Jack Buckby.The BNP are so broke their leader's eating roadkill, the EDL will be dead soon and Nazi skins can't even have a disco party these days without anti-fascists putting bricks through their windows. The British far-right seems headed for the grave, leaving us all to our flourishing, multicultural utopia. Right?Not if Jack Buckby has anything to do with it. Jack is one of those people who longs for a return to a simpler and entirely imaginary time in Britain's past, one in which everyone got along because they were white. Most people choose to immerse themselves in this idealised past by going to blitz parties or replacing their laptops with a typewriter, but Jack chose a different path. It's one that now finds him being groomed as the new face of far-right politics in this country.Jack started an organisation called the National Culturists in July last year, just before he started studying at university in Liverpool. On the group's website, they claim they are "making anti-egalitarian and socially conservative politics accessible for younger people for the first time". There are parts in the FAQ where they deny that they're racist or Islamophobic, but they say they believe Muslims "cannot mix well in a country like the UK", because of the separation of church and state and belief in "rights for women and equality for all".Jack claims he doesn't know how many National Culturists are out there in the world, because it's not currently possible to become an official member of the group. But they're clearly popular enough in right-wing circles to have earned the stamp of approval from the British National Party. Jack has been an official member of the BNP since he met their leader Nick Griffin while at college, and in his protege's rosy cheeks and sixth-form facial hair Nick must see a final shot at snaring a wedge of that precious youth vote.Jack and his buddies tend to get chased through the streets by anti-fascists every time they try to push their agenda on campus, which is perhaps why he's taken to the internet in a number of homemade videos to denounce everything from Islam to gay marriage.He's caused a stir because he's young, dresses well, loves Yoko Ono and seems smart. People like him don't usually hate immigration and multiculturalism, so he must have a point, right? I travelled up to Liverpool to meet Buckby and the bouncer who follows him around everywhere, to discover what National Culturism is and why someone so young is so obsessed with a view of Britain that outdates him by half a century.Buckby shaking the hand of a National Culturists supporter.VICE: Hi Jack. So, you started the culturist movement at the University of Liverpool?
Jack Buckby: Well, I started it just before I went to the university, with a view to expanding it into universities. That was around July last year. So itâs still relatively new, but weâre gaining traction.Are you the only culturist movement in Britain?
Yeah, the ideology of culturism has existed since the mid-1800s, but itâs never really been used or recognised. So I saw the gap there and I got talking with John Press â the founder of the Brooklyn Tea Party, who wrote the book Culturism. I decided we needed to be the first ones to do it, but since then different nationalists have been picking up on the word, which is quite good.You said the view was to move into university â is that ongoing?
Itâs still an ongoing thing, because weâre fighting these equality and diversity rules. I canât really say much about the university â particularly bad things â because they threaten to kick you out. We want to work within universities. Itâs going to be an uphill battle because people are dead against us, but there are plenty of students out there getting in touch with me who do associate with the culturist ideology. But, in university, itâs so hard to âcome outâ as a culturist or a nationalist because you immediately get attacked.Is your society official and sanctioned by the university?
No. Weâre working on the campus at the moment. We're hoping to make a lot of traction this September, not just at Liverpool university, but in other universities as well. But we recognise that could take a few years.
In essence, culturism is the opposite of multi-culturalism. So it believes that diversity can only exist with culturism, because multi-culturalism doesnât promote diversity, it brings too many cultures together and creates a world where every country is the same. Culture isn't just transforming the way it always does. Youâve got to accept that culture does change, but itâs changed too drastically in one generation. We believe that differences in the world are important, so the British culture and the British identity should be preserved.You say that multi-culturalism doesnât fit in with diversity, so you can probably understand why people find that a hard concept to grasp?
It is. When I first came round to the idea of nationalism and culturism, I thought I was battling diversity, but then I realised that actually Iâm not. The only thing I had against diversity is what it means today. People think it means bringing people from all other countries and bustling them together and saying, âGet on, make it work.âSo what is diversity to you?
Diversity is ensuring that all national identities are preserved so that there's a diverse range of cultures across the world, rather than them being pushed into borders.How did you get into culturism and right-wing politics?
I initially got involved with the BNP in high school. I wasnât very political, but I had my opinions, as everyone does. I saw Nick Griffin and the real bias that he was facing on the television and I thought, 'That canât be right.' I did my own research and thought, 'Shit, I agree with him. He actually seems like a good bloke.' I started supporting it and went through college being the notorious BNP guy. It was later that I met Nick and started talking about these culturist ideas.Jack shaking more hands. This time: Nick Griffin.Where did those views come from?
