Patriotic Alternative demonstrates for release of political prisoner Sam Melia

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Related Story: Patriotic Alternative’s Sam Melia sentenced two years in prison for ‘anti-White’ hate conviction

Leeds, United Kingdom – The British nationalist organization Patriotic Alternative (PA) marched to demand the release of political prisoner Sam Melia on Saturday. The protest would be their largest demonstration to date and comes amid a surge of UK “thought-crime” convictions, which have since gained international attention.

The march—which included PA leaders Mark Collett and Laura Towler—was conducted in Leeds city centre, drawing dozens of attendees from across the UK. The demonstration eventually made its way to Leeds Civic Hall in Millennium Square, where the group distributed leaflets and gave speeches in front of a busy crowd.

Activists from Patriotic Alternative outside Leeds Civic Hall in Millennium Square on Saturday, March 23rd. Photo: Mark Collett Telegram.

“Yesterday, Patriotic Alternative held our largest flash demo to date,” read a statement on PA’s official Telegram page. “Attention was drawn to the draconian laws that the anti-White state uses to unfairly target patriotic people.”

“This is just the beginning. We will continue campaigning for a stop to the political persecution of nationalists,” it continued.

Carrying signs that read “free speech is a human right,” “free Sam Melia,” and, “say no to thought crime,” demonstrators sought to raise further awareness of nationalists who have been jailed in the UK over their pro-White political advocacy. The heavy-handed acts of government to supress right-wing dissent have so far resulted in the convictions of several high-profile activists, including podcaster James Allchurch a.k.a Sven Longshanks, British nationalist James Costello, and of course, Sam Melia, husband of PA’s deputy chief Laura Towler.

Sam Melia has been described as a “political prisoner” and “working class hero” by nationalists around the world. His “hate speech” conviction would be interpreted poorly by less radical political pundits, fearing the consequences of broad governmental overreach. Photo: Mark Collett Telegram.

In January, Melia was convicted under a tyrannical set of UK hate crime laws, after prosecutors said he attempted to “stir up racial hatred” for producing a series of lawful and truthful stickers that contained messages critical of mass immigration into Europe.

Some of the stickers read, “They have to go back,” “There is a war on whites,” and “They seek conquest, not asylum.” In March, Judge Tom Bayliss KC sentenced Melia to two years in prison for the victimless crime, ensuring he will miss the birth of his second child.

His plight has since garnered the attention of more mainstream and less radical news outlets, including sympathetic coverage on Infowars, and Spiked-online, among others. PA leader Mark Collett called Melia’s ordeal a “draconian show trial,” and pointed to Judge Bayliss’s documented history of sparing far worse offenders—including some pedophiles—from prison altogether.

“The truth is no defense. When you say that phrase to people, it conjures up thoughts of the Soviet Union, draconian show trials, or authoritarian regimes in the Far East,” said Collett on a megaphone on Saturday. “But ‘the truth is no defense’ were the words used by Judge Tom Bayliss in the case of Samuel Melia.”

Sam Melia is just one of many pro-White activists jailed or charged over their political beliefs. Popular figures like James Allchurch, James Costello, Rob Rundo, and Thomas Rousseau of Patriot Front have similarly faced persecution in recent months. Photo: Mark Collett Telegram.

“Bayliss said to the jury that the truth was irrelevant because, in the case of Sam Melia, it could not constitute a defense,” he continued. “The messages of the stickers and leaflets produced by Sam Melia were completely lawful. (He) is now serving a two-year prison sentence in HMP Leeds for producing material that is both lawful and actionable under a law where the truth does not matter.”

Judge Bayliss, who claims he had sent Melia to prison in order to deter others from “stirring up racial hatred,” drew ire from many in the nationalist community, notably for his unwillingness to jail pedophiles and other more serious criminals. In March of 2022, Bayliss issued a “community order” to Dane Leach, a man convicted for possessing over 400 images of child sex abuse material (CSAM). It would be the second time Leach was convicted for the exact same crime.

In August of 2023, Bayliss offered similar mercies to a teenager convicted of selling a CSAM video of his then-girlfriend to pedophiles online for a total of £660. According to reports, the unidentified man was also said to have dozens of CSAM files on a number of devices, with some of the victims being only seven to nine years old. For the crime, Bayliss ordered him to undergo a sex offender program and a suspended sentence.

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Meanwhile, Melia’s two-year prison sentence was interpreted by many as a tyrannical gesture by the UK government, which has recently hammered groups like PA for their continued advocacy of native Britons and their collective interests.

Earlier in the month, MP Michael Gove specifically named PA as an example of a group deemed worthy of government repression in the wake of a new “extremism definition” set in place by ministers. The law would specifically bar certain political groups from accessing government funds and meeting certain officials.

“Why is (Sam Melia) in jail? Effectively, in short, for thought crimes,” said Collett. The judge, the jury, and the court system are now asked to preside over a case not that lies on evidence or truth or actionable law but one that is judged on the intent and thoughts of a man who produced lawful material.”

“This is what you would expect from a communist nation, not a Britain of 2024,” he continued.

A video interview with Sam Melia and Laura Towler, taken directly before and after his sentencing in Leeds Court. Melia is currently serving two years in prison for what is essentially “thought crime” in the UK, and will now miss the birth of his second child. Video:

In February, PA was attacked for its charitable efforts when the UK’s top diversity czars deemed its “Operation White Christmas” toy drive a discriminatory practice. In a legal notice sent by the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the government appeared to threaten legal action if PA continued to host the toy drive, which specifically helped poor White families and children in need.

“I have previously said this is one of the greatest injustices of our time, and I stand by that,” said Collett of Melia. “Anyone who now expresses an opinion that goes against the official state narrative could wind up in jail when they espouse ‘heretical’ opinions.”

“This is multicultural tyranny. This is enacted by an anti-White state, a state that is tyrannical, and a state that is losing its grip on power,” he continued.

Laura Towler (left) is pictured with PA activists during a “Free Sam Melia” march in Leeds on Saturday. Towler is Melia’s wife and a long-time advocate for White civil rights in the UK. Photo: Laura Towler Telegram.

Despite the harsh sentence, Melia’s actions and views appear to resonate with a large percentage of his fellow countrymen. According to the White-Papers Policy Institute, 32% of Britons know about the “Great Replacement,” while 68.5% view demographic change as a net negative for the UK. In just 30 years, Britans non-White population has grown by a whopping 168%, despite a Conservative government remaining in power for some time.

“This is multicultural tyranny. This is enacted by an anti-White state, a state that is tyrannical, and a state that is losing its grip on power.”

Mark Collett, Patriotic Alternative

White-Papers goes on to insist that unless drastic policy measures are taken, including the repatriation of immigrants to their home countries, the White population of Great Britain will become an undisputed minority before the year 2060.

Pro-White activists like Sam Melia often face heavy-handed persecution, merely for the content of their political beliefs. In February, Active Club founder Robert Rundo was freed from jail and then swiftly rearrested in a stunning overreach by the US Federal Government. Prosecutors alleged Rundo was a flight risk and petitioned a higher court to overturn the ruling of a judge presiding over his case. Despite not facing any charges for any alleged crimes, Rundo is currently incarcerated pending Federal appeal.

In January of 2023, a man in upstate New York was arrested, harassed, red-flagged, and charged with felony over a swastika sticker found on public property at Albany University. Thanks to an unconstitutional “mental health hygiene” law that allows police to label political dissidents as mentally ill, the man’s home was raided, and his firearms were confiscated over his alleged political views.

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