Alek Yerbury and friends take a day out to Wakefield Rhubarb Festival 

It’s been a little while since we discussed Alek Yerbury and his quest to “unite the far right” by exclusively associating with the worst people possible. Last time we discussed the dodgy behaviour of the Yorkshire Patriots (Last I heard they were speaking to Darren Edmundson about more effective ways to steal donations), and highlighted the ‘military discipline’ of walter mitty/ predator/ Christmas-Present-Theft of Neil Kipling. This time, we have something a little bit different, as we look at the internal dynamics of a National Support Detachment meeting in Wakefield, and reveal the individuals present to take a look at what groups and networks are engaging with Yerbury’s new project. 

It’s the 17th of February, and in Wakefield Alek Yerbury is meeting up with a selection of Britain’s white nationalists, with members present from Yerbury’s National Support Detachment, their Leeds-based allies Yorkshire Patriots, as well as the British Movement, the New British Union and unafilliated nationalists that have been floating around Rugby-based Alex Eversfield’s new white nationalist social club. All in all, around a dozen relatively well connected nazis in Wakefield, which is nothing to sniff at in fairness. However, there is a fatal flaw in their plan for the day: for the weekend of the 16th to the 18th of February, the annual Wakefield Rhubarb Festival would be taking place, and the entire city is rammed with people gathered to celebrate the rich Wakefield tradition of harvesting rhubarb by candelight. Luckily, as the team here at Antifascist Research Collective are passionate fans of rhubarb, we were already in the area. While the group initially planned to meet in The Black Rock pub on Cross Square, but were unable to find space inside. From here they headed to The Blind Pig, just around the corner and settled in for a meeting, totally unaware of the antifascist rhubarb fans listening in.

Surrounded by crumble eaters, Yerbury led the meeting along with his Beeston, Leeds-based deputy David Smaller. The meeting laid out Yerbury’s strategy for his political party. To be clear, this party is not the same as the National Support Detachment as an existing street movement, and will be operating in a capital-P political sense for campaigning by the sounds of it. Yerbury’s vision for far right organising has always been controversial, largely due to his nationalist rejection of local issues or ‘NIMBYism,’ yet it appears that this meeting was primarily for him to consolidate the Yorkshire Patriots as a local branch under Yerbury’s control, led by David Smaller. Along with this, he discussed a leafletting campaign for his new political party, which to be honest isn’t anything too surprising. However, what followed was anything but the “serious political organisation” that Yerbury aims for, as attendees began criticising the incompetence of the organisers, especially in regard to the lack of privacy the meeting had. (Oops!) After this, while most left, the few stuck about to drink away their sorrows and enjoy the Rhubarb festival. 

To begin looking at the individuals present, it is important to highlight one individual who stuck around for a drink until the very end. Brogan Stewart, a 24-year old former military cadet and accelerationist neo-nazi from Wakefield, was invited to the social by Alex Eversfield, an ex-BNP activist who has been coordinating nationalist socials around the Midlands. Brogan Stewart has been charged with preparing an act of terrorism. The BBC have reported that Stewart, with two others, are alleged with having manufacturing an FGC-9 semi-automatic firearm and planned to attack an Islamic Education Centre in Leeds. For legal reasons, we will not be discussing this case further, but we urge antifascists to follow it as closely as possible. Stewart was arrested on the 20th of February, 3 days after this meeting, and we understand that the wider far right are concerned about the wider implications of a Counter Terror investigation so close to home for the NSD. We thought we’d get in on the fun, so here is a breakdown of some of the key attendees! 

Of course, the meeting in Wakefield was led by Alek Yerbury, who many readers will be familiar with. For those who haven’t encountered Yerbury yet, he is a privately educated ex-Soldier who served in the British Army, but was born in Adelaide/ Kaurna territory. he is the leader of the nazi National Support Detachment, a group who split off from Patriotic Alternative (PA) in February of last year over tactical disagreements over street politics and the left. Of all three prominent PA splits, the NSD have been both the most active in the street, and have the worst relationship with PA. The NSD have been heavily involved in anti-migrant demonstrations for the last year with campaigns across the country and were heavily involved in establishing the RAF Scampton Real Action campaign up until their withdrawl recently. 

