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Neo-Nazi rally took place because police thought it was a 'charity event'

The event was held in honour of Ian Donaldson who set up the White Supremacist Blood and Honour group

Matt Payton
Friday 07 October 2016 18:27 BST
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Around 350 people attended the rally in Haddenham, Cambridgeshire
Around 350 people attended the rally in Haddenham, Cambridgeshire (BBC)

A neo-Nazi rally was allowed to take place in a Cambridge village after police believed it was a charity event.

Around 350 people attended the event in Haddenham to commerate the memory of Ian Stuart Donaldson who set up the white supremacist group, Blood and Honour.

The Cambridgeshire Police have stated the organisers had led them to beleive that the event on 23 and 24 September was a fundraiser for Help for Heroes, BBC reports.

A spokesperson for the force said: "There was a three day music event held the weekend before last in a private field near Haddenham with the owner's permission.

"We had been in contact with other forces about similar events and were aware of a possible right wing element.

“Senior officers planned and implemented a response proportionate to the risk. We worked with organisers and landowner and the event took place without any disorder or crime committed."

Matthew Collins, from the Hope not Hate campaign group, said the supremacist group has struggled to find the venue for this annual gathering in the UK.

Mr Collins told Cambridge News: "In other countries, Blood and Honour has a bigger following and operate more in the open and even further on the fringes of society.

"Some countries view Blood and Honour as a terrorist organisation."

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He added: “There are 8-10 Blood and Honour concerts around the UK every year that attract normally less than 100 people.

"This was bigger but made up mainly of people from overseas who see coming to the UK and getting away with a concert here as a major result."

Blood and Honour has been banned in Spain, Germany and Russia.

Ian Donaldson was the frontman of a white power group before co-founding the White Power with Nicky Crane in 1987. Mr Donaldson died in a car crash in 1993.

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