8: I was a violent racist who became a spy and saved a politician's life
heretics.15 Jul 2020

8: I was a violent racist who became a spy and saved a politician's life

Matthew F. Collins, a former racist turned spy and author. In 1993, he raided a town meeting in the Welling Library with the British National Party – not known to be very nice people. He found himself changed by the senseless violence, and became a mole for the Searchlight and Hope Not Hate anti-racist organisations. In 2018, it was in his role running the intelligence network and recruitment of far-right extremists for Hope not Hate that he helped to prevent the assassination of British politician Rosie Cooper – an attempted murder that reminded the UK of Joe Cox, who was tragically killed two years earlier. Jack Renshaw, the baby-faced spokesman of terrorist group National Action had bought a machete to carry out the murder, and will serve at least 20 years in prison. I was interested in Matthew because he has some fascinating tales, but also because he encapsulates the human tendency to follow the stories we’re told about ourselves as well as our capacity for change. For a more detailed look at his life, read his books Hate: My Life in the British Far Right and Nazi Terrorist. I found him a no-nonsense mood that also reflects how we’re all beginning to feel after months of lockdown. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episoder(656)

86: Do animals get drunk and high? - Oné Pagán

86: Do animals get drunk and high? - Oné Pagán

Have you ever wondered if your furry friend might be partial to a beer or two? Did you know that koalas smoked pipes and dolphins get high on pufferfish? Here to tell us all about the weird and wonder...

20 Des 20211h 10min

85: Lonely, Sexless Men (Incels) - William Costello

85: Lonely, Sexless Men (Incels) - William Costello

William Costello is a writer and an academic in the field of Evolutionary Psychology who has specialised in incel culture and things like beauty and attraction. He's also a lovely, charming man, a gre...

13 Des 20211h 21min

84: Why people become terrorists: Nafees Hamid

84: Why people become terrorists: Nafees Hamid

Nafees Hamid talks about what makes people into terrorists and other forms of extremists…and how we might be able to persuade them or talk them down. He is a research fellow at ARTIS International, an...

6 Des 20211h 23min

83: NXIVM Sex-Trafficking Cult Survivor Kelly Thiel

83: NXIVM Sex-Trafficking Cult Survivor Kelly Thiel

Kelly Thiel was once a member of the notorious NXIVM cult. For those of you who – like me – don’t or didn’t know much about this sect, you’re in for a bit of a shock – not least in how that bunch of c...

29 Nov 20211h

82: I lived in an airport for 7 months: Hassan Al Kontar

82: I lived in an airport for 7 months: Hassan Al Kontar

Today’s guest is Hassan al-Kontar, an absolute gem of a person who found himself in one of the most unique and unusual positions imaginable: living in an airport for seven months. As a Syrian refugee,...

22 Nov 20211h 11min

81: Why we like to suffer - Prof. Paul Bloom

81: Why we like to suffer - Prof. Paul Bloom

Why do we like to suffer? Canadian-American Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science Paul Bloom believes he has the answer. Or at least, some of the answers to what is a profound and complex ques...

15 Nov 20211h 9min

80: Guantanamo's Most Tortured Prisoner: Mohamedou Ould Salahi

80: Guantanamo's Most Tortured Prisoner: Mohamedou Ould Salahi

Today, we’ve got a classic On the Edge interviewee, in the form of Mohamedou Ould Salahi, who was detained in Guantanamo Bay for 14 years and is considered by some to be Guantanamo’s most tortured pri...

8 Nov 20211h 16min

78: True Crime 2: Swedish Killer Twin Sisters

78: True Crime 2: Swedish Killer Twin Sisters

In the second episode of our Halloween trilogy, Dr. Sohom Das explains what really went on in the minds of  Swedish twin sisters Ursula and Sabina Eriksson, who terrified motorists, before one of them...

31 Okt 202133min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
aftenpodden
giver-og-gjengen-vg
konspirasjonspodden
popradet
aftenpodden-usa
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
grenselos
wolfgang-wee-uncut
alt-fortalt
min-barneoppdragelse
fladseth
synnve-og-vanessa
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
198-land-med-einar-trnquist
rss-dannet-uten-piano
krisemoter
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem