[ Just a bit late. We did a story on this back in May 2006: BNP calls for massive funding fraud via third-party donations ]
· Civil Liberty run by key party activists
· Nick Griffin urged Americans to donate
Members of the British National party have set up a front organisation in an attempt to raise money from far right sympathisers in the United States.
An investigation by the Guardian has revealed that the fundraising group Civil Liberty, which claims to be independent of any political party, is run by key BNP activists with all the money donated through its website going to the BNP's regional headquarters in the north-east.
It has raised concerns that the party appears to be attempting to profit from anti-Islamic sentiment in the United States since the attacks of September 11 2001, by presenting itself as being at the forefront of a campaign to save the UK from being "overwhelmed" by Muslims.
Since 2001 it has been illegal for any political party to accept overseas donations of more than £200, and party officials breaking the law face a year's imprisonment or a £5,000 fine. Both Civil Liberty and the BNP deny they are trying to bypass UK election law, insisting they are entirely separate organisations .
However, the Guardian has established a series of links, including an audio tape of the BNP chairman, Nick Griffin, speaking at a US conference organised by a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, in which he calls on sympathisers to support BNP members by giving money to Civil Liberty.
"Please throw money at the BNP, actually don't throw money at the BNP. Quite seriously it's against the law, but you can as my colleague will be telling you tomorrow, throw money at a group called Civil Liberty which helps members of the BNP and that is within the law."
The Guardian also found that:
· Civil Liberty was set up and is run by Kevin Scott, who until September was the BNP's north-east regional organiser.
· Its PO box address is registered to Tyneside BNP at the home of Jonathan Keys, a former party candidate.
· The site's domain name is registered at the home in Stirling of Steve Blake, the BNP's website editor.
· The BNP's head of administration, Kenny Smith, is named on the BNP website as the national treasurer of Civil Liberty and responds to emails sent to CL.
It is not clear how much money Civil Liberty has raised as its accounts are secret, but the American Friends of the British National party was estimated to have raised £80,000 to £100,000 for the BNP between 1998 and 2001 when it folded - money Mr Griffin said made a "significant contribution to the BNP's [2001] general election campaign".
Yesterday the BNP and Civil Liberty strenuously denied the allegations.
"Civil Liberty is completely independent of the party," said BNP spokesman Phil Edwards. "The BNP receives absolutely no money at all from Civil Liberty and any allegation that [money is being diverted] to the BNP in order to circumvent election laws will be met by a libel writ." [We look forward to receiving our letter from the BNP's solicitors - Lancaster UAF]
In a statement posted on its website, Civil Liberty stated: "Civil Liberty has never given, nor will give a single penny to the BNP. To do so would be in breach of electoral legislation which is clear and strict about who can provide funds to a registered political party. All the money received from generous donors at home and abroad goes to persecuted individuals who have nowhere else to turn to, to assist with legal expenses of employment tribunals and other court costs."
Yesterday a spokeswoman for the Electoral Commission, which monitors political funding, said: "It is illegal for political parties to accept donations from overseas. We will look at these allegations."
Civil Liberty regularly advertises in BNP publications and has appealed for funds on the BNP website. Mark Collett, who was last year acquitted with Mr Griffin on charges of inciting racial hatred, is alleged to have handed out Civil Liberty flyers at a far right event in the US. And at the BNP's annual conference in November, senior BNP figures accused the leadership of using Civil Liberty to build a fighting fund they said was not declared to the Electoral Commission or the wider membership.
Mr Edwards said: "Civil Liberty is an organisation which was set up to assist nationalists fight legal cases and employment tribunals and other civil cases ... The fact that it is Kevin Scott [who set up Civil Liberty] ... why shouldn't it be?"
He said that being a member of the BNP did not stop people handing out leaflets. As to the PO box for Civil Liberty being the same as for Tyneside BNP, "A PO box ... is purely and simply a facility. It doesn't mean there are any links - you are clutching at straws," he said.
Lord Dholakia, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, said: "I am concerned that money raised abroad may be used to sustain political activities of the BNP in the UK and there is a clear need to investigate links between the BNP and Civil Liberty." He has written to the Home Office and the Electoral Commission calling for an investigation.
Civil Liberty's website describes the UK "as one of the most repressive regimes in the world". In its "US appeal" section it calls on American sympathisers to hand over money to help the fight against the spread of Islam. "If you know that Islam has waged holy war from Arabia to Lower Manhattan for 1,400 years, aiming at the forcible conversion of the world ... if you remember 9/11, you will understand why this is the crucial issue of our time."
Who's who
Kevin Scott
Founder of Civil Liberty and until September the BNP's north east regional organiser. He has a conviction for assault and using threatening words and behaviour.
