In the late 1970's and early 1980's, the fascists had a significant presence in Bradford, first through the Bradford based "British Campaign to Stop Immigration", then the National Front. But the "Battle of Bradford" in 1976, when local people fought with fascists and police in an attempt to stop the NF marching through the city, marked the start of their decline. The rise of a popular local anti-fascist movement finally drove the fascists off the streets for good. Since then they have made little impact, occasionally standing a British National Party (BNP) candidate in local elections.
Most of the old guard have disappeared, with the exception Gerry Robinson, who reappeared in 1997 as the BNP's election agent.
By 1996 the main local players in the Bradford BNP were Kevin Watmough, Paul Raistrick and Arthur Bentley:
![[Kevin Watmough]](Watmough.jpg)
The best known of the bunch, he has been active in Bradford since he was a teenager in the early 1980's (he's now 35). He ran the local BNP post office box number 565 from his mums house at Melton Terrace, Ravenscliffe.
He spent a lot of his time in Leeds with the active fascists there, particularly in the late '80's and early '90's when he joined up with Appleyard and co and started acting under the C-18 banner.
Although mainly known for writing puerile threatening letters to all and sundry, he does find the need to prove himself occasionally. He has convictions for racist attacks (1981), abuse (1982) and assault (1987 and 1994).
He was last seen in Bradford with Appleyard around May Day, 1997.
![[Paul Raistrick at the 1997 election count]](raistrick.jpg)
Raistrick was the local nazi "financier" who preferred to keep his activities secret. Until recently he was the owner of a car spares shop in Queensbury. He also owned a number of houses in Bradford which he used to rent to fellow fascists. This proved a lucrative deal and brought in money from local ratepayers, via housing benefit, for the BNP.
Amongst the properties he owned was a house in Brooks Terrace, Clayton Heights - the house formally occupied by Kevin Watmough.
He also owned another in Main Road, Denholme, which became the home of David Appleyard and his girlfriend Angela Berwick in 1996.
Raistrick was one of the election officials for the BNP at the count in May 1997, along with Appleyard, but hasn't been seen in the area since.
![[Arthur Bentley]](bentley..jpg)
An "intellectual" fascist, best known for his attempt a few years ago to make his fortune by marketing "penile extension" capsules from his home in Sherwood Place, Undercliffe. Bentley swings between the BNP and the "Third positionists" - a kind of fascist back-to-nature grouping.
Bentley surprised everyone when he had a secret meeting with Bradford Resource Centre worker Mike Quiggin in April 1997. Bentley told of his fear of Appleyard - a fear shared by other local nazis. He claimed Appleyard was a police agent and was also responsible for a number of attacks against other prominent fascists.
Appleyard later gave his own literate account of the meeting in his Northern Front bulletin in June:
"The reason the Reds have been led up the garden path is down to ARTHUR BENTLEY who for reasons known only to himself arranged a meeting with AFA leader (sic) Mike Quiggin where he spent an hour pleading his case that he has got nothing to do with hard line nationalists and begged for protection. The only sensible thing Bentley did was secretly record the meeting so Mike Quiggin's and Gerry Gable's attempts to cause trouble by falsely claiming in Searchlight Bentley grassed on Nationalists and accused others of being police informers fell on deaf ears ..."
Bentley took a leading role in promoting the BNP regionally in the 1999 Euro elections.