Photos and videos posted on social media showed attendees, linked to the British National Socialist Movement founded in 1968 by Colin Jordan, waving flags with Nazi symbols and eating a cake decorated with a swastika. In one image, a photo of Hitler was digitally added.
The gathering marked 136 years since Hitler’s birth. Jean Anderson, the pub’s owner, condemned the incident. "We didn't see anything until it was posted online. We thought it was a birthday party. They said they had a cake, but we didn't know what happened because they covered everything up," she said.
"The pub was full. There were about six to eight men and one woman. They sat in the corner and didn't cause any problems. I have never seen them before but they definitely won't be coming in here again," she added.
The Labour Party condemned the celebration, saying in a statement: “This vile display is a reminder that the threat of the far-right is real. There is no place in our community for the glorification of an ideology responsible for the deaths of millions. Acts of hate and division must be condemned and eradicated.”
David Lawrence, of the human rights group Hope not Hate, said the participants belong to a fringe neo-Nazi faction that should be rejected even by the broader far-right. Greater Manchester Police confirmed they received a report about a group celebrating Hitler’s birthday at the pub.
“The individuals were in possession of items bearing Nazi symbols. The incident is being reviewed under Section 18 of the Public Order Act, which covers the display of threatening, abusive or insulting material intended to incite racial hatred,” a police spokesperson said.
“We are treating the matter with the utmost seriousness and sensitivity and ask anyone with additional information to come forward.”
