Max Mosley Must Face up to His Poisonous Past
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the times | Thursday March 1 2018 1G M 29 EU arrogance proves we’re right to be leaving Iain Martin Page 31 CommentComment Mosley must face up to his poisonous past Privacy campaigner’s TV interview showed a failure to take responsibility for his role in his father’s racist movement PA This week the leaflet itself finally his wonderfully candid book Memoir Yes, he was young (as jihadists are David surfaced. It is largely anti-immigrant of a Fascist Childhood Grundy recalls often young), in thrall to his Aaronovitch and one section reads, “There is no how his parents took him, at the age charismatic father and entitled medical check on immigration. of eight, to the rally where Sir subsequently to change his views. Tuberculosis, V.D. and other terrible Oswald launched the Union But he is not entitled to change diseases like leprosy are on the Movement (UM). It was 1948. After a history — not even his own history. increase. Coloured immigration while, the audience began chanting And that is what he seems at all threatens your children’s health.” At the old BUF slogan, “The Yids, the points to want to do. At least part of @daaronovitch the bottom, named as publisher, is Yids, we’ve got to get rid of the Yids”. his campaign against the press and Max Mosley. Then someone started up with the the search engine Google seems to hen I was a boy the Mr Mosley is no coward. On movement’s song. Those of you who be motivated by a belief that bringing ghosts of political Tuesday night he appeared live on know the tune of the Horst Wessel up the inconvenient past is somehow graffiti were all over Channel 4 News to answer questions Song can sing along: “outrageous”. London. One sticks about the leaflet. The interview that “They’re of our blood, In court in 2008, whatever he said, in my memory. It took place was fascinating in every And spirit of our spirit, Mosley had every reason to suspect Wcomprised a large circle with a way — psychologically, legally, Flushed with the fight, that the vile racist leaflet being vertical lightning flash in it and the historically and politically. We proudly hail the dawn, referred to was one of his. If he had three letters “KBW”. When I asked In the first instance he doubted the See over all the streets, then made a full account of his past about this symbol I was told that it provenance of the leaflet, of which The flash and circle waving, beliefs and attitudes, had had been painted by “the Mosleyites” the presenter Cathy Newman had a Triumphant standard acknowledged them for the poison and that the letters stood for “Keep photocopy. It would be interesting to Of a race reborn.” that they were, no one could have Britain White”. test it forensically. And he had not, The flash and circle. Keep Britain reproached him. But instead he did This would have been around the he said angrily, perjured himself. In White. Bear those in mind. By 1956 something else. He took the path of time in 1961 that the 21-year-old Max court “I said, which was absolutely Grundy was a speaker at street angry denial, obfuscation and legal Mosley was acting as election agent true, that it was complete nonsense corners and a UM activist. In that threats. This has undone him. for Walter Hesketh, the candidate of and that was my recollection and it year he went with others into Just before Trevor Grundy’s Max Mosley pictured around the time the Union Movement in the London to paint slogans. One of the Moss Side by-election in 1961 blackshirt father died in 1991, he Manchester Moss Side by-election. He is not entitled to companion was a boy he’d never handed over to his son a The Movement, founded by his seen before, “tall slim with golden by-election. Then, in 1962 Max was leatherbound book on Hitler and a father, Sir Oswald Mosley, was seen change history, not hair.” When they got out to paint arrested at one of his father’s rallies signed copy of Oswald Mosley’s The as the toned-down successor to the their slogans this youth immediately in London. A Pathé News report Alternative. And he said, “When I’m British Union of Fascists and even his own history painted a “huge white flash and appears to show him throwing a dead I don’t want there to be any National Socialists. circle” — triumphant standard of a punch during a street fracas. “Max”, memories. Do you understand? Forty-seven years later the still is my recollection. I’m not sure race reborn. It was the 16-year-old recalled Nicholas, “was acting as No memories.” by-election was mentioned in a court it’s genuine.” Max Mosley. one of his father’s right-hand men at Grundy ignored his father’s pleas case brought by Mr Mosley against His tone from beginning to end By 1959 Grundy and Mosley were this time.” and kept the memories alive. the News of the World concerning an was indignant. He had, he said, involved in Mosley Snr’s campaign to A year later Max gave up Writers know that attempts to erase orgy involving him and five women. “never been a racist”. But then, he win the parliamentary seat of North far-right politics and carved out a history should always be resisted. The News of the World, which closed added, despite not being racist he Kensington. Only months before the successful career in motor racing. And Grundy also acknowledged in 2011, was owned by the same had changed his mind on race. “You area had experienced rioting by Of course the leaflet cited in court and atoned for his former fascist company as The Times. In contention are entitled as you get older,” he said, white youths against West Indians. and uncovered this week was beliefs. If only Mosley could do was the suggestion that there was a “to change your view. It is Sir Oswald’s son Nicholas recalled genuine. Nor was it some aberration the same. “Nazi” flavour to the orgy. The judge outrageous . .” But he didn’t finish later his father raving during the but absolutely typical of the political decided there was not but Mr Mosley his sentence. campaign about “teenage girls being party in which Max Mosley was a was asked by the newspaper’s Who can argue with a change of kept by gangs of blacks in attics”. leading figure. The Union Movement red box barrister if it was true “that leaflets heart? But first you have to Grundy remembered Oswald joking that published it was not only racist For the best analysis were put out alleging that coloured acknowledge the thing you were. from the platform, “Lassie for dogs, itself but almost frantically sought to immigrants brought leprosy, syphilis Like Trevor Grundy, who was born Kitekat for wogs.” Mosley finished a stir up racism in support of Sir and commentary on and TB?” “That,” replied Mosley, “is two months before Max Mosley, into poor fourth. Oswald’s wider philosophy. Of course the political landscape absolute nonsense”. a family of Mosley foot-soldiers. In In 1961 came the Moss Side Max Mosley knew all that at the time. thetimes.co.uk.