Simon Guy Sheppard (born 1957) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

extremist from

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, who runs a number of

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and W ...

s that promote

misogynist Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced f ...

and

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Ant ...

doctrines. His main website contains many articles about

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

, the multiracial society, and

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, stating that they have negative effects upon western society and for white males in particular. He has been prosecuted three, and imprisoned four times for his ideology: in the Netherlands for disseminating

Holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...

propaganda in 1995, in the UK for

inciting racial hatred Incitement to ethnic or racial hatred is a crime under the laws of several countries. Australia In Australia, the Racial Hatred Act 1995 amends the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, inserting Part IIA – Offensive Behaviour Because of Race, Colour ...

in 1999 and 2000 for a

British National Party The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right, fascist political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and its leader is Adam Walker. A minor party, it has no elected representatives at any level of UK gover ...

(BNP) election leaflet, and again in the UK between 2008 and 2011 for publishing material on the Internet that was in breach of racial hatred legislation, after having been subject to a number of raids by police. He was released on licence after serving less than half his sentence to a bail hostel on 17 May 2011 and was banned from accessing the Internet. He was rearrested in January 2013 for breach of his licence conditions and returned to prison in Northallerton.Sonia Gable
"Race hate internet warrior Simon Sheppard returns to prison"
. ''Searchlight'', 7 February 2013.

Career and work

Sheppard initially had a career as a

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproductio ...

in the music industry and claims to have met famous figures like

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a sessio ...

and even

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

. He then set up his own company, the Heretical Press, to distribute his self-published books. The Heretical Press website at heretical.com contains an eclectic mixture of excerpts taken from Sheppard's books, stand-alone articles by Sheppard, work by his associate Steven Whittle (using the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Luke O'Farrell), and many pieces of work by other writers whose work fits with Sheppard's ideas, along with miscellaneous entries. Subjects mentioned on the site include Sheppard's theories such as his own "Procedural Analysis" concept, racial theories and stereotyping,

and general

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

, the inferiority of

and opposition to

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countri ...

and feminism, the science behind

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal pene ...

and its

biological Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary in ...

implications, and accounts of

cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...

around the world, among other topics. Despite lacking relevant qualifications or membership of the

British Psychological Society The British Psychological Society (BPS) is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. History It was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London (UCL) as ''The Psychological Society'', the org ...

, Sheppard presents himself as a psychologist and attempts to apply

game theory Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions among rational agents. Myerson, Roger B. (1991). ''Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict,'' Harvard University Press, p.&nbs1 Chapter-preview links, ppvii–xi It has appli ...

and

evolutionary psychology Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach in psychology that examines cognition and behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify human psychological adaptations with regards to the ancestral problems they evo ...

to the analysis of biological competition between the sexes and between different races, in a

social Darwinistic Social Darwinism refers to various theories and societal practices that purport to apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology, economics and politics, and which were largely defined by scholars in We ...

sense. One notable aspect of his theories is that he claims that it is the male instinct to be racist, because this has evolved as an evolutionary drive to try to prevent females, who are evolutionarily inclined to view alien males as having high biological fitness as they have penetrated a territory without being killed, from engaging in

miscegenation Miscegenation ( ) is the interbreeding of people who are considered to be members of different races. The word, now usually considered pejorative, is derived from a combination of the Latin terms ''miscere'' ("to mix") and ''genus'' ("race") ...

in the presence of males of other races, which would be genetically disadvantageous to the males as a group. Sheppard used the pseudonym "Thomas Sparks" to apply his anti-semitism to Christianity, by producing works that support pre-Vatican II Catholicism and call for the Catholic Church to return to its policies of discriminating against Jews and banishing them from Christian society. Sheppard's identity was confirmed when an anti-racist Catholic group in the UK did online research that showed that Sparks' internet ID number was the same Hull, UK-based one as Sheppard's. One of his books, ''The Tyranny of Ambiguity'', details his life in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

in the early 1990s and his interactions with other people, and his attempts to view the events in the book in terms of his own personal theories of

psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

. Another of his books, ''All About Women'', identifies Sheppard's self-created concept of "Big Sister" (analogous with

Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitari ...

's concept of Big Brother) as consisting of all groups within society that express "female characteristics" such as being dishonest, to conspire, and to

manipulate Manipulation may refer to: * Manipulation (psychology) - the action of manipulating someone in a clever or unscrupulous way *Crowd manipulation - use of crowd psychology to direct the behavior of a crowd toward a specific action ::* Internet mani ...

, and that such groups include women, non-Whites, and Jews. Sheppard was also the host of Redwatch, a site used by

far right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of bein ...

activists that publishes photographs, names, addresses and telephone numbers of

anti-racist Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

campaigners from across the political spectrum. Redwatch also contained a section called "Noncewatch" (nonce being English slang for a paedophile) containing details of individuals, including politicians and political activists, whom the site accused of paedophilia.

