Military charity found selling “anti-Islamic and neo-Nazi” merchandise

BBC News reports on a television documentary to be broadcast on BBC1 Scotland tonight which uncovers the sale of anti-Islamic and neo-Nazi merchandise by a military charity.

1^st Knight, which provides respite breaks for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, was discovered to be selling “anti-Islamic themed” merchandise. The discovery is due to be aired in the documentary The Great Military Charity Scandal this evening.

BBC News reports that a T-shirt bearing pictures of two naked women, a pint of beer and a pig, read: “Pork-eating, beer-drinking, womanising infidel.”

When a charity volunteer was asked why there was a pig on the T-shirt, the volunteer responded: “They’re not allowed to eat it are they? These Muslims. Pork-eating, beer-drinking – basically it’s against their religion. Womanising – they’re not allowed to womanise, are they? And yet they call us infidels.”

The charity’s founder, Andy Linihan, was caught on secret camera selling “a Velcro badge which is designed to be placed on uniforms or baseball cap.”

Underneath the picture of an assault rifle were the words “72 Virgins Express”.

When asked by an undercover reporter what the words meant, Linihan said it referred to the shooting of suicide bombers adding, “When they supposedly go up to heaven or wherever they go to, there are 72 virgins waiting for them.”

A volunteer for the charity then told the undercover reporter: “We shoot them and they get the virgins.”

BBC News also uncovered merchandise emblazoned with neo-Nazi emblems being sold by the charity. One such emblem, the skull and bones, is also used by the far-right groups Combat 18 and Blood and Honour.

The BBC report includes a response from the chief executive of the Funding Regulator, Stephen Dunmore, who described the charity’s behaviour as “entirely unacceptable”. Surprisingly, despite 1^st Knight being registered with the Charity Commission and the “anti-Islamic and neo-Nazi” merchandise being sold at its headquarters in Blackpool, there is no response by a spokesperson from the Charity Commission itself. Would it be otherwise if it was a Muslim charity that was caught engaging in such transgressions?