Cornish National Liberation Army

The Cornish National Liberation Army (CNLA) was a short-lived Cornish nationalist paramilitary organisation that threatened to perform acts of vandalism and arson against commercial targets that it considers to be English, in Cornwall.[3]

Cornish National Liberation Army
Allegiance Cornwall
Nickname(s)Cornish Liberation Army (CLA)
Motto(s)Onen Hag Oll (in Cornish)
(English: One and All)
Colours  Black and   white
Anniversaries1 March
Insignia
Flag [1][2]

History

In 2007, an email claiming to be from the Cornish National Liberation Army threatened celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Rick Stein. The following month a 36-year-old man was arrested for making the threats.[4]

The organisation has been described by the Cornish political party, Mebyon Kernow, as a 'pseudo-terrorist group'.[3] Dick Cole, spokesman for Mebyon Kernow, released a statement[5] to various London papers.

The group also opposed the flying of the English flag in Cornwall, and has threatened to destroy all English flags in the region.[3]

There is little evidence as to the size of the CNLA other than an August 2007 interview in Cornish World Magazine in which Stuart Ramsay claimed they had thirty members.[6]

Cornish Republican Army

In November 2007, Per Svenssonn, a writer for the internet periodical Ciudadanos Europeos, successfully gained an email interview with a member of the CRA through the Cornwall24 website's forum.[7] As well as confirming the name change, the interview outlined (among other topics) the structure of the organisation, confirmed official CRA attacks and suggested future plans.

When questioned on forthcoming events, the CRA spokesperson answered:

"2008 promises to be an interesting year for the English occupying forces and their establishment. Beyond that, no comment."

A hoax took place in March 1974 when students from Plymouth Polytechnic styled themselves the 'FCA' (Free Cornish Army) as part of a Rag Week stunt and convinced some of the Fleet Street press that Cornwall had declared independence.[8]

Arrests

The police arrested three people in Cornwall, accused of having some connection with the CNLA. None of those arrested were formally charged. The Celtic League wrote to the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police to protest the arrests, describing those arrested as members of the League's Kernow Branch, and expressing 'alarm' at the arrests.[9]

In the 2015 film, The Bad Education Movie, based on The TV series of the same name, Alfie Wickers and class K go to Cornwall, but accidentally get involved with the Cornish Liberation Army, a terrorist organisation fighting for Cornish independence.

References
  1. Gilbert, Davies (30 October 1838). "The Parochial History of Cornwall: Founded on the Manuscript Histories of Mr. Hals and Mr. Tonkin; with Additions and Various Appendices". J. B. Nichols and son. Retrieved 30 October 2021 – via Google Books.
  2. "Phil Rendle, Cornwall – The Mysteries of St Piran" (PDF). Flaginstitute.org. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  3. Morris, Steven (14 June 2007). "Cornish militants rise again – and this time they're targeting celebrity chefs". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
  4. Sturcke, James (14 June 2007). "Man arrested over threats to celebrity chefs". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 July 2007.
  5. Cole, Dick. "Letter to London Press from Cllr Dick Cole concerning CNLA coverage". Mebyon Kernow (party website). Archived from the original on 20 August 2007.
  6. "CNLA: the writing on the wall" in Cornish World Magazine, Issue 53 (August/September 2007) pp.50–53.
  7. "CORNISH REPUBLICAN ARMY PLEASE CONTACT ME :: Cornwall24 Discussion Board :: Cornwall 24". 23 November 2007. Archived from the original on 23 November 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  8. Part One – How to create your own nation state (the real story of the 1974 Cornish revolution) Archived 2007-08-12 at the Wayback Machine
  9. League, Celtic (3 February 2008). "CELTIC LEAGUE: GENERAL SECRETARY 'ALARMED' AT EVENTS IN CORNWALL". Cornwall Police Watch. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
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