LONDON, March 23 (JTA) — Three members of the fascist group Combat 18 were jailed last week for inciting racial hatred. The three men pleaded guilty to charges of possessing “threatening, abusive or insulting material.” The three had literature with precise instructions for making bombs. They were ordered jailed for between 12 and 17 months. Combat 18 states that its aims are to “ship all non-whites back to Africa, Asia, Arabia, alive or in body bags, the choice is theirs.” Another aim is “to execute all Jews who have actively helped to damage the white race and to put into camps the rest until we find a solution for the eternal Jew.” Combat 18 was involved in a campaign targeting high-profile sports and theater personalities for their friendships with Jews. Other targets had married partners of a different race. Such campaigns have given Combat 18 a higher profile in the past few months. According to Tony Lerman of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, Combat 18 has received a sudden “burst of publicity.” Lerman believes that Combat 18 is following a pattern similar to other groups in Europe. Because of the failure of the extreme right to influence governments, fascist groups are developing a more violent rhetoric in order to get their message across. Several anti-fascist groups complained that the sentences were too lenient. Lerman maintains that the three arrests were significant. “Police have been taking the matter seriously,” he said. “It is a difficult balance because the police do not want to make martyrs out of them.”
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