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Britain First: British Army regiment asks group to remove photograph of soldiers from Facebook page

Although the original post has been removed, a screenshot has attracted thousands of likes

Rose Troup Buchanan
Tuesday 03 November 2015 10:11 EST
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A screengrab of the group's post
A screengrab of the group's post (Britain Furst, Screenshot)

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Far-right organisation Britain First has been asked to remove a photograph of British soldiers from its official Facebook page.

The group, known for their anti-immigration rhetoric, posted a photograph of soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment over the weekend, captioned: “How many likes for the Royal Anglians, the ‘Vikings’!”

Apply cold water to burned area

Posted by Britain Furst on Monday, November 2, 2015

It received just over 3,000 likes and just over a 100 shares before the Royal Anglian Regiment's official Facebook page administrator posted beneath, politely requesting the image’s removal.

A screenshot of the page – which has now been removed – was afterward posted onto parody Facebook group Britain Furst and has attracted more than 8,000 likes and more than a 1,000 shares.

The image is believed to be an older stock photograph, and has been used on news stories about the British Army since 2013.

Britain First has had a spate of somewhat embarrassing publicity.

The group – led by Paul Golding and deputy Jayda Fransen – featured in the October BBC Three documentary ‘We Want Our Country Back’. Many people mocked the group during the programme, including WWII veteran Harry Leslie Smith.

UK: Scuffles break out at Britain First march

Britain First did not respond to The Independent’s requests for comment.

Although the Facebook post was placed on the Britain Furst Facebook page on 3 November, the original post by the Royal Anglian Regiment was on 11 July, 2014, and was then subsequently deleted.

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