“I was shocked and left physically shaking" - Far right leaflets ‘not welcome’ in Peak District village

Propaganda from a far right ‘neo-nazi’ group Patriotic Alternative which was delivered to residents in Eyam last week is not welcome.

Phil Eden, who lives in the village said: “I was shocked and left physically shaking and speechless to discover leaflets through my door from far right group Patriotic Alternative.

“One of the leaflets spread misinformation about the plight of asylum seekers and the other was a leaflet pleading for a convicted far right man Sam Melia to be released from prison for making racist stickers.

“Far-right fascists are not welcome in our village of Eyam or the wider Peak District community.

“We are a welcoming and caring community in Eyam, full of diversity.”

Earlier this year the group’s regional leader was found guilty and imprisoned for intentionally stirring up racial hatred.

He was arrested in 2021 and following a subsequent search of Melia’s home, police discovered a book by Oswald Moseley, who founded the British Union of Fascists, a poster of Adolf Hitler and a Nazi emblem.

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service, who brought the case to trial earlier this year, said: “These were key signs of Melia’s ideology and underpinned his desire to spread his racist views in a deliberate manner.”

High Peak MP Robert Largan has previously spoken out against the far right group.

He said: “I’m deeply troubled by reports of Neo-Nazi leaflets being distributed.

“I am concerned about the rising tide of extremism both from Islamism and the Far Right.”