White supremacist WhatsApp group found sharing ‘racist’ content inside SAS HQ
7 November 2022, 10:39 | Updated: 7 November 2022, 11:38
A WhatsApp group comprised of serving soldiers has been discovered sharing ‘racist’ and white supremacist content from inside the headquarters of the Special Air Service.
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Named ‘NSO’, which stands for National Socialist Order, the group’s acronym is one commonly used by neo-Nazi groups across the United States.
The group, which features a number of Special Forces soldiers, bears the symbol of a clenched white fist – an image regularly associated with white defiance and a protest against diversity.
The discovery has triggered an internal investigation, as senior officers seek out the group’s members, some of which are believed to have front line experience.
In one instance, the group is said to have shared a mocked-up picture of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding.
Another shown to the Daily Mail, with no wider context provided, featured the head of a black man superimposed on that of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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It’s believed to be linked to the recent conviction of two British teenagers harbouring far-right views, who reportedly posted an image of Prince Harry to a social media, accusing him of being a “race traitor” for marrying a woman of Afro-American descent.
Members of the NSO, which is known to have branches around the world, regularly advocate violence and discriminatory behaviour against Muslims, Jews and homosexuals.
The discovery is now being investigated by the Royal Military Police’s investigative branch, the SIB. Speaking to the Daily Mail, SAS sources said the group, which regularly shares highly offensive material, has led to protests from Afro-Caribbean and Polynesian troops.
One insider said: "The pictures and captions being shared in the group were moronic. It went on for years. You got a few out-and-out racists in the group and blokes who laugh at this sort of thing and don’t think about it.
"They don’t realise how offensive this sort of material is to black troops. They don’t want to go on operations with white soldiers who, behind their backs, are mocking black people or using white supremacist slogans and images."
In a further instance, according to the Mail, soldiers at the Hereford base also shared a photo of a black man’s forearm with the description ‘truck drivers’ suntan competition winner’.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘There is no place in the Armed Forces for any form of racist view or behaviour. Any activity which falls short of the high standards of the Armed Forces is unacceptable.
"We are aware of offensive comments and images posted by service personnel in a WhatsApp group. These are being investigated by the Army so it would be inappropriate to comment."
As part of the internal inquiries, senior officers are seeking to identify all the group’s members.
SAS soldiers – whose motto is Who Dares Wins, as seen on the hit Channel 4 reality series – have been ordered to undertake diversity training in the wake of the group's discovery.
