Subscriptions
Read our Monthly Magazine
And support our mission to provide fearless stories about and outside the media system
The Royal British Legion has distanced itself from an anti-migrant group that has been accused of misleading the public through its fundraising, by using the charity’s Remembrance poppy branding.
Rushmoor People First (RPF) is an activist organisation in Hampshire which has led a string of anti-asylum-seeker protests, including outside hotels. It is currently running a ‘Raise the Poppies’ fundraising campaign – using what appears to be Royal British Legion (RBL) imagery and language, without sign-off from the charity.
The group appears to have moved between at least three crowdfunding pages as earlier ones were taken down. After Byline Times contacted fundraising platform Crowdfunder, raising the Royal British Legion’s comments, the latest page was taken down.
Rushmoor People First has also been accused of placing unauthorised poppy attachments on council-owned lamp posts.
The Royal British Legion has attempted to contact Rushmoor People First through its social media channels to discuss the nature of the Raise the Poppies initiative and its associated fundraising but has not received any response, Byline Times can reveal.
ENJOYING THIS ARTICLE? HELP US TO PRODUCE MORE
Receive the monthly Byline Times newspaper and help to support fearless, independent journalism that breaks stories, shapes the agenda and holds power to account.
We’re not funded by a billionaire oligarch or an offshore hedge-fund. We rely on our readers to fund our journalism. If you like what we do, please subscribe.
Simon Kelman, an Aldershot resident, has been sounding the alarm about Rushmoor People First’s apparent attempts to co-opt poppy imagery to raise cash for its controversial activities.
He has reported RPF’s crowdfunding campaigns to several platforms, which led to one platform, Collection Pot, removing RPF’s ‘Raise the Poppies’ pages. Kelman believes RPF has misrepresented itself as a charity. He has reported RPF to the Charity Commission, the Fundraising Regulator, and RBL’s legal team, among others.
The fundraising campaigns claimed donations “support the Royal British Legion” and that money spent buying poppies “goes directly to support” it.
However, the Royal British Legion wants nothing to do with it.
Anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate has previously reported that RPF has attracted to its events a raft of Patriotic Alternative members, as well as former English Defence League and National Front activists. Searchlight magazine has also raised concerns over the group’s use of the Remembrance poppy to raise cash.
RPF leader Jeremy ‘Jez’ Stocking (also known as Jeremy Charles) was an election agent for Reform UK councillor Sharon Harvey in this May’s elections. Stocking has continued to campaign for Reform, including urging RPF activists to vote for Nigel Farage’s party. RPF activists are believed to have campaigned for Reform candidates at the same elections.
Stocking was present when activists stormed an anti-racism meeting at Holy Trinity Church in Aldershot in December 2024, an event which led to the conviction of four far-right activists for assault (Stocking was not charged or convicted), as this outlet exclusively reported.
Don’t miss a story
Poppy Politics
The red poppy has been the UK’s symbol of Remembrance since 1921, when the newly formed British Legion held its first Poppy Appeal. It is worn to remember members of the Armed Forces who have died in conflict – with money raised through the appeal supporting serving personnel, veterans and their families.
RBL owns several registered trademarks related to Remembrance commemorations, including the two-petal Poppy logo and the word POPPY in capitals, which appear to have been used by the anti-migrant group to raise cash for its organisation.
RBL does not have a record of purchases of poppies made by Rushmoor People First, though individuals linked to the group may have made purchases.
Where an individual or organisation wants to use RBL’s name or the poppy branding, or to promote an activity seen as linked to RBL – they must first obtain the charity’s permission.
This has not happened, and RBL is understood to be highly concerned that it is being linked to a controversial anti-migrant group.
RBL is also understood to be taking steps to defend the poppy symbol from alleged misappropriation by political, partisan, extremist or commercial interests, including through legal action if necessary.
The charity is encouraging those who wish to support Armed Forces veterans to do so through official channels.
Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, said in a statement to Byline Times: “The Royal British Legion is a non-partisan organisation, and the poppy is a symbol of Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future, worn to honour the service and sacrifice of the Armed Forces community. It belongs to no political, religious or ideological group, and we do not condone its use in support of any political agenda – including that of Rushmoor People First.”
And in a clear denunciation of the anti-migrant activists, he added: “The Royal British Legion wants no association with the politics, rhetoric or actions of Rushmoor People First.”
Atkinson also said: “We have contacted Rushmoor People First to ask them not to fundraise for RBL – or its Poppy Appeal – without authorisation. We have not had a response. Furthermore, we have made it clear that lamp-post poppies should only be displayed with the approval of the local Council.”
‘Passing Off’
Aldershot resident Simon Kelman told Byline Times: “Far-right groups are exploiting crowdfunding platforms and social media to solicit donations from the public using the names and trademarks of legitimate charities without consent … depriving charities of Gift Aid, and moving between platforms each time they are removed.”
RPF classifies itself as a “Charitable organisation” on Facebook. However, it is not a registered charity and does not appear on the Charity Commission register.
Donations collected appear to go into a private individual’s bank account – not to RBL.
Kelman argues that every donation made through its campaigns “deprives the RBL of Gift Aid – 25p for every pound that would have gone directly to the charity if donors had given through authorised channels.” He claims this amounts to “passing off” as another organisation for its own benefit.
Collection Pot removed RPF’s first fundraising page – according to Kelman, for breaching the platform’s terms and conditions. RPF then created a new account, which was also removed after the platform was alerted.
Rushmoor People First is now soliciting donations for its poppy campaign on Crowdfunder, which is registered with the Fundraising Regulator. As of 21 September, the page had raised £610 from 20 donors.
While the page is branded ‘Rushmoor Raise the Poppies’, the organiser is ‘RPF’ – Rushmoor People First.
Kelman argues that neither platform appears to have checked previous removals or looked into the group before enabling the fundraisers.
He added: “If a group can falsely classify itself as a charitable organisation on social media, use a beloved charity’s trademark without consent, route donations through a private bank account, be removed from one crowdfunding platform and immediately appear on another – serially, repeatedly, with no platform catching it – then the current system of self-regulation has failed.”
Platforms Respond
A spokesperson for Crowdfunder told Byline Times on Monday (21 September): “[We] can confirm that our compliance team have now removed the project for a breach of our terms of use. The supporters will be refunded, and the project will be removed from Crowdfunder.”
A spokesperson for Collection Pot would not comment on the specifics of the case – or RPF’s removal from the platform – but said: “Collection Pot operates as a regulated financial services provider in the United Kingdom.
“Under UK law, including regulations enforced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Payment Services Regulations 2017, and UK Anti-Money Laundering (AML) legislation, we are legally required to perform strict compliance and due diligence verification on all financial collections hosted on our platform to ensure the integrity and risk standards of our product.”
The spokesperson added: “Where a collection involves public fundraising, charitable activity, or third-party money handling, UK regulatory standards require specific legal documentation, monitoring and verification of the organiser’s activity, and compliance with any formal and required authorisation regarding the ultimate disbursement of public funds.”
The company said it was obliged, where these requirements are not met, to “safely return 100% of donated funds directly back to the original contributors.”
It added: “While we fully recognise and appreciate the community intent behind campaigns such as ‘Raise the Poppies’, Collection Pot cannot bypass UK statutory regulatory obligations. Refunding donations directly to contributors ensures that [the] funds remain completely protected.”
Rushmoor People First and Jeremy Stocking were contacted for comment.
Got a story? Get in touch in confidence on josiah@bylinetimes.com
holding farage to account #reformUNCOVERED
While most the rest of the media seems to happy to give the handful of Reform MPs undue prominence, Byline Times is committed to tracking the activities of Nigel Farage’s party when actually in power
Contribute to our #ReformUncovered crowdfunder
Subscribers Get More from JOSIAH
Subscribers Get More from JOSIAHJosiah Mortimer also writes the On the Ground column, exclusive to the print edition of Byline Times.
So for more from him…
