November 16, 2008

Fascist backers fear racial riots

Denying a visa to British fascist leader Nick Griffin, who has a conviction for inciting racial hatred, would only increase the likelihood of Cronulla-style racial conflict, his supporters say.

Mr Griffin, head of the right-wing British National Party, has applied to visit Australia to address the issue of "the demographic genocide … caused by large-scale immigration of people from the Third World".

Darrin Hodges, NSW head of the Australian Protection Party, which is backing his visit, said that "having a full and frank debate was more helpful than not … and suppressing the debate leads to events like Cronulla".

Mr Hodges said Mr Griffin would speak at private forums in Sydney and Melbourne.

Anti-defamation groups opposed to the December speaking tour by Mr Griffin - a one-eyed Holocaust denier with long-standing links to right-wing groups in Europe - believe the free-speech argument has to be balanced against the harm done to local communities.

British anti-fascist activists who track his movements say Mr Griffin and the BNP have a history of fomenting racial hatred in Britain.

"Australia should not let the racist in. Nick Griffin is as dangerous to the community as any radical Islamic preacher," said Matthew Collins, a former BNP member who now works for a London anti-fascist monitoring service.

The BNP has 49 elected councillors and 51 parish councillors among Britain's 6000 local councillors.

Jo-Anne Schofield, head of Catalyst, an Australian think tank opposed to his visit, said: "The BNP is very clever at moderating its message to appear more acceptable, but scratch the surface [and] they still have a hateful message at their core. The burden of free speech is carried by the people harmed by his message."

Mr Griffin, who reportedly lost an eye when a shotgun shell he threw into a fire exploded, was denied entry to Australia in 1998.

He once described the Holocaust as the "Holohoax", saying: "I am well aware that the Orthodox opinion is that 6 million Jews were gassed and cremated and turned into lampshades. Orthodox opinion also once held that the world is flat … I have reached the conclusion that the 'extermination' tale is a mixture of Allied wartime propaganda, extremely profitable lie and latter witch hysteria."

A spokesman for the Department of Immigration said because Mr Griffin appeared on a "movement alert list" his application would not be approved electronically and would be reviewed by the department. No decision has been made yet on whether to issue him a visa.

Sydney Morning Herald

6 comments:

Barbara Suzuki said...

Apart from the one-eyed business, which has nothing to do with anyone's politics or reasons for refusing a visa, I agree.

The BNP message of division and superiority is the other side of the coin of religious extremist messages of division and superiority, and it is a base, worthless currency buying nothing but trouble.

Why would any other country want that trouble?

Unknown said...

BNP 'White History Month' whitewashes history:

http://edmundstanding.blogspot.com/2008/11/bnp-white-history-month-whitewashes.html

Anonymous said...

How can Griffin go to Oz to shout about immigrants, when the Aborigine have inhabited Oz for 100,000 years, and been treated disgracefully by the west?

If the BNP want to discuss land ownership, then I'd say the Aborigine beats them hands down by 99,750 years

Dumb Fucks

Anonymous said...

Dear Australian Visa Department

Please let him Mr Griffin into your country and then keep him there. If you dont want him messing things up keep him at the airport then how about that nice Pacific island Nauru where you house your unwanted migrants. Griffin will be quite at home there I'm sure.

Thanks, you are doing the "Old Country" a big favour!

Anonymous said...

"Please let him Mr Griffin into your country and then keep him there."

Cant add to that! Brilliant idea, just a pity he isnt applying to gain entry to Pakistan! He'd be well looked after there - well maybe not!

Anonymous said...

Well historically we used to send convicts and other undesirables to Australia, so, how about we ask the Australian Government to let him in, keep him, and send him to the outback never to be seen again?

tulip