I donât know, actually. I grew up in an area that I think is about 97.8 percent white; itâs quite a British area. My parents arenât politically minded, really. My mum's a civil servant, so she canât be political. I donât know where they came from â itâs just one of those things, I suppose.How do your parents feel about it?
So-so. Iâm their son. I suppose they agree to some extent â I mean, a lot of people do, but theyâll never ever admit it or get involved â but theyâre not on the same wavelength as me.Have your political activities ever caused problems for your family?
It wonât cause problems because obviously Iâm their son; Iâm a different person. In terms of backfiring, I do always have the concern that the people who threaten me all the time will take it out on my family instead, because there are a lot of vengeful, nasty people in politics. But, so far, nobody's done that and I hope that people can keep my family and my friends out of it.You mentioned people threatening you â is that a regular occurrence?
Oh god, yeah. I got threatened with guns in Liverpool once; itâs insane. The thing is, when people threaten you, theyâre less likely to do it. If theyâre going to do it, theyâll just do it. Iâve got no major concerns, but if I do go out demonstrating, I take a bodyguard. Itâs just got to be done.The bodyguard is there because your views provoke a strong reaction out of people who oppose you. Do you sympathise with those people, or understand that some of what you say can be offensive?
I can appreciate that they mean well. Anyone in their right mind would oppose Nazism and fascism, but I just wish that they could look into it further and see who the real Nazis and fascists are. I heavily oppose Nazism and I heavily oppose fascism, which is one of the primary reasons I oppose Islam.Jack and the National Culturists' North West Regional Organiser Craig Cooke getting ready to party.Youâre very outspoken against Islam. One of your main campaigns is aimed at what you call, âMuslim paedo gangs.â Why are you specifically focusing on Muslims and not all paedophiles?
Because we know the root cause, so we can tackle the whole issue at once. Take the Jimmy Savile thing, for instance â thatâs the perfect example of how these bad things happen from non-Muslims as well. But these things donât have one root cause. The amount of white people who do these horrible things, thereâs no one dead-set root cause and, as a culturist campaigner, Iâm obviously going to pick up and campaign on the things we can solve with culturism.I donât really agree that you can hold Islam up as a root cause for paedophilia.
Well, whether you agree that the root cause is the Qurâan or not, weâre going to disagree on that. Thatâs understandable. But, to me and to a lot of other people, that is dead evidence.Okay. Well, how would you solve this âpaedo gangâ problem?
Personally? Iâd hang the people who have been committing these offences. Iâd remove Sharia courts from the UK and Iâd take away these Muslim protests. I believe in free speech, but these Muslim protests are very pro-violent and thatâs not something I believe in. The biggest way to tackle it is to educate people about what Islam really teaches and not tell lies about what the book says.You maintain that you're not fascist and get upset when people lump you in with them, yet the overwhelming majority of Muslims aren't extremists or paedophiles and you're grouping them all together.
No, Iâm not. There are three classifications of Muslim: Muslims who are outright and open about what the Qurâan teaches them, the ones who practice Tafsir and the ones that donât understand their religion. I'm sure the ones who donât understand their religion are perfectly nice people, because theyâre not following what the Qurâan tells them. So, Iâm not putting them all in one basket, but what I'm saying is that there's a real problem that needs to be tackled with these people who are hiding behind the smokescreen of peace and love, and those who are open.BNP members protesting against "Muslim paedos".But by putting âMuslim paedo gangsâ on placards, you're not making that distinction.
Yeah, but what else can we say? We canât say âOppose Muslim paedophiles who are following the Qurâan to a T and practicing Tafsir gangs.âCanât you just take the âMuslimâ bit out completely?
No, because that takes away the culturist cause. There's no other way of putting it.What do you think of Nick Griffin? Is it fair to call him your hero?
I think heâs a top bloke. Iâve got to know him quite well and heâs a good guy. "Hero" sounds a bit of a weird thing to say.If you were to run in the BNP and maybe even become the leader, what would you bring to the party?
