Home page
Top Stories
Local News
Regional Video News
National News
National Video News
Local Elections
If We Can You Can Challenge
Crime
Trials, Inquests & Inquiries
Health
Rural Affairs
Photo Galleries
Weather
Archive
Comment
Campaigns
In Depth
Letters To The Editor
Your Say
Echo Polnocy
Staff Blogs
Reader Blogs
Send Pictures & Video
Publications
Site Map
Search Advanced Search
Top Stories  RSS Feed RSS feed | About


EDITOR'S CHOICE
HAVE YOUR SAY
Charity hits back as MP labels parents feckless
NEWS
Escape bid sealed fate of tragic cave pair
Cheers! We’re backing Darlo
Territorials in century celebration
NEWS IN VIDEO
Undercover van to help catch benefit fraudsters
Dogs do their bit for charity
One man band
School garden opens
'Great Escape' veteran visits region
RACING PODCAST
Racing tips and reports with Graham Orange of Go Racing
FORMULA 1
News and Race Reports
F1 Blog
Circuit Guide
Predictions
THE HEADLINE GAME
* Pit your wits against The Northern Echo and TFM in The Headline Game
GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL
Most read Comments
Senior police officer facing pressure over Nazi clock
NAZI ROW: Adam Briggs, who was given the clock by his father, who fought in the Second World War
NAZI ROW: Adam Briggs, who was given the clock by his father, who fought in the Second World War

A SENIOR police officer has come under pressure for having a Nazi clock with a swastika on it at work.

The brass and mahogany clock belonging to Adam Briggs, North Yorkshire Police's Deputy Chief Constable, dates from the Second World War.

On its face is a 2cm emblem of an eagle on top of a swastika. It is in Mr Briggs' office at the force's base at Newby Wiske, near Northallerton.

Mr Briggs, 46, inherited the clock from his war veteran father after it was recovered from a German Uboat.

He said: "My father served throughout the Second World War with the Royal Navy and was awarded several campaign medals.

"He received this clock following the sinking of a German U-boat and subsequently bequeathed it to me.

"For the past ten years, the clock has been kept in my various offices within three different police forces.

"In that time, it has been seen by visitors of all races and faiths.

"I have always been happy to explain the history to anyone who asks about it, and there has never been a single complaint or adverse reaction.

"To suggest that this is in some way supportive of the evils of Nazism is ridiculous and offensive.

"The clock stands in my office as a daily reminder of my father and of the debt we owe his generation and of the evils of war.

"If it was felt by the force or North Yorkshire Police Authority that this was causing offence, I would remove it immediately."

The Nazi Party began to use the symbol of an eagle with a swastika in the Thirties to represent the power and strength of the party.

North Yorkshire Police said no complaints had been received about the clock.

But Dr Stephen Smith, director of The Holocaust Centre, said he believed it should be removed.

He said: "Many police officers see Nazi memorabilia at The Holocaust Centre, but that is in the context of learning where racism leads.

"Giving the swastika pride of place in a public building should be avoided, whatever the story behind it.

"I hope that North Yorkshire Police will redouble their efforts to help combat the prejudice in our communities."

A spokesman for the Harrogate Hebrew Congregation said he would not take offence and did not think any was meant, but said he considered the clock in bad taste.

