Notorious Far Rightists hosted in Malta

Malta-based Briton Paul Ray may have distanced himself from Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik but he has had to defend his association with two violent Far Rightists he hosted here earlier this year.

Mr Ray, who blogs under the pseudonym Lionheart, constantly writes about his fear of a Muslim invasion of Europe and was linked by the British press to Mr Breivik.

The 35-year-old Briton lives in Malta, having come to the island to “escape the Muslim enclave” he lived in. He was investigated unsuccessfully for incitement to racial hatred in the UK.

Mr Ray’s pseudonym was mentioned twice in Mr Breivik’s manifesto but his blog or real name were never cited.

He flatly denied any connection with Mr Breivik but a YouTube video posted on Mr Ray’s blog shows him accompanying former Northern Ireland Ulster terrorist Johnny Adair and a violent German convicted neo-Nazi, Nick Greger during a visit to Malta.

Mr Ray insisted he had no problem being associated with Mr Adair and Mr Greger, despite their violent past for which they both served prison terms.

“Nobody in a civilised world can condone the actions of someone who has murdered innocent children in cold blood. That is not terrorism; that is not anything other than a crime against humanity. You cannot put what Mr Breivik has done in the same context,” Mr Ray said yesterday when contacted, insisting that neither of his friends had committed crimes against humanity.

The YouTube video shows the three visiting various sites in Malta, including the St Paul’s Grotto in Rabat and other historical buildings linked to the Knights of Malta, which, incidentally, are not connected with the Knights Templar of which all three seem to be fond.

The video is interspersed with cutaway shots of hooded men in military fatigues and war footage.

Mr Ray is a self-confessed aficionado of the crusades and is also a member of the “Ancient Order of Templar Knights” that speaks about issues affecting Christendom. He is close to Mr Greger and believes the man has changed his ways.

“The past is the past. They have changed. Nick is on a different journey in life now, away from all that neo-Nazi stuff. He is married to an African woman and is currently in Africa,” Mr Ray said, adding he had no problem in meeting the two.

Mr Adair, known as Mad Dog, was a feared paramilitary leader in the loyalist Ulster Defence Association and served a jail term for terrorist activity in Northern Ireland. He was released in 1999 as part of the early release scheme agreed upon in the Good Friday peace agreement.

Mr Adair was expelled from the organisation in 2002 follow-ing a violent internal power struggle and has since lived in Scotland.

Mr Greger was known as one of the most vicious and violent Neo-Nazis in Germany who ended up in prison.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com