Gavin Hopley: murdered because he was English

A cause célèbre for the 'anti-racists'?

John Tyndall

Since the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, seemingly by Whites, in a street in Eltham, South East London, back in 1993, the British public has never been allowed to forget about the incident. With the encouragement of his politically militant mother, Lawrence has become a cult figure for 'anti-racists' everywhere - although a racial motive in his killing is still far from certain, least of all proven. The Lawrence affair has been milked for all it is worth by the political left - and not only the left but 'liberals' right across the spectrum. There have been marches, demonstrations, public meetings, political speeches, never-ending TV documentaries, and even TV plays on the Lawrence theme.

Part of the element of cause célèbre surrounding the Lawrence episode was the failure of the authorities to bring a successful prosecution against anyone for the killing. This was blamed on the local police for the allegedly casual way they handled the investigation; and - wait for it! - yes, police 'racism' was named as a factor in all this. Indeed, the very fact that Lawrence's killer, whoever he or she may be, is probably still at large has been a boon to the leftist and anti-racist grudge industry in Britain: the whole saga makes so much better propaganda in consequence.

But now let us shift the scene to a street in Oldham, Lancashire, one night in February 2002, where 19-year-old Gavin Hopley was walking with two friends away from a night-club. They strayed into the Glodwick area, which many members of the local Asian community regard as their own exclusive territory. The three were set upon by a gang of young Asians, and Gavin was brutally beaten. He died six days later in hospital. Gavin and his two mates were white.

Eight Asians were later arrested and charged with the murder but the charges were then dropped because of lack of evidence. Then the case was reopened in March 2003, when two of the Asian gang agreed to testify against one of their number, Mohsin Raza, who they claimed delivered the crucial kick which led to Gavin's death.

But Raza walked from court free last month when a jury - including some Asian members - accepted an alibi that he had been working at an Indian restaurant at the time of the murder.

An alibi supplied by others working at the restaurant, needless to say - in other words, by Asians!

Gavin's parents issued a public condemnation of certain members of the Asian community for protecting the culprits. "With their evidence the outcome could have be different," they said.

The killers of Gavin Hopley got off, just as those of Stephen Lawrence did.

But will we now see the murder of Gavin Hopley turned into a decade-long political circus, with rent-a-mob marching in the city in protest against the 'racism' that caused this and led to the culprit not being brought to justice? Will we hear politicians making impassioned speeches about it? Will there be years of TV documentaries and plays devoted to Gavin's memory and the ghastly 'racism' of those who killed him and those who protected the killers? Will Gavin Hopley become a cult figure of the 'anti-racist' cause?

Something tells us that pigs growing wings and taking to the sky is more likely!

From Spearhead, January 2004

Justice for Gavin Hopley

Acknowledgements to the Altermedia.com web site

February 16th, 2004

This Sunday 15th February marks the second anniversary of the death of white teenager, Gavin Hopley. Gavin was brutally murdered in an unprovoked racist attack by a gang of Asians after he unwittingly walked into the infamous “no-go for whites” zone of Glodwick, Oldham. He was repeatedly beaten for 20 minutes with wooden staves and received a ‘kung-fu’ style kick to the head that put him in a coma. While he lay unconscious his attackers stole his jewellery and mobile phone. He died six days later, aged just 19.

No one has ever been brought to account for Gavin’s murder. In 2003 eight Asian men were sentenced to between six and 9 months for violent disorder as a result of the attack. Then in December, the last suspect to stand trial was acquitted, after a ‘witness’ came forward at the last minute after having remembered that the “suspect” was working in his Indian restaurant that night. Now Greater Manchester Police have announced that the investigation into the murder of Gavin Hopley “is now closed.”

Police and media bias

Both the police and the media have shown nothing but utter contempt for Gavin and his family. Even though it is unheard of in English law to close a murder investigation the police have done just that. The media have totally ignored the whole affair, with Gavin’s murder receiving just two articles in the same national daily and a short commentary in the local press in Oldham.

The whole thing smacks of institutional racism. When black teenager Stephen Lawrence was killed in south-east London in 1993 there was a universal condemnation of the Metropolitan Police force for failing to secure a conviction. This led to the infamous Macpherson Report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence and “the lessons learned for the investigation and prosecution of racially motivated crimes”.

Thousands of column inches of newspaper space has been dedicated to the Lawrence murder, along with hundreds of hours of television and radio time. The murder of Gavin Hopley has hardly been mentioned, even though the circumstances fit hand in glove with those of the Stephen Lawrence murder. This is nothing other than a politically correct media blackout. Neither the police nor their bosses at the Home Office have learned anything other than how to “avoid raising tensions” by ignoring the majority of victims of racist attacks. This is a clear-cut case of blatant police institutional racism.

Public inquiry now

The British National Party has organised a demonstration for this Monday in London, outside the Commission for Racial Equality HQ and later outside the London HQ of the National Union of Journalists, to call on the government and the media to stop their self-imposed silence and give white racial attack victims the attention they deserve.

WE ARE DEMANDING an official inquiry into the murder of Gavin Hopley and the circumstances surrounding the subsequent failure of the police to secure a conviction. We are also demanding that the media publicise the Gavin Hopley affair in the same way they do when the victim is non-White.

We are urging all people to join us in our campaign to achieve equality for the majority of racial attack victims in Britain. Remember, the next time this happens it could be one of your friends, your brother or your own son. Don’t let them get away with it!