Kenny Smith
Civil Liberty's national treasurer and the BNP's administrator. Based in Scotland, Smith helps Scott run Civil Liberty's website. He is also editor of the BNP's internal membership bulletin, British Nationalist.
Jonathan Keys
A BNP activist in the north east. The Civil Liberty website uses a PO Box which is registered to Tyneside BNP at Keys' home.
Steve Blake
Blake is responsible for the BNP website. He is an IT consultant and the Civil Liberty domain name is registered at his home in Stirling.
Guardian
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
23 comments:
"We look forward to receiving our letter from the BNP's solicitors - Lancaster UAF"
It'll never happen - but even if it did, you'd have a lot of fun in court and think how many thousands it would cost the BNP to bring a case like this! They'd be bankrupted overnight.
Or they could use their 'legal expert' Lee Barnes - in which case, you'd probably win.
Hey yeah, it might be a good way of raising funds...
The site looks really nice guys. I'm impressed.
There's been problems in the past with not submitting tax reports and other details called for by the government and the electoral commission, but the BNP are always let off any legal action - each and every time.
It seems ironic that the nazis always use conspiracy theories, when the BNP seem to have friends in high places. The party should have been wound-up by now for less than acceptable business practices, let alone the long list of criminal convictions.
Possibly the BNP are a useful tool in maintaining grass-roots Islamophobia, thus helping to maintain Tony Blair's so-called "war on terror".
With so many informants within the ranks of the neo-Nazi BNP, they could be shut down today, if MI6 and the government wanted thtm to cease. Therefore, it's intriguing to believe must serve a sick racist purpose in British-American politics.
If this had been an Islamic extremist funding operation in the states, the CIA would have closed down the money laundering group immediately, and confiscated all the takings, and extradited everyone to stand trial in the United States.
Joe Owens's assasination plot, and the Burnley chemical weapons polt, however deemed un-newsworthy by the rightwing media, were major, deadly terrorist plots. The lack of news coverage, didn't make them any less serious terririst charges than the recent London bomb plots, for instance.
Lets hope that when the would-be Burnley Weapons Bombers appear in court, in Burnley, warmonger and Islamophobe Rupurt Murdoch's News Of the World, and Paul Dacre's biggoted Daily Mail, won't shy away from giving the case the front page spread it deserves, to kill off the BNP once and for all (stake in the heart stylie) before the next elections.
The slick, media-savvy BNP must be denounced as racist terrorists....
'Lets hope that when the would-be Burnley Weapons Bombers appear in court, in Burnley, warmonger and Islamophobe Rupurt Murdoch's News Of the World, and Paul Dacre's biggoted Daily Mail, won't shy away from giving the case the front page spread it deserves, to kill off the BNP once and for all (stake in the heart stylie) before the next elections.'
I doubt you'll find anyone here who would disagree with anything you've written but while the BNP is riddled with informers and is a handy place to keep an eye on all the far-right fruitcakes in the country, I can't see the 'security services' pushing for any arrests in the foreseeable future.
Sadly, this leaves the BNP and the other fascists with a free hand, able to spread their lies and filth virtually without opposition - certainly with very little opposition from the government and media - as long as it fits in with their overall strategy.
Oh yes, and I meant to agree with slobibob - the site looks great LUAF. Well done and keep up the good work.
I'm a normal voter.
This site is full of nutters.
I have read all the comments, and one thing is plane, they are all from mentally disturbed people. You people need help!
"I'm a normal voter."
Yeh and I'm a fish. Why don't you nazis fuck off and infest your own sites.
"This site is full of nutters."
Since when was an interest in how a aprty was attempting to subvert electoral/financial law a sign of madness? I thought the BNP were supposed to be squeaky clean? Sorry mate, your comment - like your party - doesn't work.
I'm not a BNP member (nor am I any of the other anonymous's here) but I have to say that this is a non-story.
It's been printed, almost word-for-word, several times before and all the facts and names are on the BNP website, quite openly. They even appeared in a recent Nick Griffin blog!
Quite simply, nothing has been done wrong. Money has been sent, openly and legaly, to a third-party group which supports, but does not finance, the BNP. There are hundreds of these groups about, supporting various parties and causes. In legal terms, this is no different.
Also no reason to close down the BNP as mouseman sauggested. They did miss a date to submit their accounts, as have most political parties, including the LibDems and SSP (and UKIP, several times). They were given a new date to do so, and did submit the accounts.
The accounts met all the legal requirements. Not the same as saying that they are true and accurate, but they met the requirements. And there is nothing in law about closing a party because it has criminals amongst its members. If there was, we wouldn't have any parties able to field candidates in May - certainly not Labour!
