Defend Europa’s Alex had to opportunity to talk and interview Ben Jones, one of the co-leaders of the English branch of the European identitarian org Generation Identity. GI has recently reached the United Kingdom but its presence among other European countries has a much longer history with chapters in Italy, France (where the org was founded), Germany, Austria, Hungary and many more. Jones and his fellow co-leader Dupre have been under fire recently from the mainstream media in the UK which published numerous slanderous articles depicting them as “dangerous Fascists” or “Nazi hipster”, we at Defend Europa decided to offer them our platform to voice their opinions on the treatment they received from the mainstream media and much more.

Alex: Greetings Benjamin, thanks for accepting our interview request. How are you guys holding up after the series of hit pieces directed your way in the last week?

Ben: It’s always somewhat surreal to find yourself appearing in the country’s largest newspapers; especially when Generation Identity only launched in the UK last October. Despite the universal condemnation from journalists, the general response from their audiences has been inquisitive and supportive. All of our members who’ve appeared in the press are fairly unmoved by their inclusion. We know the risks associated with what we do, in addition we recognise that there’s far more at stake than our own egos. Most importantly, the rapid media coverage of Generation Identity demonstrates that our metapolitical strategy is working. Despite limited resources and still being quite embryonic, we’re having a large impact. It’s also worth pointing out that our language, including terminology like ‘Identitarian’, ‘Great Replacement’ and ‘ethnopluralism’ are already being used and debated in the media.

A: Your friend and co-leader Tom Dupre has lost his job after a defaming campaign from Hopenothate, a far left organization (added to a list of dangerous leftist organizations by the Swedish authorities). This is not the first time the Soros funded NGO targeted identitarians. Why is the UK government not defending the rights of its own citizens?

B: Hope Not Hate is essentially a state-sponsored tool of harassment and intimidation. Despite their broad agenda of combating ‘racism’ and ‘extremism’, they continually peddle niche, far-left political agendas. It’s bizarre to think that such an organisation would hope to challenge ‘radicalisation’ by taking a young, law-abiding man out of work. On paper, surely this would have the opposite effect? Nevertheless, Tom’s in good spirits and is getting on well. If anything, his personal experiences have only increased his resolve. We suspect that HNH thought that this would intimidate our membership and cause them to throw in the towel. They must be exceptionally disappointed. The British government has essentially decided that it’s responsible for determining the ‘values’ of society. As demonstrated by the letters received by Martin Sellner, Lauren Southern, Abel Bodi and Brittany Pettibone as they were turned away from the border. I can’t honestly say what these are (there’s been no clarification from the Home Office). However, they seem to run contrary to basic, common sense notions such as love of country, intellectual honesty and any and every condemnation of mass-immigration and Islam.

A: Will Dupre take legal actions?

B: Tom has been inundated with enquiries from legal professionals. His view is that it’ll only be worthwhile if it serves the Movement in general. Such a campaign would be drawn-out and expensive. He’s not interested in doing it out of self-interest alone. We’ll have to see what the next few weeks and months yield. Speaking for myself, I think such a venture would be destined to fail. The media is so heavily politicised in this country, and there’s so much money behind it, that any attempt to challenge them at this stage would be premature. So, let them do their best for now, we’ll just keep on growing.

A: How is GI doing in the UK, are you receiving public support?

B: We’re going from strength to strength. In six months we’ve established ourselves as the fastest growing organisation of our kind in the UK and Ireland. According to Hope Not Hate, we’re also the most active. Given that we’re mostly just young people without political experience, this is remarkable. In terms of membership, we’ve now established branches in the north and south of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. We’re currently in the process of establishing a Welsh branch, too. Our emphasis is on quality over quantity.

A: What are your thoughts on Enoch Powell? How cool is his car?

B: His specific politics aside, the man himself was extraordinary. He spoke a dozen languages and became a professor in his early twenties. For millions of people in the UK, Powell was a prophet in that he discerned the logical conclusion of mass-immigration and multiculturalism before anyone else; the systematic replacement of indigenous peoples in their towns and cities. In addition, we haven’t had a political representative in this country since Powell who’d be willing to sacrifice their reputation and career to acknowledge the genuine concerns and grievances of their constituents. In a British context, no one more so than Powell best personifies the struggle against the Great Replacement. His ethic of self-sacrifice and intellectual discipline are things we all look up to. As for Powell’s car, it’s surprisingly comfortable and is in good condition for its age. It’s an automatic and so took some getting used to for those of us accustomed to manual drives. However, we recently learnt the hard way that its engine likes to overheat if pushed too far. It needs to be treated with care and we fully intend to look after and cherish it as the artifact that it is.

A: The UK government is taking an extremely authoritarian turn, first the identitarian activists being banned, now Tommy Robinson arrested and jailed for reporting on Grooming gangs, what are your strategies to avoid persecution from the government?

B: Something has happened within the British government over the past six months or so. The state has decided to suddenly, and without context, clamp down on patriotic groups with a real fervor. The sheer scale of the number of people being turned away from the border, arrests and media hostility is unprecedented. This is most likely due to growing discontentment surrounding the multicultural experiment and a breakdown of relations between ethnic and religious communities. Rather than address the problems we’re facing directly; the state continues to sweep the issues under the rug. Tommy Robinson’s recent arrest is telling, but what’s more important is the media blackout that’s been issued following it. This is an acknowledgment from the state that its own actions no longer coincide with the views of the people; that the state is actively working against the will of the people. In effect, this is a soft variant of totalitarianism. However, its attempts to shut down the debate is both naïve and hopeless; social media and alternative media platforms simply cannot be regulated or controlled. Deep down, the elite in this country must know this. They’re just buying themselves time.

In Generation Identity, we believe the best defence we have is our own conduct. We’re in control of what we say and how we behave. It’s our disciplined approach that most intimidates our opposition; it’s why so many high-profile leftists are so obsessed with us despite our size. We’re continually demonstrating that our ideas aren’t ‘extreme’ or ‘fringe’, but that they are instead prevalent throughout British society. We conduct ourselves openly and honestly, utilising a peaceful and law-abiding strategy. We’re able to do this whilst confronting some of the most pressing crises our civilisation has ever faced. However, we fully acknowledge that we’re up against opponents who simply do not play fair. We’ll do everything we can to mitigate the risk of a genuine clamp down. Should it come, we believe that it’ll only make our case for us anyway. Our philosophy is ‘if not us, who?’