Hate crime investigation after 'its okay to be white' poster stuck up around town

A hate crime investigation is underway by police after "it's okay to be white" posters were put up around a town.

Residents in Basingstoke, Hants, were horrified to find posters carrying the phrase displayed outside a college, on lampposts on major roads, and on school routes.

Locals believe the posters were put up by neo-Nazi sympathisers who deliberately intend to be 'divisive'.

They tore down the signs, but they have since emerged again.

Basingstoke resident Priya Brown said the posters are 'tactics used to divide deliberately by neo-Nazi groups and white supremacy groups'.

Hampshire Constabulary confirmed it is treating the incidents in Basingstoke as a hate crime.

Residents took the signs down, but they have since re-emerged (Basingstoke Gazette/Solent News)

The posters are being treated as a hate crime due to the slogan's alt-right links (Basingstoke Gazette/Solent News)

"It's okay to be white" is an alt-right slogan which started in the US and is supported by white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

The slogan was first popularised in 2017 on the 4chan messaging platform, and white supremacists quickly adopted the phrase as way of putting forward their beliefs and challenging 'liberals'.

Worried Ms Brown said: "These posters were on school routes and a lot of people including kids have seen them.

"My friend, who was walking the dog at around 7.30am, alerted me about it. Later I saw it on the way to school with my children. This wasn't nice and it was on every single lamppost on Cliddesden Road.

"Later I had a governor's meeting as well at [Basingstoke College of Technology] and that's how I found out that they were outside the college as well.

"There were a couple of residents who were quite upset about it. They removed some of these posters. My friend's husband also took down as many posters as possible."

Ms Brown reported it to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and the Highways Agency, which said it would remove them as soon as possible.

After more posters emerged, some residents wrote over the slogan with a marker pen to make it read "it's okay to be trans + dyslexic" and "it's okay to be gay".

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson said: "This has been recorded as a hate incident and we are now liaising with our local community groups."