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Our disclosure that a retired businessman behind a new Welsh independence party was a supporter of the 1960s paramilitary group Free Wales Army (FWA), prompted a huge reaction.
Royston Jones, who writes a right-wing blog under the pseudonym ‘Jac o’ the North’, has booked out a room for 50-60 people at the Belle Vue Royal Hotel, on Marine Terrace, Aberystwyth for 1pm, November 4 for the event.
On Mr Jones’ blog he sets out the party’s principles: “Anyone who thinks Wales needs another socialist party, or a bigger third sector, or more Englandandwales organisations, really has nothing to contribute”.
But our Editor Phil Parry has been accused of being a “lying bastard” who comes from the Labour Party and twisted facts, by Mr Jones, after the revelation.
In the past he has also called him “vermin”.
Mr Jones appears to object to the fact that we have reported how he described the leader of the FWA, Cayo Evans, as a “comrade”, and how he published a picture on his blog of him pointing a gun at the camera as others look on laughing.
Mr Jones said on the ‘Jac o’ the North’ blog: “That lying bastard Phil Parry never misses an opportunity to twist or invent ‘facts’.
“My blog has NEVER been investigated by the police (we were contacted by the officer conducting the inquiry) and so I challenge him to provide evidence for the allegations he makes.”
He continued: “He’s a mouthpiece for the Labour Party (many of The Eye articles have been about the misdeeds of the Labour Welsh Government and its leader in Wales, First Minister Carwyn Jones) and often ‘trails’ stories for Llais y Sais (we never write ‘trails’ for other organisations).
“If previous patterns are repeated his mate Shippo (Martin Shipton, Chief Reporter of The Western Mail) will write something defamatory about me/the new party soon using Parry as his source.”
Others questioned our evidence about Mr Jones’ victims being given police protection.
One visitor to The Eye website said: “Can you prove this?”
In another lengthy diatribe, part of the same reader’s comment was: “Let us never return to a time when only “bona-fide” media written and presented by “messengers” who never disclosed their own political leanings, prejudices and motivations and who never meaningfully engaged with readers on a level footing was our only choice”.
Mr Parry said: “All journalism relies on proof.
“Almost every article on The Eye is double-checked by lawyers – it’s what we do.”
But other readers took a different tack.
One commentator on The Eye said: “The man (Royston Jones) and the knuckle draggers that follow him are fascistic ethnic nationalists end of and don’t really deserve the air of publicity except to say that wales has an alarmingly high number (of) far right supremacists who have convinced themselves they have oppressed status so think its okay to demonise ordinary people like retirees from English cities who’ve moved within their own nation state”.
The FWA was a paramilitary Welsh nationalist organisation, formed at Lampeter in Ceredigion in 1963.
Its objective was to establish an independent Welsh republic.
It has been reported that the Official IRA (OIRA) had given or sold most of its weapons to the FWA as part of its turn away from political violence, in the 1960s.
But Mr Jones has praised the leader of the FWA as a “friend” as well as a “comrade”, and published the picture of him toting a handgun.
The vitriolic writings on his blog have proved controversial, and one reader told us: “I feel like taking a bath after I read his stuff”.
This threatening message was on speakers and upset his 10 year old daughter who was listening.
Great to see welsh fascism coming under the spotlight. irony is Royston Jones planted himself in Gwynedd decades ago and is still an English monoglot despite using that as the main reason for keeping English people out.