Oldham councillor who said 'Seig heil' condemns opposition

At a Shaw and Crompton Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday, May 21, Independent Group councillor, Marc Hince, appears to say 'Seig heil' when casting his vote. 

The incident comes as the councillor recently apologised for any offence caused after a photograph of him wearing military uniform with Nazi emblems resurfaced on social media.

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Pictured as a "German officer", the Shaw ward member said he wore the uniform in fancy dress for the Yanks Weekend in Saddleworth more than a decade ago, but admitted it was a "bad choice" and "was not meant to offend". 

He told The Oldham Times that it "does not in any way, shape or form represent my political views" and that the image was shared as "part of a campaign of harassment and trolling".

The Cllr apologised for any offence caused by the uniform (Image: Facebook)

When asked about using the offensive term in the Parish Council meeting, Cllr Hince claims he was "calling out" Liberal Democrat councillor, Louie Hamblett, for "making what appears to be Nazi salutes in my direction when voting".

However, Cllr Hamblett said the publicly available recording shows he had raised his hand to vote and that he was not making a Nazi salute.

He continued: "Those shocking words came from the newly appointed Leader of the Town Council, Cllr Marc Hince.

"Bizarre to see him say this; it was in apparent context to my ‘voting’.

"As you can clearly see on the footage of the video from 1:06:44 onwards I raised my hand to vote, nothing more.

"I think it says more about his mindset than mine.

"I utterly condemn his words.

"My family have a long and proud history serving King and Country, and all that they and many others sacrificed would be appalled to see Cllr Hince act in this manner."

Councillor Tom Penketh, a fellow Lib Dem who sits on Shaw and Crompton Town Council, also condemned Cllr Hince's actions, saying: "What I witnessed in the meeting that night was disgusting and an insult to the people of our town and country as a whole.

"An elected councillor has used a Nazi phrase, which praises Hitler, and tried to laugh it off."

He added: "We have a strong community of veterans in Shaw and Crompton, both through our British Legion branch and the veterans located at The Cartshaft. 

"I wonder how they feel after Cllr Hince’s abhorrent behaviour? "

He called on Cllr Hince to publicly apologise and resign immediately.

Cllr Louie Hamblett said he was simply casting his vote when Cllr Hince made the offensive remark (Image: Shaw and Crompton Parish Council Media)

In response to the allegations, Cllr Hince said the condemnation from across the table was "just part of a hate campaign against me" that is "facilitated by the Lib Dems".

He continued: "If you watch the full video of the meeting and not just a snippet circulating in an attempt to smear me, you will actually see I am calling out Cllr Louie Hamblett for making what appears to be Nazi salutes in my direction when voting.

"No doubt a reference to a politically motivated story regarding me attending a WW2 event over 10 years ago, which has been pushed by political opponents.

"There are enough witnesses at the meeting to corroborate this. 

"Frankly, this whole campaign against me, which has included some of the most vile abuse including death threats must stop.

"The very people who are behind this orchestrated campaign are the very people who are currently subject to both a police and OMBC investigation.

"Once the outcomes of these are made public, people will be in a full position to judge one's actions and behaviour.

"In the meantime, I will continue to work in the interests of residents of Shaw and the wider community."

The spat also comes as a secret recording of a private meeting involving Oldham councillors and politicians remains under investigation.

Oldham Labour has accused the Liberal Democrat Group of "potentially illegal behaviour" by recording the meeting.

As well as being a sitting Town Councillor, Cllr Mark Hince has recently been made Chair of Planning on Oldham Borough Council, following a deal with the Labour Party after he voted in favour of a Labour-run administration.

A spokesperson for Oldham Liberal Democrats also said: “Cllr Hince chose to call out a Nazi slogan in a public meeting.

"It then emerged that he previously dressed up as a Nazi.

"Saying that this is unacceptable behaviour, particularly for an elected councillor, is simply what any reasonable person would do.

“Councillor Hince should reflect on what he has done, rather than lash out and blame others for what are quite clearly his own actions.”

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