Culturism. Currently there's this idea that the BNP is racist, as Iâm sure you know. I donât believe that. I just believe that every country should be populated predominantly by its own people. I do believe in the racial aspect of that. And, in my opinion, thatâs not race hate, itâs just realism. What I would bring to the party is Iâd take away this constant race issue, because I donât think thatâs the biggest issue in Britain. I mean, it is an issue, but there are other problems as well and I think the best thing for the party to do is to focus on culture.Why do you think there's a need for culturism? Isnât British culture already preserved?
No, I think itâs massively under attack. Throughout the last few decades, British culture has been continually undermined, through immigration, of course, but also through Sharia courts and Sharia banks. I think thatâs disgusting and I think that bringing a child up under Islam is as bad as child abuse.Why?
Because itâs bringing up children under a fascist, nasty ideology. If they want to do that in Saudi Arabia, fine. Thatâs a culturist value: leave them be, it's got nothing to do with us. But, in Britain, we donât value fascism, we donât value hatred against women, we donât value violently attacking or threatening gay people just for being gay.It seems like the culturism movement is actively provoking Muslims. Many people see Britain as a tolerant society â how do you reconcile singling out Muslims and the tolerant aspect of British culture?
Thatâs one of the great myths that I hear all the time: âBritish culture is about toleration and being tolerant.â I hate that word. The idea of being tolerant is putting up with something bad. Why should we be tolerant and when have we been tolerant? Itâs only since 1948 that this idea of tolerance and putting up with things has come about. I wouldnât say thatâs a fundamental piece of British culture, Iâd say itâs a fundamental British flaw.Historically, there's been a great deal of intolerance in Britain â against Protestants, Catholics, Jewish people, black people, Irish people â but we've moved on from that, so surely our accepting of other cultures is a fundamental part of modern Britain?
Yeah, culture does change, but I think it should be left alone to do it naturally. Culture should be allowed to be organic and change, as the society wants it to. But I wouldnât class the modern society in Britain as a British society because itâs not. Culturally itâs not and racially itâs not.Some more hand shaking. This time with Phil Jones from the culturists' "Ideological Committee".I'm looking at your clothes now. Are your political beliefs just another thing you use to get attention?
I wouldnât say itâs attention seeking, itâs my passion. Just because it means that Iâve been flung into the spotlight and the public eye, it doesnât mean it's attention seeking, it just means itâs what Iâve got to do. I donât like the fact that I can barely go a day without being recognised and having people say something to me. That sort of attention isnât fun. Why would you want that attention?You said that a lot of your friends donât agree with you. Do you have friends from other cultures?
Most of the people I associate with on a day-to-day basis are political, but Iâve got a fair few friends who aren't what I would describe as "British". You know, the odd Sikh.If you were brought up with ânon-British peopleâ, do you think youâd have the same beliefs?
Possibly not. I donât know. I wouldnât say that being brought up the way I was is the reason why I am the way I am, because thereâs so many people who were brought up the same as me that donât have the same beliefs. You never know â if I was brought up in a multicultural area, then I still might be a nationalist.Do you ever have moments where you rethink things?
Oh god, yeah. Every now and again, you sit there and think, 'What the fuck am I doing?' Not because I donât believe in it, but because it makes life so difficult. Then I realise that Iâm so passionate about it, if I were to give it up now, itâd be a shame not to follow what I want to do.Follow Matthew on Twitter: @MatthewFrancey More from Britain's right wing:Britain's Nazi Punk Scene Is Alive and LimpingThe EDL Is Dying Slowly in Its Union Jack Gimp MaskWalthamstow, Where Fascists Go to DieBabes of the BNP
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Jack Buckby: Well, I started it just before I went to the university, with a view to expanding it into universities. That was around July last year. So itâs still relatively new, but weâre gaining traction.Are you the only culturist movement in Britain?
Yeah, the ideology of culturism has existed since the mid-1800s, but itâs never really been used or recognised. So I saw the gap there and I got talking with John Press â the founder of the Brooklyn Tea Party, who wrote the book Culturism. I decided we needed to be the first ones to do it, but since then different nationalists have been picking up on the word, which is quite good.You said the view was to move into university â is that ongoing?
Itâs still an ongoing thing, because weâre fighting these equality and diversity rules. I canât really say much about the university â particularly bad things â because they threaten to kick you out. We want to work within universities. Itâs going to be an uphill battle because people are dead against us, but there are plenty of students out there getting in touch with me who do associate with the culturist ideology. But, in university, itâs so hard to âcome outâ as a culturist or a nationalist because you immediately get attacked.Is your society official and sanctioned by the university?
