A pub in Greater Manchester has been left “absolutely appalled” after a group of neo-Nazis gathered to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday, unfurling racist flags and presenting a cake adorned with a swastika.
Members of the far-right British Movement’s north-west branch descended on the Duke of Edinburgh pub in Oldham on Saturday, 23 April. Shockingly, the venue had no prior knowledge of the gathering’s true intent and promptly contacted the police the following day.
Photographs later surfaced on the British Movement Northern branch’s website. The images, with faces blurred, showed three men posing with a flag emblazoned with a swastika, SS bolts, and the Iron Cross. One disturbing edit even superimposed an old black-and-white image of Hitler onto the scene.
Another image captured five men standing proudly behind a British Movement flag. Meanwhile, on their Telegram feed, a picture reportedly emerged of a birthday cake decorated with a swastika.
CCTV footage from inside the pub captured the group briefly displaying their offensive flags before hurriedly concealing them.
In a statement on its website, British Movement Northern Region wrote: “On a gorgeous sunny afternoon in Greater Manchester, a platoon of Northwest British Movement met up to celebrate the 136th birthday of Uncle A.
“It certainly didn’t take long for the dimly lit interior of the Oldham boozer to be filled with the warm laughter of comrades old and new. Tables were filled with a plethora of drinks: frosty pints of beer, fruity cocktails, schooners, and birthday cake!”
Greater Manchester Police are treating the incident with “utmost sensitivity and severity”. Officers are currently investigating whether the group’s actions constitute a public order offence related to inciting racial hatred.
A police spokesperson confirmed: “Police in Oldham are investigating reports that a group attended a pub on Market Street in Royton in possession of Nazi memorabilia.”
The event drew fierce condemnation from local leaders. Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton MP Jim McMahon called the celebration “a disgraceful insult to the memory of the nearly 100 local men who died fighting Nazism”.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Mr McMahon said: “This vile display is a stark reminder that the threat of the far right is real. Glorifying an ideology responsible for the deaths of millions has no place in our community.
“These acts of hate and division must always be called out and rooted out.” Craft Union Pubs, which operates the Duke of Edinburgh, strongly condemned the group’s actions. In a statement to The Independent, they explained:
“A group entered the Duke of Edinburgh on Saturday under the pretext of celebrating a birthday and gathered in a back area of the venue.
“The group actively concealed their clothing and their activities during the visit and as a result, their actions were not visible to staff at the time.
“The operator who runs the pub was therefore unaware of what had taken place until after the event. Upon becoming aware, the operator reported the matter to the police immediately.
“To be clear, we are absolutely appalled at what took place. We do not and will not tolerate this kind of behaviour, and these people aren’t welcome in any of our venues.
“We are focused on uniting our local communities, not dividing them. We are supporting our operator to look after their team, who are understandably incredibly distressed by the incident.”
The disgusting celebration in Oldham has shocked the community and highlighted once again the persistent danger posed by far-right extremism. As investigations continue, local leaders and businesses alike are standing firm in their message: hate has no home here.
