Phone call stops Ike lecture in Birmingham.

David Ike’s trajectory in public life appears to have been aimless and erratic. At some time or other he has paraded as a revolutionary socialist, radical environmentalist, professional sportsman, mystic and author. He is often depicted as an unstable and pathetic figure, attracting much scorn in the media. His recent role as a political focus for racist organisations requires more serious attention.

As a prolific author he has not been shy in using blatantly anti-Semitic sources and quotes which have been interpreted by racist organisations as an endorsement of their views. In Britain, this has led to the nazi British National Party and Combat 18 using Ike’s public lectures as recruitment grounds. They have recommended his talks to existing members. He refuses to disassociate himself from the racist stance taken by some of his supporters and seems comfortable with the sordid nature of this attention.

Ike is currently engaged in a promotional tour to market his most recent book. As a response, Anti-Nazi organisations have protested directly to venue organisers. Once the conference centre or hotel is made aware of the potentially corrosive nature of the subject matter they often cancel the event. If this approach is unsuccessful then local pickets are quickly assembled.

Ike was due to host an all day event at the Burlington Hotel in Birmingham on Sunday 22nd October. To their credit, the conference organisers at the hotel showed no equivocation when informed that they were to accommodate an anti-Semite; they cancelled the booking after confirming the details with the Anti-Nazi League.

Lewis Buckley