BNP festival gives villagers the jitters

· Thousands of activists head for Derbyshire
· Landowner and councillor defends three-day event

There might be razor wire around his neighbour's gate and security guards patrolling the hedgerows and fields, but Joe Osborne feels anything but safe. The retired farmer has lived in Denby Village for more than 60 years but this weekend he fears this quiet corner of Derbyshire could be overrun when up to 3,000 far-right activists arrive for a three-day festival.

The British National party has chosen the former mining and farming community for its annual Red White and Blue Festival. The far-right party has held the event every year since 2000 but six weeks ago, after an internal row which ended with a failed leadership challenge to Nick Griffin, it was moved from Lancashire to a plot of land in the centre of Denby Village.

The festival, modelled on Jean Marie Le Pen's Front Nationale event in France, is, according to the BNP, a family affair that allows activists to celebrate their British heritage.

However, the local Labour MP Judy Mallaber submitted evidence to the council licensing committee claiming there had been an episode of violence at a previous festival. Opponents also say that the event regularly attracts activists with criminal convictions as well as members of far-right groups from Europe and the US. Mr Osborne said many families in the village had already packed up and left.

"We really don't want this sort of thing round here," he said with a sigh. "This is a really small place and neighbouring towns have had problems in the past with skinheads and these types." He said that the organisers and security guards who had appeared in the village over the past week had left many residents feeling intimidated and vulnerable.

"My wife hasn't slept properly for days, the music has already started late at night - I can only imagine what it will be like when we have 2,000 or 3,000 people here."

The festival will have live music, a beer tent and political speeches. It is being held on land owned by Alan Warner, a former Tory councillor who was elected to the local parish council as a BNP member in May. At the entrance to his land a security guard films everyone who approaches. When asked what the footage will be used for he laughs and replies "Redwatch" - a reference to an extremist rightwing website which carries details of journalists and political opponents and has been linked to a series of violent attacks.

However, when Mr Warner arrives he insists that although the BNP "has some hotheads like any organisation", the weekend will pass off peacefully. "Why would I have it here at my home if there was going to be any trouble?" he said, adding that many people in the village had expressed support for the event. "There are some who have concerns but then again some people would complain about anything."

The Guardian