Royal Marine at centre of diversity row insists he is not a neo-Nazi

A Royal Marine astatine the centre of a enactment implicit diverseness and inclusion policies successful the Armed Forces has denied claims that helium is simply a neo-Nazi.

John Carr, 26, wrote an unfastened missive to subject chiefs successful which helium raised concerns that standards were being lowered for pistillate recruits.

The letter, which helium has claimed was backed by up to 1,000 of his peers, alleged that immoderate pistillate trainees were being artificially “pushed through” gruelling carnal tests arsenic portion of a governmental docket to beforehand women successful the Armed Forces.

He voiced fears that affirmative favoritism would either “destroy” the elite corps, oregon “create an unrecognisable, anemic and compromised version” of it.

The Telegraph has spoken to aggregate sources linked to the Royal Marines who person privately echoed his concerns astir the erosion of standards.

However, during an probe into Mr Carr’s governmental views, the Ministry of Defence discovered that helium is simply a subordinate of a fringe governmental party. A defence root described him arsenic a “far-Right extremist”, and consequent reports claimed helium had been investigated implicit alleged “neo-Nazi links”.

Stripped of information clearance

Mr Carr has been stripped of his information clearance and ordered to enactment from home.

He said connected Wednesday that his rank of the Homeland Party was “totally irrelevant” to the concerns helium raised astir diversity, and insisted helium was neither a racist nor an extremist.

He said: “This is simply a lie, peddled by those who privation to deflect from the cardinal issue, which is astir what’s going connected successful the Marines and elsewhere successful the Armed Forces.

“My knowing of the word neo-Nazi means idiosyncratic who is convulsive and hateful to radical of different races.

“I americium successful nary mode convulsive oregon hateful to radical of different races. I person thing but affirmative relationships with everyone astatine work, and successful the wider community.”

Following the work of his letter, Mr Carr was flown to London and questioned for 2 hours astatine the Ministry of Defence, during which, helium said, helium admitted to supporting the Homeland Party.

Party campaigns for remigration

The enactment campaigns for alleged “remigration”, which it describes arsenic “systematically reversing laws and policies that licence and promote wide migration portion implementing caller laws and policies to facilitate and promote wide emigration”.

On its website, the Homeland Party, which is registered with the Electoral Commission, says this argumentation would see the removal of each amerciable immigrants, the deportation of each overseas nationalist offenders, and the removal of British citizenship from criminals of overseas origin.

It besides states that it wants to “re-establish the primacy of our culture” and says events specified arsenic the Notting Hill Carnival “do not correspond our nationalist heritage”.

It describes itself arsenic nationalist, and 1 of its cardinal beliefs arsenic stated connected its website is that “indigenous radical person an inseparable enslaved with their homeland”.

It besides calls for the ending of “the signifier of embedding overseas cultures into our humanities narrative, which has created a mendacious consciousness of belonging rooted successful politically motivated myths”.

After the questioning by the MoD, Mr Carr was allowed to instrumentality to his duties. However, helium was subsequently detained for questioning nether counter-terrorism legislation. He claimed officers from Police Scotland were waiting for him astatine a Scottish airdrome connected his instrumentality from a household holiday.

It is understood that Police Scotland questioned him astir his governmental views and affiliations. He was neither arrested nor charged with immoderate offence.

Mr Carr said helium joined the Homeland Party “because they volition unafraid the borderline and combat against extremists”, but played down his links to the organisation and its agenda.

‘They are trying to smear me’

He said: “This is not astir me, it’s astir unsafe DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion]. Attempting to smear maine arsenic an extremist puts my household successful danger. What they are saying is not existent and anyone who knows maine knows that I americium not what they are making maine retired to be.”

An MoD spokesperson said of Mr Carr’s comments astir diversity: “Royal Marine Commando enactment standards person not changed, and the aforesaid precocious standards use to each recruit.

“This contented is taxable to an ongoing investigation, truthful we are incapable to remark further astatine this stage.

“We expect the highest standards of each our work personnel. We are committed to investigating immoderate allegation of behaviour that could bring the Armed Forces into disrepute.”

The MoD has antecedently denied immoderate affirmative favoritism – pointing retired that to date, nary pistillate has met the gruelling carnal standards required to gain the coveted Royal Marines greenish beret.

It has besides denied that arsenic galore arsenic 1,000 Marines backed Mr Carr’s letter. A Whitehall root described the fig arsenic “unverified”.

Police Scotland declined to comment.

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