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Trial begins for UK neo-Nazi who attempted to attack immigration lawyer

Cavan Medlock said he brought confederacy and swastika flags with him as a rallying call, part of his goal to “inspire other nationalists.”

“Unite the Right” Rally in Charlottesville, Va.
Alt-right members preparing as part of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., hold Nazi, Confederate and Gadsden “Don’t Tread on Me” flags, Aug. 12, 2017. Credit: Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons.

Prosecutors in the United Kingdom began to lay out their case against Cavan Medlock, 31, for alleged threats in September 2020 against an attorney, Toufique Hossain, while bringing a knife, handcuffs, and Confederate and Nazi flags into a law firm, according to news reports in the British media.

Medlock, who was also accused of preparing to unleash acts of terrorism, pleaded not guilty to attempting to attack Hossain.

But witnesses such as trainee attorney Efrat Idelson at the Duncan Lewis law firm in Harrow, a town in Greater London, say otherwise. “He was very violent, aggressive, and his comments were very racist and antisemitic,” said Idelson, who witnessed the attack, wrote the BBC.

Medlock made his views clear in interviews with police: “I would say I was a National Socialist, yeah, and I do believe Hitler should have won.”

He said he brought confederacy and swastika flags with him to the law firm as a rallying call, part of his goal to “inspire other nationalists.”

Evidence seized from Medlock’s phone suggested that he had researched Hossain and targeted the attorney due to his focus on immigration.

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