8:40am Tuesday 29th April 2008

Print   Email this   Comment
Posted by: AL, Nottingham on 9:13am Tue 29 Apr 08
Are they afraid it will star a fire like in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'?
Posted by: Brian, Darlington on 9:24am Tue 29 Apr 08
Dr Stephen Smith seems to be another politically correct lunatic with too much time on his hands, that see's it fit to meddle in something that is obviously not causing anyone any offence.
Posted by: merryn gibson, darlo on 9:31am Tue 29 Apr 08
adam briggs has my support on this. we cannot bannish all natzi memorabilia, because we need to remember what those racists did! as soon as we start forgetting they win. people are already deneying the gas camps ever happened! however, the clock that this officer has nothing to do with the nazi's and everything to do with his father. i wonder if the clock is safe now that people have voiced objections to it tho?
Posted by: michelle, darlington on 1:45pm Tue 29 Apr 08
havent they got more things to think about then a clock
Posted by: matthew scott, Sedfield on 5:16pm Tue 29 Apr 08
This NAZI SYMBOL has no place in a public servants office, let him show it off at home.
Posted by: Madge J, Consett on 6:56pm Tue 29 Apr 08
Matthew, I think you're completely wrong. Where better for a public servant to be reminded about service and sacrifice in order to combat the evils of the world than in their place of work. It's a shame more people do not think mroe about what they can do to help society, rather than just complaining all the time. Everyone today want something for nothing, or tax everyone else but not me, or don't build it in my back yard, or the youths in my street are a priority, make sure my health centre has more doctors. When was the last time you heard someone say, "Hey, there are probably worse places off than where I live, why don't the public services put their resources into them, and I'll just make the odd small SACRIFICE in order to help them." But who am I to pass comment when bad news sells newspapers.
Posted by: Dr Fredrick toben, Adelaide, Australia on 5:17am Wed 30 Apr 08
Anyone who still pulls out the 'NAZI' card is now fighting for suppression of free expression, and furthering the Jewish Holocaust-Shoah lies, of which there are many and which are the foundation stone of the New World Order.
Get a life and forget your delusions that you label: hater, Holocaust denier, antisemite, racist Nazi!
Posted by: Thora Pedersen, Denmark on 9:17am Wed 30 Apr 08
I don’t think, this clock does any harm – because people usually don’t think enough about what they are doing and why things are as they are.
No need to worry, as long as police officer Briggs does not speculate whether the wrong side won WWII. I’m quite sure, his father risked his live in duty in order to get a democratic, peace-loving government (remember Iraq …) which never violites human rights, and which welcomes immigration from everywhere as multicultural enrichment. I suppose, police officer Briggs every day really enjoys his job.
Posted by: Tom, Durham on 10:51am Wed 30 Apr 08
While totally condeming what the Nazi's did to the Jewish people in WW2 I cannot understand what they expect to gain by trawling over again and again something which happened over 60 years ago.
The Japanese Army killed 12 million Chinese citizens and numerous millions more from other nations.
They ran concentration camps and killed people in the most sadistic manner but there is not a word in the papers if someone flys the Japanese flag or follows the way of the Bushido as most Martial Arts clubs do.
I would hope that "normal" Jewish people have moved on and realise that chasing people for having a memento clock with a swastika on it is about on par with telling Toyota to close their factory in the Midlands because they fly their National flag.
Why is there still a Holocaust Centre, we have had the subject rammed down our throats year after year since they were given access to the television.


Posted by: merryn gibson, darlo on 12:02pm Wed 30 Apr 08
because tom, history is a very big part of where we are today! you cant talk about the allies victory without talking about the natzi's etc. we have to learn from the past not cover it up! when we look at what went on during the wars, and we talk about such things like the hiroshima bombing, big mistakes occured which have left people the whole world over scarred even today! you see it's no good saying "yeah just get over it"
Posted by: Tom, Durham on 12:29pm Wed 30 Apr 08
Based on that theory I assume that Historians should be placed in charge of the country and we should all go into therapy for trying to ignore the past and get on with the problems of today and the future.
Posted by: merryn gibson, darlo on 12:42pm Wed 30 Apr 08
you are assuming that i am a historian!? thanks i will take that as a complement, but sorry i am just a mum with a view that you cannot look to the future without learning from the past, otherwise we just go around in circles.
Posted by: Natalie Alt, Bristol on 3:19pm Wed 30 Apr 08
Dear “mum with a view that you cannot look to the future without learning from the past” –
so what did you learn from the past for the future?
Is the world now “safer for democracy” – or is it more crazy than ever before?
After the total defeat of the Nazi warmongers in 1945 - do we enjoy neverlasting peace since? Does justice and humanism reign? Or do we live under the rule of high criminality – both by criminals and politicians, – threat of terror, and just as little peace than ever?
The price of WW II were 60 mill. people killed. Does the world we have today justify that sacrifice?

Posted by: merryn gibson, darlo on 4:10pm Wed 30 Apr 08
no natalie, we haven't enjoyed everlasting peace since the war. the reason being the fact that people too busy believing they are fighting for freedom. britain doesn't seem to have common ground any more. but does that mean we should forget everything that has happend in the past and start dropping nuclear bombs and such like?
Posted by: J Bruce, london on 8:12pm Wed 30 Apr 08
Dr Toben is correct.
Seems to me most people have no clue about ww2 history,its origins, but simply follow the victors version of events. The media and Hollywood in particular daily make
huge profits from their portrayal of the alien Nazi devils.
In contrast scant attention is given to
the forgotten war against the empire of
Japan.A conflict which
consumed millions.No. Hitler sells'and his deeds are rammed down our throats.and they are not finished with us yet.The eternal allure of Hitler is here to stay
Leave the the policeman and his historic timepiece alone.

