The British National Party’s glowing tribute to Duncan attracted 17 positive comments, providing further evidence of how successful his infiltration of the far right had been over the past ten years. Here are some of them – spelling, grammar and silly names are all their own.

“RIP fellow patriot” – imnokuffar

“RIP proud patriot” – A Wayne Lamport

Imagine a trusted activist, welcome in a wide range of far-right organisations, described by the British National Party as “a keen Party member and an active supporter over the last eight years … [who] would travel across London to support meetings in any area”. A man who “would never miss an opportunity to go out leafleting, despite having to use a walking-stick to get around … devoted to the Nationalist cause … a regular supporter of the Trafalgar Club fund raising dinners … [and] attender at the Red White and Blue gatherings, where his humour and love of life made him very popular”.

That was Duncan Robertson, who died aged 48 on 19 March 2013 and whose glowing obituary, by the BNP’s Croydon and Sutton branch, appeared on the BNP website on 29 April.

Searchlight in common with many others in the anti-fascist movement and the media believes that the failure of the British National Party as both an electable party and a viable community level group has left a gap on the far right that is being filled by a series of ever fragmenting street outfits that are characterised by the violence they are bringing to cities and towns up and down the country.

The police have made several arrests, sometimes using those arrested or previously convicted as informers. There is little sophistication in their methods. After more than a decade no means have been found nationally or internationally of stopping the spread of organised hate on the internet. All sorts of extremists, not only the far right, are benefiting from what is a combination of a political and a policing failure.