30/11/22

Nazi Bathgate Gig Banned

A Neo-Nazi 'music' gig to be held in the West Lothian town of Bathgate has been cancelled by the venues owners on Police advice. The Midnight Breakfast Club venue was reported to host the first night of a two day festival of hate scheduled to take place on the weekend of 25th and 26th November. The gig organised by the Nazi 'Blood & Honour' network was set to feature notorious Nazi skinhead vetertan's Ken McKellan and Steve Calladine, also known as 'Stigger'. The second night was to take place at an undisclosed venue featuring McKellan's band Brutal Attack, Steve Calladine's Warlord and Finnish Nazi's Mistreat who's album 'White Minority' is littered with racist, violent songs including 'Send them Back' and 'Stab the Judge'. McKellan has recently been banned from every European Union country except Republic of Ireland due to his political beliefs with Calladine being a former member of the infamous Nazi skinhead band; Skrewdriver whose lead singer Ian Stuart Donaldson founded the Blood & Honour network.

Over 250 Nazi's were set to atend the gigs and thanks to a national email and social media awareness campaign by HOPE not Hate, which asked people to contact the leader of West Lothian Council for the event to be banned. This alongside intervention from local community activists and trade unionists suceeded in the venues owner, who is reported to be a Nazi sympathiser, cancelling the gig after being contacted by Police Scotland. The venue released a statement saying 'Further to discussions with Police Scotland in relation to the unfounded rumours being circulated we have taken the decision to close on Saturday and Sunday this weekend, on top of Friday which was already a planned closure for the venue. The safety of our staff has and always will be our main priority at MBC'.

The two day event was organised by Thomas Stenhouse, another veteran Blood & Honour organiser in Scotland who has in years gone by organised other gigs in the Bathgate area.

Well done to all who took the time to contact the leader of West Lothian Council in getting the gig banned.