Neo-Nazi family whose music called for racial violence jailed

A neo-Nazi music producer and his two children who created and distributed songs that called for people to “paint the walls with n***** blood” have been jailed.

Robert Talland, 59, of Waltham Abbey, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment with 12 months on extended licence. His son Stephen Talland, 36, of Harlow, received an imprisonment sentence of two years and his daughter, Rosie Talland, 33, was sentenced to 18 months in custody.

Talland organised a gig at the Corpus Christi Club in Leeds on September 21 2019 at which both children performed songs that incited racial hatred in front of an audience that responded by making Nazi salutes, a court heard.

He managed his children’s band, Embers Of An Empire, and was a leading figure of the “Blood & Honour” neo-Nazi network which promoted their ideology through “performances by far-right bands at gatherings of supporters of the neo-Nazi cause”, a judge said.

“At the time of your offending I am satisfied that each of you had a long-standing allegiance to the neo-Nazi cause,” said Judge Andrew Lees, sentencing the defendants at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday.

“That is most clearly evidenced by the racist and antisemitic messages, videos, memes and other materials you posted via social media.

“In addition each of you were heavily involved in the neo-Nazi Blood & Honour music network.

“The concerts were characterised by the display of extreme right-wing symbiology including Nazi flags and banners, and provided a forum for the encouragement through music of racial hatred and neo-Nazi ideology.”

Robert Talland also ran a record label, Rampage Productions, which distributed CDs by neo-Nazi groups.

The albums encouraged racial violence with songs calling for people to “paint the walls with n***** blood”, “join the fight against race mixers”, “hunt the reds” and “let the blood flow”, the court heard.

Other song lyrics cited in court on Thursday said: “Wake up white man, there is an enemy to slay, wake up white man, and take your place.”

Members of the audience at the 2019 gig were captured on CCTV making Nazi salutes to lyrics that said “Hope you’re ready to die”, “Won’t stop until the last one hits the floor”, and “We’ll send them back in a box”.

The gig was also a memorial for Ian Stuart Donaldson, frontman of the white power band Skrewdriver and founder of Blood & Honour, who died in September 1993.

Blood & Honour promotes racist, antisemitic, anti-Communist and anti-LGBT violence, and was hit with a UK asset-freezing order in January this year over suspected terror links.

“The venue is strewn with Nazi symbiology: there are many different far-right flags and banners, and a stall is set up to sell far-right music albums and other far-right material,” judge Lees told the defendants, adding this offence and the subsequent dissemination of neo-Nazi music albums was “serious offending with the potential for causing violence within the community”.

Talland and his children were all convicted of conspiracy to incite racial hatred following a nine-week trial at the same court earlier this year.

Additionally, Rosie and Stephen were convicted of inciting racial hatred.

Robert was also found guilty of one offence of possessing racially inflammatory material and two further counts of disseminating terrorist publications.

The defendants from Essex were arrested on October 1, 2020, after a year-long investigation by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

A search of Talland’s home found hundreds of CDs distributed under his record label, as well as Blood & Honour merchandise and banners “covered in neo-Nazi imagery”, the force said.

“Robert, Stephen and Rosie Talland were part of a network of hatred which had encouraged violence and extreme right-wing terrorism across Europe for decades,” Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said on Friday.

“Robert Talland dismissed the group as an ‘old man’s drinking club’, but through the gigs and events they organised, they promoted music which glorified acts of murder to audiences which included young children.

“In doing so, they encouraged attitudes of hatred, intolerance and violence which have no place in our society.”