No. Weâre working on the campus at the moment. We're hoping to make a lot of traction this September, not just at Liverpool university, but in other universities as well. But we recognise that could take a few years.
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BNP leader Nick Griffin introducing Jack at the AENM, a nationalist and far-right conference.Could you outline culturism â your aims, what you stand for?
In essence, culturism is the opposite of multi-culturalism. So it believes that diversity can only exist with culturism, because multi-culturalism doesnât promote diversity, it brings too many cultures together and creates a world where every country is the same. Culture isn't just transforming the way it always does. Youâve got to accept that culture does change, but itâs changed too drastically in one generation. We believe that differences in the world are important, so the British culture and the British identity should be preserved.You say that multi-culturalism doesnât fit in with diversity, so you can probably understand why people find that a hard concept to grasp?
It is. When I first came round to the idea of nationalism and culturism, I thought I was battling diversity, but then I realised that actually Iâm not. The only thing I had against diversity is what it means today. People think it means bringing people from all other countries and bustling them together and saying, âGet on, make it work.âSo what is diversity to you?
Diversity is ensuring that all national identities are preserved so that there's a diverse range of cultures across the world, rather than them being pushed into borders.How did you get into culturism and right-wing politics?
I initially got involved with the BNP in high school. I wasnât very political, but I had my opinions, as everyone does. I saw Nick Griffin and the real bias that he was facing on the television and I thought, 'That canât be right.' I did my own research and thought, 'Shit, I agree with him. He actually seems like a good bloke.' I started supporting it and went through college being the notorious BNP guy. It was later that I met Nick and started talking about these culturist ideas.
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I donât know, actually. I grew up in an area that I think is about 97.8 percent white; itâs quite a British area. My parents arenât politically minded, really. My mum's a civil servant, so she canât be political. I donât know where they came from â itâs just one of those things, I suppose.How do your parents feel about it?
So-so. Iâm their son. I suppose they agree to some extent â I mean, a lot of people do, but theyâll never ever admit it or get involved â but theyâre not on the same wavelength as me.Have your political activities ever caused problems for your family?
It wonât cause problems because obviously Iâm their son; Iâm a different person. In terms of backfiring, I do always have the concern that the people who threaten me all the time will take it out on my family instead, because there are a lot of vengeful, nasty people in politics. But, so far, nobody's done that and I hope that people can keep my family and my friends out of it.You mentioned people threatening you â is that a regular occurrence?
Oh god, yeah. I got threatened with guns in Liverpool once; itâs insane. The thing is, when people threaten you, theyâre less likely to do it. If theyâre going to do it, theyâll just do it. Iâve got no major concerns, but if I do go out demonstrating, I take a bodyguard. Itâs just got to be done.
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I can appreciate that they mean well. Anyone in their right mind would oppose Nazism and fascism, but I just wish that they could look into it further and see who the real Nazis and fascists are. I heavily oppose Nazism and I heavily oppose fascism, which is one of the primary reasons I oppose Islam.Jack and the National Culturists' North West Regional Organiser Craig Cooke getting ready to party.Youâre very outspoken against Islam. One of your main campaigns is aimed at what you call, âMuslim paedo gangs.â Why are you specifically focusing on Muslims and not all paedophiles?
Because we know the root cause, so we can tackle the whole issue at once. Take the Jimmy Savile thing, for instance â thatâs the perfect example of how these bad things happen from non-Muslims as well. But these things donât have one root cause. The amount of white people who do these horrible things, thereâs no one dead-set root cause and, as a culturist campaigner, Iâm obviously going to pick up and campaign on the things we can solve with culturism.I donât really agree that you can hold Islam up as a root cause for paedophilia.
Well, whether you agree that the root cause is the Qurâan or not, weâre going to disagree on that. Thatâs understandable. But, to me and to a lot of other people, that is dead evidence.
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Personally? Iâd hang the people who have been committing these offences. Iâd remove Sharia courts from the UK and Iâd take away these Muslim protests. I believe in free speech, but these Muslim protests are very pro-violent and thatâs not something I believe in. The biggest way to tackle it is to educate people about what Islam really teaches and not tell lies about what the book says.You maintain that you're not fascist and get upset when people lump you in with them, yet the overwhelming majority of Muslims aren't extremists or paedophiles and you're grouping them all together.