However, they haven’t been this active while making friends: the NSD/ Yorkshire Patriots contingent of Yerbury, Katie Fanning and David Smaller were in attendance at the Leeds ‘Unity’ talks organised by PA-splinter the Independent Nationalist Network along with members of PA, Highland Division (another Scotland-based PA splinter who have leaned a lot more towards the accelerationist end of nazism), the British Democrats and the Midlands Says No, yet of all attendees it was only Yerbury, Fanning and Smaller who refused to join the group photo. Similarly, Yerbury and Fanning were banned from Heritage and Destiny’s 2023 meeting in Lancashire after requests from PA leadership. David Smaller of Beeston, Leeds, mentioned above as leader of the Yorkshire Patriots and key deputy to Yerbury when it comes to NSD activity in Yorkshire, was also present at the Wakefield meeting. 

Another of Yerbury’s key deputies, Scott Pitts, was also present. Scott was also involved in the Yorkshire Patriots, although moved to Boston, Lincolnshire in order to be closer to the now-collapsed “RAF Scampton REAL ACTION” protest camp. At Scampton he was somewhat of a loose cannon, beginning his stay with a drunken fireworks incident and ended it with his “alleged” participation in the inter-campaign violence that saw men in balaclavas armed with tyre irons attacking the rival ‘RAF Scamption Action Group’ camp. It’s no surprise that Pitts has a long record of hardline nazi activity and debauchery of all stripes, from a drunk driving conviction in 2022 to an unfortunate arrest in Seacroft, Leeds following a certain straight-armed salute. 

Also in attendance was Kyle Crosby, a British Movement (BM) member from Wakefield, who Brogan Stewart was put in touch with as a local contact. Crosby makes his money running his “Esoteric Metal Nationalist Merchandising” telegram channel, where he shifts merch for White Power bands, as well as distributing BM propaganda far and wide. Simon Scott, while not a BM member, is known to have purchased BM stickers from Crosby. Given his dodgy means of income and contact with Stewart, Crosby is expected to be looking over his shoulder not just for Counter Terror Police, but HMRC as well. 

Alongside the NSD/ Yorkshire Patriots contingent discussed above, another loose grouping was in attendance. Alex Eversfield from Rugby, a former BNP member, has been organising social events for nationalists in the Midlands for the last few months. Yerbury has been engaging with these socials since their inception, and it seems that he considers the network around Eversfield to be prime territory for his “serious political organising” to take place as he expands the NSD’s influence. Especially in light with the fall out between the NSD and Sam Foley of Midlands Says No over the NSD’s nazism, the move towards the Midlands was strategically very important for Yerbury (we touched on Foley’s more recent activities in our previous article on Patriots Alliance/ Great British Guardians, which you can read here!). In Birmingham, these social events have largely amounted to some aging nazis complaining about other groups in a Wetherspoons, and have been monitored closely. JayJay Bates, from Birmingham, has been a regular fixture at these meetings and made the journey up to Wakefield with Alex Eversfield. Debbie Jemson, an ex-EDL activist originally from Blackburn with ties to Halifax and Manchester, was also present. 

This meeting all in all, seems to expose the NSD for what it truly is. Organisationally, the NSD is largely relying on activating already existing organisations as puppets willing to follow Yerbury’s command. The Yorkshire Patriots now organise so closely to the NSD that there is no clear line between the two. Leader David Smaller now answers to Yerbury, and Scott Pitts uprooted his home in Yorkshire to move nearer the NSD campaign in Lincolnshire. Similarly, the proximity of Eversfield’s “social club” to NSD leadership seems to undercut Eversfield’s idea of “networking pro-whites” outside of organisations, having prioritised getting people together for some “legal” and “non-violent” pints in the Square Peg.  However, since the arrest of Stewart, Eversfield has deleted his telegram account, realising he’s been rumbled. Not only that, but he’s given up trying to operate in Birmingham! We’ll be keeping an eye on the situation both in Birmingham and in Yorkshire, but it seems Simon Scott is likely right when he said that doors are about to be coming off. Yerbury was very quick to disavow the actions of the three arrested, but it remains to be seen how these arrests will affect the NSD given how close to home they are.