Bit of leap to make, deciding that the BNP is playing a crucial role in world politics just because it hasn't been treated differently from every other party, not to mention illegally!
And the Burnley bombers are not in the same category as the London bombers; they didn't do anything for a start! I look forward to seeing the facts at court, but I suspect they were a couple of weirdoes who collected things that could have made bombs, but lacked the bottle to do anything else. Still deserve a few years chokey, but not in the same class as the London bombers.
By the way, before you shout 'nazi' at me, let me make it easier for you. I'm not in the BNP, I'm in the EFP, and look forward to reading about us in your future articles! I'll be sure to pop back to correct the wilder fantasies!
Nice site, by the way, a definate improvement, keep up the good work, you provide a great resource for us 'nazis' to see what the mass media (and the stranger world of student media) are saying about us; saves us an age of googling!
What a total none story.
Talk about geting desperate because of the BNP's growing support.
The reason Civil Liberty exsists is to help people who have lost their jobs because of Fascists like the the UAF.
Anyway what about all the money which is backhanded to the UAF by the Labour party?
You take money of captalists who are murdering on a large scale in Iraq.
This site did say when they changed to using the blog system, that they would be trying to write more home grown articles, so were are they? Stop these cut and paste jobs, and get writing.
As for the BNP missing the date for submitting accounts. This happened the same year as Barclays closed their bank accounts, and refused to deal with the party in anyway. A subsidiary of Barclays Bank were also the party’s accounts auditors, so the party had to arrange another firm of accountants to do the audit. This is not easy when firms who deal with the BNP are regularly subjected to intimidation, from the likes of UAF. Anyone who doubts this need only read the story, on this site, about the Blackpool hotel which is being victimised because it allowed a BNP conference to be held in its conference facilities last year. Democracy in action, I think not!
It’s the same type of intimidation that closes a parties bank account, and makes their accounts late, and if I can see this so can many millions of other decent voters.
"Democracy in action, I think not!"
Wow - to be lectured on democracy by a BNP supporter. The irony.
"The reason Civil Liberty exsists is to help people who have lost their jobs because of Fascists like the the UAF."
No, Civil Liberty exists to provide yet another money-laundering facility for the BNP and Griffin's bottomless pockets. Very similar to the old American Friends of the BNP scam run by Mark Cotterill. Amazing how much money was donated and promptly disappeared. In fact the number of money-laundering scams the BNP (or at least its thieving leader) has been involved in is shocking. Even Iain Donaldson could see Griffin was ripping off B and H, and he was hardly the sharpest tack in the box.
People get the sack for belonging to the BNP because it's a racist organisation. If UAF have contributed to spreading the word that that is the case, thus enabling employers to make a choice as to whether they employ racists in their workplace, good for them!
'This site did say when they changed to using the blog system, that they would be trying to write more home grown articles, so were are they? Stop these cut and paste jobs, and get writing.'
Fuck offand mind your own business. You wanna write, go write your own blog
"Money has been sent, openly and legaly, to a third-party group which supports, but does not finance, the BNP."
Fine, let's see the accounts.
"And there is nothing in law about closing a party because it has criminals amongst its members."
Just as well for the BNP cos it'd have to shut down immediately. The percentage of criminals to 'ordinary' members is phenomenal. Show me another party that comes anywhere close.
"I'm not in the BNP, I'm in the EFP"
We'll assume you're Michael Johnson then - and yes, you're a nazi too."
"Nice site, by the way..."
Yes it is. Perhaps you'd like to ask Lancaster UAF to redesign the EFP site, which is frankly crap.
Is it me or do I smell Chris Hills Hai Karate all over those anonymous comments?
10.34 am anonymous is Trevor Agnew former bnp organiser in Darlington and now an EFP member. Currently posting on sf as Think Tanker. Every fash in the North East is saying horrible things about why he quit the bnp.
Come on Trev, you know Scotty and Civil Liberty well. Bet you know the real reason he quit as regional organizer? Should hear what he's saying about you!!!
'Is it me or do I smell Chris Hills Hai Karate all over those anonymous comments?'
Hai Karate? Really? Jeez.
'10.34 am anonymous is Trevor Agnew former bnp organiser in Darlington and now an EFP member. Currently posting on sf as Think Tanker. Every fash in the North East is saying horrible things about why he quit the bnp.'
Ooh, do tell. :-)
Soddit - I meant to also say thanks for the positive comments regarding the site, both here and via email. They're very much appreciated.
I do know that this Chris Hill guy is visiting this site again, he as mush as admits it on his own crappy little blog.
'I do know that this Chris Hill guy is visiting this site again, he as mush as admits it on his own crappy little blog.'
And a crappy little blog it is too. If that's the best he can do he should give up now.
Post a Comment