Posted by: Laszlo Bardos, U.S.A. on 9:46pm Wed 30 Apr 08
I agree with Dr. Toben and J Bruce.
Mr. Briggs is not a Nazi and the clock has sentimental value to him. It's from an era, about which very few historians write the complete truth and when they do, they are called the names Dr. Toben mentioned. Unfortunately very few people have the open mind to read these well researched books and history books in general, making them rely on unrealistic movies and on the equally distorted school books.
Posted by: Peter Gebert, USA on 10:36pm Wed 30 Apr 08
If we're going to learn from the past, then we need to report all the past, meaning the atrocities committed by British and Americans should be discussed too. And I'm not just talking about Hiroshima, I mean Dresden, Hamburg and many other German cities. The deliberate targetting of German civillians is documented.

The reason the NAZIS deeds are continuously re-hashed is not to prevent this from happening again. Its so Israel can torture and murder Palestinians and get away with it. Its so no criticism can be directed at Israel without that person being called an anti-semite.

Just look how they are treating Nobel Peace Prize recipient President Jimmy Carter. They call him an anti-semite.
Posted by: Balder, Denmark on 5:56am Thu 1 May 08
Nobody complains about the millions of Mitsubishi cars driving around. What about those who remember the name Mitsubishi with fear, remembering the war with the Japanese, when the Mitsubishi Zero fighters took their suicidal dives from the skies? And why is all the past war propaganda aimed at anything German only? The atrocities committed by the Japanese were at least as bad as those committed by the Germans, yet Japan was allowed to keep the war criminal Hirohito as it's emperor, it's culture was allowed to stay intact, (Germans are brain washed with self hatred in their schools). I never heard of any museums of Japanese atrocities (or Russian for that matter), while holocaust museums are still springing up like mushrooms on a wet autumn day. But then again, the victims of the Japanese were not Jewish, and are not organized in influential ethnocentric groups who abuse former generations victim hood in order to further the goals of the 'Jews only' racist state of Israel where marriages between Jews and non Jews are forbidden by law, and Christian mission is forbidden. It gets even worse; Israel did not support the demands from the Chinese and Koreans for an official excuse from the Japanese government.
Why? Because the Japanese save some thousand Jews from the Germans in Shanghai! It's sad to have to say this, but the only thing which interests Jewish organizations, is Jewish victims. They are being remembered to the extent that most other victims of the war are rarely spoken of. The director of the Zionist interest group ADL (poses as a human rights organization) Abraham Foxman, did not want the mass murder of the Christian Armenians to be classified as 'a holocaust', because that word should be reserved for Jews only!
Posted by: Jack, New Brunswick on 6:50pm Thu 1 May 08
Good grief! When is this sickly obsession with Nazi symbols going to end??
It always reminds me of those typical scenes in vampire movies when someone points a cross at the vampire's face...:-)
This is really getting BORING!
Posted by: J bruce, London on 8:35pm Thu 1 May 08
Well done Northern Echo for publishing letters about the policemans clock. most uk newspaper editors are to gutless to allow many of the comments made anywhere their columns. The NE has always been a top paper.When I was a soldier at nearby Caterick back in the 1950s,it was a popular
read thJen. Best wishes.
Posted by: Mannstein, USA on 1:58pm Fri 2 May 08
I've been remembering the past and looking toward the future. But I still can't figure out why the German leaders were hung after WWII for atrocities which were as bad or worse than those perpetrated by the Allies or now committed by Israeli leaders. Maybe some local director of a holocaust museum could help me out here.
Posted by: Edward Sea, Florida on 4:19pm Fri 2 May 08
The people who take offense over the proud display of a family war trophy insult the memory of all the brave men and women who gave their lives in the fight against tyranny. How foolish they are.
Posted by: Adelaide Institute, Australia on 1:38am Sat 3 May 08

