Mark Cotterill

Mark Adrian Cotterill (born 3 October 1960) is a far right political figure who has been involved in a number of movements throughout his career. He is noted for activity to establish links between the far right in Britain and America, by founding the American Friends of the British National Party.

NF/Patriotic Forum years

Cotterill was a member of the National Front (NF) from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, and was the South West England organiser from 1978 to 1992.^[1] He “helped promulgate the New Atlantic Charter, signed between The National Front and The Nationalist Movement, pledging Anglo-American solidarity” and was “instrumental in arranging the exchange visit of (Nick) Griffin to America.”^[2]

Cotterill left the NF in 1992 and formed the Patriotic Forum^[3] and edited its magazine British Patriot. The Patriotic Forum was largely composed of ex-NF members, such as Alan Harvey, Keith Jowsey, John Samuel, and Kelvin Sanderson the former National Front Overseas' Liaison officer.^[4] Cotterill and Harvey also formed the short-lived White Rhino Club which supported apartheid in South Africa^{[citation needed]}. Harvey would later accuse Cotterill of sabotaging the Club's activities, but without substantiating the claim.^[5]

Cotterill was for a short time a member of the Conservative Party in Torquay in 1993,^[6] and was active in the Revolutionary Conservative Caucus.^[7]

He stood as an Independent in the local elections in 1995.^[8]

Cotterill wound up the Patriotic Forum and ceased publication of British Patriot, in 1995.

BNP years

Cotterill then moved over to the British National Party (BNP). In 1998, when he lived just outside Washington DC, he formed and ran the American Friends of the British National Party (AFBNP), which aimed to raise funds for the BNP. The “AFBNP was extremely successful though it has been claimed that a lot of the money raised went adrift and never ended up in the party coffers.” ^[9]

While living in the U.S. he campaigned for David Duke in his bid to be elected to the United States Congress in 1999, as well as working for Pat Buchanan's bid to be elected President of the United States in 2000. However, “Buchanan's campaign threw out Cotterill and other racist volunteers after their presence was exposed by the Center for New Community and other groups.” ^[10]

Cotterill became an associate of Dr. William Pierce, editing his Resistance magazine in 1999, but he was subsequently "fired from the National Alliance in America by Pierce for swindling $100,000 from Resistance Magazine"^[11]

Cotterill was also the US distributor for Right Now! magazine.^[12]

Cotterill was by now defined by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a “key British neofascist”.^[13] Cotterill was later deported from the U.S.^[14] in 2002.

EFP years

Back in England, Cotterill broke with the BNP and joined the "openly fascist" White Nationalist Party (WNP)^[15] until he broke with them too.

In 2004, Cotterill founded the England First Party. He publishes and edits a quarterly magazine called Heritage and Destiny,^[16][17] which he describes as the "radical voice of racial nationalism".^{[citation needed]}

He was elected councillor for Meadowhead on Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council in the 2006 local elections as a member of the England First Party, which he then led. However, Cotterill resigned the seat in May 2007 and also stood down from the party leadership.^[18]

In 2008, Cotterill stood as the EFP candidate at Preston's council elections and came fourth.^[19]

References

1. ^ Southern Poverty Law Center article
2. ^ Nationalist Movement Website
3. ^ Peter Rushton, Heritage and Destiny, Issue 34 (2009) p4
4. ^ Nationalist Movement website
5. ^ Speech given by Alan Harvey
6. ^ Article in The Independent
7. ^ http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/freeearth/fe1_britain.html
8. ^ Torbay Election Results - Tormohun
9. ^ Lanacaster Unity
10. ^ Southern Poverty Law Center article
11. ^ [1]
12. ^ http://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/othersrv/isar/archives2/genewar/ritenow.htm Searchlight July 1998
13. ^ Southern Poverty Law Center article
14. ^ Southern Poverty Law Center article
15. ^ [2]
16. ^ Publications : England First Party
17. ^ England First Website
18. ^ England First pair quit party Lancashire Telegraph
19. ^ Preston City Council Electoral Services

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Name	Cotterill, Mark
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Date of birth	1960
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