No, Iâm not. There are three classifications of Muslim: Muslims who are outright and open about what the Qurâan teaches them, the ones who practice Tafsir and the ones that donât understand their religion. I'm sure the ones who donât understand their religion are perfectly nice people, because theyâre not following what the Qurâan tells them. So, Iâm not putting them all in one basket, but what I'm saying is that there's a real problem that needs to be tackled with these people who are hiding behind the smokescreen of peace and love, and those who are open.BNP members protesting against "Muslim paedos".But by putting âMuslim paedo gangsâ on placards, you're not making that distinction.
Yeah, but what else can we say? We canât say âOppose Muslim paedophiles who are following the Qurâan to a T and practicing Tafsir gangs.â
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No, because that takes away the culturist cause. There's no other way of putting it.What do you think of Nick Griffin? Is it fair to call him your hero?
I think heâs a top bloke. Iâve got to know him quite well and heâs a good guy. "Hero" sounds a bit of a weird thing to say.If you were to run in the BNP and maybe even become the leader, what would you bring to the party?
Culturism. Currently there's this idea that the BNP is racist, as Iâm sure you know. I donât believe that. I just believe that every country should be populated predominantly by its own people. I do believe in the racial aspect of that. And, in my opinion, thatâs not race hate, itâs just realism. What I would bring to the party is Iâd take away this constant race issue, because I donât think thatâs the biggest issue in Britain. I mean, it is an issue, but there are other problems as well and I think the best thing for the party to do is to focus on culture.Why do you think there's a need for culturism? Isnât British culture already preserved?
No, I think itâs massively under attack. Throughout the last few decades, British culture has been continually undermined, through immigration, of course, but also through Sharia courts and Sharia banks. I think thatâs disgusting and I think that bringing a child up under Islam is as bad as child abuse.
Jack and Craig delivering a campaign update.
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Because itâs bringing up children under a fascist, nasty ideology. If they want to do that in Saudi Arabia, fine. Thatâs a culturist value: leave them be, it's got nothing to do with us. But, in Britain, we donât value fascism, we donât value hatred against women, we donât value violently attacking or threatening gay people just for being gay.It seems like the culturism movement is actively provoking Muslims. Many people see Britain as a tolerant society â how do you reconcile singling out Muslims and the tolerant aspect of British culture?
Thatâs one of the great myths that I hear all the time: âBritish culture is about toleration and being tolerant.â I hate that word. The idea of being tolerant is putting up with something bad. Why should we be tolerant and when have we been tolerant? Itâs only since 1948 that this idea of tolerance and putting up with things has come about. I wouldnât say thatâs a fundamental piece of British culture, Iâd say itâs a fundamental British flaw.Historically, there's been a great deal of intolerance in Britain â against Protestants, Catholics, Jewish people, black people, Irish people â but we've moved on from that, so surely our accepting of other cultures is a fundamental part of modern Britain?
Yeah, culture does change, but I think it should be left alone to do it naturally. Culture should be allowed to be organic and change, as the society wants it to. But I wouldnât class the modern society in Britain as a British society because itâs not. Culturally itâs not and racially itâs not.
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I wouldnât say itâs attention seeking, itâs my passion. Just because it means that Iâve been flung into the spotlight and the public eye, it doesnât mean it's attention seeking, it just means itâs what Iâve got to do. I donât like the fact that I can barely go a day without being recognised and having people say something to me. That sort of attention isnât fun. Why would you want that attention?You said that a lot of your friends donât agree with you. Do you have friends from other cultures?
Most of the people I associate with on a day-to-day basis are political, but Iâve got a fair few friends who aren't what I would describe as "British". You know, the odd Sikh.If you were brought up with ânon-British peopleâ, do you think youâd have the same beliefs?
Possibly not. I donât know. I wouldnât say that being brought up the way I was is the reason why I am the way I am, because thereâs so many people who were brought up the same as me that donât have the same beliefs. You never know â if I was brought up in a multicultural area, then I still might be a nationalist.Do you ever have moments where you rethink things?
Oh god, yeah. Every now and again, you sit there and think, 'What the fuck am I doing?' Not because I donât believe in it, but because it makes life so difficult. Then I realise that Iâm so passionate about it, if I were to give it up now, itâd be a shame not to follow what I want to do.Follow Matthew on Twitter: @MatthewFrancey More from Britain's right wing:Britain's Nazi Punk Scene Is Alive and LimpingThe EDL Is Dying Slowly in Its Union Jack Gimp MaskWalthamstow, Where Fascists Go to DieBabes of the BNP