Camp for former soldiers revealed to be hotbed of antisemitic conspiracy theories

A camp for former British soldiers has been revealed to be a hotbed of antisemitic conspiracy theories. 

PTSD Camp Bath, a camp for “ex-forces with PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]”, has allegedly hosted several antisemitic conspiracy theorists as well as far-right individuals, according to an investigation by the JC.

The camp is located in a rural area and offers therapy sessions with horses as well as classes on woodland skills.

According to the investigation, the centre is run by Dion Drayford and Jo Drayford. Mr Drayford has reportedly appeared on podcasts with members of Patriotic Alternative (PA). According to his wife, Mr Drayford previously worked as a bodyguard in Iraq for American clients and, before that, served as a paratrooper for around twenty years. 

His wife, Jo, is also known to have been a guest on a podcast with the alleged former East of England organiser for PA, Chris Mitchell. 

PA is a UK-based group headed by the former leader of the youth wing of the BNP, Mark Collett. Mr Collett is reported to have dabbled in Holocaust denial, is regularly heard as a guest on the radio show of the former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, David Duke, and has described the Holocaust as “an instrument of white guilt”.

PA is known for its efforts to recruit youth to its white nationalist ideology. Previously, the far-right group published an online “alternative” homeschool curriculum condemned as “poison” and “hateful” and attempted to recruit children as young as twelve through live-streaming events on YouTube, according to The Times.

In 2017, Mr Drayford reportedly shared content that claimed to uncover a “Jewish organ-trafficking centre”. In the content, it was alleged that Jews harvest organs from Syrian refugees. 

Currently, the centre is understood to be organising a fundraiser for Alfred Guenigault. Mr Guenigault is a 98-year-old veteran who fought in the Second World War and whose landlord evicted him from his home. The fundraiser is claimed to be organised by Darren Edmundson, the self-proclaimed “Pembrokeshire Patriot” who was involved in protests against asylum seekers arriving in the UK. It is understood that the logos of both PTSD Camp Bath and Patriotic Alternative appear on the fundraising videos.

John Lawrence, the founder and leader of the National Housing Party, is known to have made a livestream in which he encouraged people to donate to Mr Guenigault. 

According to its website, the National Housing Party is a “nationalist party with realistic policies which will benefit both the indigenous population and UK citizens”. According to the Party, “the politically correct society we now live in is a vicious anti-white and anti-Christian one.”

Mr Lawrence has reportedly said: “I’ve met many veterans alongside Dion [Mr Drayson] at the camp.”

Earlier this year, a message on Telegram was reportedly sent from the National Housing Party which read: “Every major contributor to the dogma of Cultural Marxism was Jewish. The Frankfurt School from where it originated was a nest of Jews. Its goal was simple destroy white Christian civilisation and replace it with a multicultural madhouse under Jewish hegemony [sic].” 

The Party has also allegedly said that “there is not an anti-Jewish agenda… there is a vicious anti-white agenda” and that the “mainly Jewish” Soviet authorities were responsible for the deaths of Christian Ukrainians by starvation. 

Nigel Marcham and Alan Leggett, who are nicknamed “Little Veteran” and “Active Patriot” respectively, are understood to be attendees at the camp. Both Mr Marcham and Mr Leggett were previously banned from the docks at Dover after a judge concluded that they were “abusing” migrants. 

In 2020, Mr Marcham allegedly led a protest against boat crossings over the Channel. The protest, which was attended by white nationalists, led to the port being closed. 

A spokesperson for the Government said: “There is no place in our country for antisemitism in any form – it is abhorrent and will not be tolerated. The UK has some of the strongest legislation in the world, but we recognise there is more work to be done and will continue to push for prosecution where religious or racially motivated criminal activity occurs. We also continue to work closely with Jewish communities and the police to tackle hate crime.”

Simon Fell, the MP for Barrow and Furness who sits on the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “Given the links to Patriotic Alternative, this is deeply concerning. The police and the Home Office must scrutinise this camp very carefully to ensure it is not a front for more insidious activity.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism closely monitors the far-right, which remains a dangerous threat to the Jewish community and other minority groups.