Forensic Science exposing Corruption

Are the eye-witness-accounts of the Nuremberg-trials and in the
holocaust literature in accordance with the laws of nature? To find
out more,
we invite you
a) to read the Leuchter - Report
http://www.ihr.org/b
ooks/leuchter/leucht
er.toc.html

b) the Rudolf - Report and
http://www.vho.org/G
B/Books/trr/index.ht
ml#Top

c) the Luftl - Report
http://www.ihr.org/j
hr/v12/v12p391_Luftl
.html

d) to examine Auschwitz-Photograph
s
http://www.air-photo
.com

http://www.air-photo
.com/english/1999_ma
rk.html

http://www.ihr.org/j
hr/v18/v18n5p-4_SWC.
html

e) to examine the Ground Radar Investigation of Treblinka
http://www.ihr.org/j
hr/v19/v19n3p20_rada
r.html

http://www.codoh.com
/video/treblinka.mpg


If you cannot get on the above-named web-site, then try following
web-site and there click the headline "Treblinka investigation –
video – (essential watching)":
http://www.australia
freepress.org/

ea) to read
http://www.nazigassi
ngs.com

eb) to read the Krakow-Report
http://www.abbc2.com
/islam/english/revis
ion/polrep.htm

ec) to read "The Holocaust – 120 Questions and Answers":
http://www.abbc2.com
/islam/english/revis
ion/holo-120.htm

f) to do your own investigation into - of the alleged
Auschwitz-Gas-chambe
rs by
organizing an investigation-team of forensic archaeologists, -
chemists, - architects, -engineers, - draftsmen, historians, legal
experts and students at your university and
g) to compare your personal findings with the ones of
Leuchter,Rudolf
and Luftl.

h) Study the Zuendel-Court-Case:
http://www.ihr.org/b
ooks/kulaszka/falsen
ews.toc.html

Become a supporter, researcher or member in the new
World Foundation for Holocaust Studies
How? See here on:
http://www.adelaidei
nstitute.org/2006Dec
ember/Holocaust_Stif
tung.htm

More expert-discussion on:
http://forum.codoh.i
nfo/viewtopic.php?p=
26641

http://forums.delphi
forums.com/oldfri/me
ssages/?msg=45.1

http://forums.delphi
forums.com/Forensici
nvolve/

Here the opinion of an Australian WW II - Veteran about this
suspicious matter and what he wants to do, to solve this
controversial problem:
http://www.aijf.org/
update_letter.html

http://www.aijf.org/ http://aijf.org/

The Historian as Detective Verses The Journalist As Investigator:
http://www.alphalink
.com.au/~radnat/tere
zin.html

Does suppression of discussion in this manner and forbidden
history
serve the corruption of Authorities, especially the corrupt
foundation-mythology of the Zionist State of Israel against the
Palestinian People? To this please read as follows-:
http://www.ihr.org/j
hr/v19/v19n6p30_Heik
al.html

http://www.rense.com
/general45/race.htm

http://www.tarpley.n
et/bush4.htm

Authorities which suppress discussions and investigations into the
above-named matters are suspicious in covering up the frauds of
yesterday, just as much as today and as tomorrow! To find out more
about this through investigation, Mr. Bradley R. Smith, the
Director
of CODOH needs your help and support. Please give him all the
financial means, you can make available for him, so he and his
team
can carry out more forensic examinations, to establish the
important
Truth for us all, because only the Truth will set us free!
Mr. Bradley R. Smith runs a Campus Project. Please support his
work:
http://www.codoh.com
/campus/campus.html

Please tell CODOH, that it is a good idea to establish a
Forensic-.
Sociology- & History Academy , to solve Mythology, Propaganda,
Religious Belief and Fraud in History. You may be able to sponsor
such an Academy. Please find out more, how you can help Mr. Smith
on
following
Web-Pages: http://www.codoh.com
/index.shtml

http://www.codoh.com
/newsite/index2.html


Bradley R. Smith, Director of the Committee Open Debate of
Holocausts/CODOH
P. O. Box 439016
San Ysidro CA 92143
USA

USA-Telephone: 619 203 3151 Voice Mail: 619 685 2163

Please distribute this pamphlet and link the named web-sites to your
Internet-Site! This paper is published on:
http://forums.delphi
forums.com/Forensici
nvolve/messages?msg=
11.1

Economic-Sociologica
l Discussion:
http://forums.delphi
forums.com/oldfri/








Add your comment
Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
Security Image. Registered site users are not required to enter Security Image Information.
 
 e.g. 123-123
Comment:
Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored.
Format Text:

 
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed
** To avoid register now or login
Archive
The Northern Echo Charity Golf Day'
There are hundreds of Jobs, Homes & Cars in the North East
Powered by Powered by Fish4

Jobs of the week

Restaurant Manager
North Yorkshire
LABOURERS
Wolsingham
Support Workers
County Durham
Youth / Play Worker
North Yorkshire
Administrators
North Yorkshire
Durham Times

The Advertiser Series

Darlington & Stockton Times

Got a story?
Get in touch with our newsdesk
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy © Copyright 2001-2008
Newsquest Media Group
A Gannett Company
This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network