Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Britain First: British Army regiment asks group to remove photograph of soldiers from Facebook page

Although the original post has been removed, a screenshot has attracted thousands of likes

Rose Troup Buchanan
Tuesday 03 November 2015 15:11 GMT
Comments
A screengrab of the group's post
A screengrab of the group's post (Britain Furst, Screenshot)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Far-right organisation Britain First has been asked to remove a photograph of British soldiers from its official Facebook page.

The group, known for their anti-immigration rhetoric, posted a photograph of soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment over the weekend, captioned: “How many likes for the Royal Anglians, the ‘Vikings’!”

Apply cold water to burned area

Posted by Britain Furst on Monday, November 2, 2015

It received just over 3,000 likes and just over a 100 shares before the Royal Anglian Regiment's official Facebook page administrator posted beneath, politely requesting the image’s removal.

A screenshot of the page – which has now been removed – was afterward posted onto parody Facebook group Britain Furst and has attracted more than 8,000 likes and more than a 1,000 shares.

The image is believed to be an older stock photograph, and has been used on news stories about the British Army since 2013.

Britain First has had a spate of somewhat embarrassing publicity.

The group – led by Paul Golding and deputy Jayda Fransen – featured in the October BBC Three documentary ‘We Want Our Country Back’. Many people mocked the group during the programme, including WWII veteran Harry Leslie Smith.

UK: Scuffles break out at Britain First march

Britain First did not respond to The Independent’s requests for comment.

Although the Facebook post was placed on the Britain Furst Facebook page on 3 November, the original post by the Royal Anglian Regiment was on 11 July, 2014, and was then subsequently deleted.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in