Criminal convictions and imprisonment

On 8 June 1999, Sheppard and David Hannam were arrested in

for distributing racist election literature on behalf of the

. He was expelled from the BNP the same day (though Hannam was not and remained a senior administrator in the party until his death in October 2011 at the age of 30). On 14 June 2000, Sheppard was convicted at Hull Crown Court of publishing or distributing racially inflammatory material. According to his website, Sheppard has been banned from every public library in Hull,

Hull University , mottoeng = Bearing the Torch f learning, established = 1927 – University College Hull1954 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £18.8 million (2016) , budget = £190 million ...

and

Hull College Hull College is a Further Education and Higher Education establishment based in Kingston upon Hull, England. It provides vocational courses, apprenticeships, Higher Education and adult learning courses, with a focus on equipping young peop ...

. In 2004, a complaint had been made regarding an anti-Semitic comic book called ''Tales of the Holohoax'' (the script of which was written by Michael A. Hoffman II) after it was pushed through the door of a synagogue in Blackpool, Lancashire. Subsequently, it was traced back to a

post office box A post office box (commonly abbreviated as P.O. box, or also known as a postal box) is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office. In some regions, particularly in Africa, there is no door to door delivery ...

in Hull registered to Sheppard.

Holocaust denier Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: * ...

Mark Weber was asked to write an analysis for the court hearing regarding this publication. In 2005, Sheppard's house was raided by police following complaints about allegedly racist material published by his Heretical Press. In 2008, Sheppard was arrested in the UK, from the investigation that started in 2004, and charged with using his website to circulate "material likely to incite racial hatred". The website is based in Torrance, California, so Sheppard rejects English legal jurisdiction over the published writings. Sheppard and his associate Steven Whittle absconded from bail, took a ferry to Ireland, and flew to Los Angeles, USA. After they demanded

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another entit ...

, the pair were put into Santa Ana Jail. On 24 March 2009, the two appellants addressed the California court themselves before Judge Rose Peters. According to the neo-nazi website Lasha Darkmoon, the two men claimed that their actions in England were legal because they were based upon the

Edict of Expulsion The Edict of Expulsion was a royal decree issued by King Edward I of England on 18 July 1290 expelling all Jews from the Kingdom of England. Edward advised the sheriffs of all counties he wanted all Jews expelled by no later than All Saints' D ...

of 1290 when England expelled all Jews living in the country at the time, and the two said that since the edict has never been repealed (like all royal decrees, it could only be cancelled by a living king or queen of England), their anti-semitism was backed by British law and they were eligible for asylum due to being persecuted for their beliefs. On 5 April 2009, with reasons reserved, Sheppard and Whittle were denied asylum, upon which the former stated that they would not appeal, and they were deported and returned to prison in the United Kingdom on 17 June 2009. On 10 July 2009, Sheppard was sentenced to 4 years and 10 months in prison, and his co-defendant, Whittle, was convicted of five similar offences. These sentences for publishing material on the Internet were described as "groundbreaking" by Adil Khan, representing Humberside police, whilst Sheppard's lawyer,

Adrian Davies Adrian Davies (born 9 February 1969 in Bridgend) is a former Wales international rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century ...

, said in his defence during the trial that he had come from a "very troubled background" and revealed that his mother had committed suicide, whilst noting that Sheppard was an intelligent man who had problems with

authority In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''T ...

, especially the

police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

. In January 2010, Sheppard and Whittle lost an appeal against their convictions, but succeeded in having their sentences reduced slightly. Sheppard was arrested again on 25 January 2013 for breaching his licence conditions. The breach related to an article entitled "Spree Killers" from the ''Heritage and Destiny'' publication. Sheppard was returned to prison for a further three months. In June 2018, Sheppard was convicted of racist harassment of a neighbour. He was sentenced to nine months in prison and given a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order. In February 2022, Sheppard was convicted of trying to have sex with four 14-year old girls. He was convicted of eight offences involving attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and inciting the sexual exploitation of children. He was subsequently sentenced to a prison term of 3 years and 9 months, and will have to register as a sex offender in the UK for the rest of his life.

Bibliography

*''Sex and Power: A Manual on Male-Female Relations'' *''All About Women: What Big Sister Doesn't Want You to Know'' *''Anne Frank's Novel: The Diary is a Fraud'' *''The Tyranny of Ambiguity: An Account of the Development of a System of Human Behaviour Analysis Called Procedural Analysis''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheppard, Simon 1957 births Alt-right activists Living people British National Party politicians English neo-Nazis Male critics of feminism British Holocaust deniers People from Kingston upon Hull Alumni of the University of Sussex Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales English prisoners and detainees British people convicted of hate crimes People convicted of Holocaust denial People convicted of racial hatred offences English far-right politicians Alt-right politicians in the United Kingdom