An image of a former cell of the Base in Michigan, in a photo obtained by VICE News.
The Base, the principally American neo-Nazi terror group which aims to establish a white ethnostate via a “race war,” will be officially banned in the UK.The UK Home Office said the Base, formed in mid-2018, shared its aims and ideologies with Atomwaffen Division and its successor group National Socialist Order, which were banned in the UK earlier this year. The “accelerationist” groups preach terrorism as a way to hasten the collapse of governments to bring about their desired “race wars.” Home Secretary Priti Patel said she had asked Parliament to proscribe the Base. Subject to debate and approval, the ban will be enforced from later this week. Proscription makes it a criminal offence to be a member or invite support for the group – and those found guilty face up to 14 years in prison.“We continue to take robust action against evil white supremacist groups, who target vulnerable people across the world to join in their hateful ideologies and their sick promotion of violence.I am committed to making it as difficult as possible for these organisations to operate in the UK, both by banning them and increasing the penalties for membership or support, in order to protect the public and our national security,” Patel said in a statement.According to the UK government, the Base is the fifth extreme right-wing terror group to be proscribed in Britain, and the third in the last year.The Base is an armed terror group that operates paramilitary training camps and had more than 50 members at its height. Its leader and founder is Rinaldo Nazzaro, a former US Homeland Security employee who previously operated under the aliases “Norman Spear” and “Roman Wolf.” He is currently in Russia and has retaken a leadership position in the Base following the group splintering amid an FBI crackdown. Earlier in the spring, VICE News reported that the Base is attempting to recruit new members again. The UK move comes several months after Canada designated the Base a terror organisation, alongside several other far-right and white nationalist groups.
Advertisement
