Jack Buckby (born 10 February 1993) is a British far-right political figure and author who was previously active in a number of groups and campaigns, including the British National Party, Liberty GB and Proud Boys. In 2017 he was associated with Anne Marie Waters and the For Britain Movement party.
Jack Buckby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 10 February 1993[1] Lancashire, England, UK |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Political party | British National Party (until 2013) Liberty GB (2013–2017) For Britain Movement (2017–2020) |
| Spouse | Martina Markota[1] |
| Website | jackbuckby |
Early life and the BNP
editBuckby joined the British National Party after meeting its leader Nick Griffin.[2] He was active in its youth movement, known at various times as BNP Crusaders and Resistance.[3] He started a far-right youth group called the Natural Culturists in July 2012, while studying political science at the University of Liverpool.[4][2][5] Griffin introduced him at a meeting of the Alliance of European National Movements in 2012. He was described at the time as a potential future leader of the BNP to succeed Griffin.[6][7] Buckby left the party the same year, saying that the “open race hatred became unacceptable".[3] He was expelled from the University of Liverpool.[8]
Liberty GB and Anne Marie Waters
editBuckby joined Liberty GB, a new far-right party, in 2013.[6] He stood as a candidate in the 2014 European Parliament election for the South East England constituency in third position on the party's list, behind the founder Paul Weston. The list received 0.11% of the vote.[9] By 2016, he was serving as the party's press officer.[10]
In June 2016, he tweeted that the Orlando nightclub shooting was the fault of LGBT people. Following the murder of Jo Cox in 2016 by a far-right activist, Buckby stood as the Liberty GB candidate in the 2016 Batley and Spen by-election to fill Cox's seat, appearing on the ballot as "No to terrorism, yes to Britain".[11][12] Large parties, including the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats did not stand candidates due to the circumstances of the by-election.[13] He came sixth, with 1.1% of the vote.[14]
In February 2017, Buckby told a student activist on television to "take in a Syrian refugee, I hope you don't get raped".[15][16] He is thought to have left Liberty GB in June 2017, after which he was media manager for Anne Marie Waters's campaign in the 2017 UK Independence Party leadership election.[17][18][19] He told an undercover reporter "I'm basically the campaign manager. But I don't make it too public."[20] Waters came second, with 21.3% of the vote. Following the leadership election, Waters started a new party called the For Britain Movement, which Buckby joined.[21]
Proud Boys
editBuckby was a former member of the Proud Boys and has been described as the "head" of the Proud Boys in the UK[22] as well as having edited their magazine. He has since stated: "I have had zero involvement with anybody in the Proud Boys since late 2016" and disputes roles assigned to him in the organization by Gavin McInnes.[23]
Alleged recantation of racist beliefs
editIn an interview with Channel 4 News on 10 July 2020, which also quotes William Baldet of the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right, Buckby said that he had repudiated his former extremist views and recognised their troubling nature.[24]
Buckby's claim to have fully renounced his racist beliefs has been questioned by Political Research Associates who point out he has continued to make xenophobic (anti-immigrant) and Islamophobic comments post-2020.[25]
Elections contested
editUK Parliament elections
edit| Date | Constituency | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Batley and Spen by-election | Liberty GB | 220 | 1.1 |
European Parliament elections
edit| Date | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | South East England | Liberty GB | 2,494 | 0.1 | Multi-member constituency.Other candidates: Paul Weston, Enza Ferreri |
References
edit- ^ a b "Jack Buckby, Journalist". Tameside Directory. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ a b Francey, Matthew (20 February 2013). "Meet the Boy Wonder of the British Far-Right". Vice. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Revealed: The third man in THAT Traditional Britain photo - and what". The Independent. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ "British student Jack Buckby spearheads far-right political movement - Macleans.ca". www.macleans.ca. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Francey, Matthew (10 April 2013). "The Boy Wonder of the British Far Right Is Sad That Thatcher Died". Vice. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ a b Parveen, Nazia (19 June 2016). "Jo Cox memorial service remembers '21st-century good samaritan'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ "A former BNP member is going to stand for Jo Cox's seat in a by-election". The Independent. 19 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ "VIDEO: Bitter Buckby lashes out at Liverpool Uni in Youtube rant". University of Liverpool. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ "South East England (European Parliament constituency) - BBC News". Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Tim Hume; Fred Pleitgen (19 June 2016). "British referendum campaigning resumes". CNN. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ "Candidate list released for Jo Cox seat". BBC News. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Walker, Peter (27 July 2017). "Ukip leadership hopeful gets help with campaign from ex-BNP member". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ "Brexit Britain: BNP posts Jo Cox '˜Muslim' slur through neighbours' letterboxes". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ "Labour win big in Jo Cox's old seat". inews.co.uk. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Beever, Susie (9 February 2017). ""I hope you don't get raped": Batley candidate's live TV rant". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Fisher, Lucy. "Is Anne Marie Waters too extreme even for Ukip?". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Walker, Peter (11 September 2017). "Ukip risks becoming 'UK Nazi party' if it selects wrong leader". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Fisher, Lucy. "Ukip expected to announce Anne Marie Waters as leader". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ "Meet Anne Marie Waters – the Ukip politician too extreme for Nigel Farage". www.newstatesman.com. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ "HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media". consent.yahoo.com. Retrieved 25 June 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Humphries, Will. "Ukip loser Anne Marie Waters will start far-right party". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Kenes, Bulent. "The Proud Boys: Chauvinist poster child of far-right extremism." European Center for Populism Studies (2021): 1-37.
- ^ "The Proud Boys: Chauvinist poster child of far-right extremism - ECPS". February 2021.
- ^ "Mother talks about her son's rapid descent into far-right extremism". 10 July 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ Megan Kelly, J. DeCook. Not So Reformed How “Countering Violent Extremism” Groups Elevate “Former” White Nationalists. Political Research Associates. April 1, 2022.