The case of Joe Pearce is an example of how the Race Relations Act can have the reverse of its intended effect. Pearce was imprisoned for Inciting Racial Hatred by publishing a magazine called Bulldog. He instantly became a cause celebre for the National Front. Loads of graffiti went up everywhere saying “Free Joe Pearce”. We spent many evenings going round painting that out, or the more creative anti-fascists would simply add “...with every packet of nazipops”! Nevertheless, the NF at last had their own martyr and that gave them a real boost. A better solution than imprisonment would have been if he had just suffered a terrible accident.
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