spent a year investigating this far-right group, documenting instances of its members using racially discriminatory language. One Patriotic Alternative member even claimed that a race war was inevitable and that the organization should emulate the Nazi party's methods to seize power.
Although the group cannot be banned under current laws because it does not promote terrorism, Dame Sara Khan believes they are "creating an atmosphere conducive to terrorism." Patriotic Alternative leader Mark Collett, however, stated that they are not extremists, do not advocate violence, and are instead conducting a peaceful campaign for the rights of what he calls "indigenous British people."
The group is considered the largest far-right organization in the UK, with approximately 500 members and thousands of online followers. They claim their purpose is to "raise awareness of the issue of immigration" and to promote "family values." However, a BBC Wales investigation found that some members' statements were considered by experts to potentially constitute incitement to racial hatred. The group has branches across the UK, encouraging members, including former teachers and nurses, to hold protests, highlight immigration issues, and film the events for online sharing.
BBC reporter Dan Jones infiltrated the group's Welsh branch under a false identity. Over a year, he secretly filmed Patriotic Alternative's demonstrations, summer camps, and secret annual meetings as a new member, hearing the extreme views of some members. During a protest, a man named Roger Phillips, who claimed not to be a member of Patriotic Alternative, privately told Dan that they were "preparing to arm themselves" to oppose plans to house asylum seekers and that he was preparing to buy a pump-action shotgun.
Joe Marsh, the head of the Welsh branch of Patriotic Alternative, contacted Dan in 2023, inviting him to events. Marsh, a former leader of the anti-Muslim group Welsh Defence League, was filmed claiming that "there wouldn't be any knife crime if there weren't any Jamaicans and Africans stabbing people here." Following the stabbing of three young girls in Southport in July 2024, Marsh told his followers that if they must hold demonstrations, they should be held at migrant hotels or in city centers, rather than outside mosques.
The secret filming revealed even more extreme views from some members. For example, Aaron Watkins, while putting up wallpaper with Dan, said, "We want to violently cleanse the most diverse communities. Round them up into camps, and if they refuse to leave, we shoot them. The people who have come here are parasites." Watkins also revealed that he had been investigated by counter-terrorism detectives for making racist remarks online, but he evaded the investigation by destroying his old phone.
At Patriotic Alternative's summer camps and annual meetings, Dan met Patrick, a former history teacher. Patrick stated that the organization should emulate the Nazi party's tactics in 1920s Germany by building community organizations and talking to people about local issues to gain support. He also believed a race war was inevitable, and if immigrants did not leave, "the only way is to kill them." Another far-right activist from Australia, Blair Cottrell, was secretly filmed at the meeting comparing Africans to dogs and implying that slaves were happy to work for white people. He also claimed that for crimes committed against Africans, "the only effective response is to skin them and hang their bodies on traffic lights."
Criminal lawyer Lammy Naji stated that the BBC's findings should prompt a police investigation, as in her view, some statements may incite racial hatred. Dame Sara Khan believes that organizations like Patriotic Alternative are "trying to mainstream extremism." She has called on the UK government to introduce new laws to ban such groups. The UK government has stated that extremism has "no place in society" and is working to "assess and consider the correct approach to tackling this issue."
Patriotic Alternative leader Mark Collett stated that any comments were made in private. He claimed that the organization advocates for the rights of "indigenous British people" and opposes what is currently happening in Britain. When asked about members using racially discriminatory language, Collett stated that the group's code of conduct prohibits such behavior. "If someone violates the code of conduct, we will deal with it accordingly," he added.