Nick Griffin has thanked the BBC and praised the “hysterical” reaction of the political elite for giving his far-right British National Party unprecedented publicity.
In an interview with The Times, he said that the bitter row over the decision to invite him on to this evening’s Question Time had attracted record donations for the party.
Peter Hain, the Welsh Secretary, understood that his invitation was “a very important symbol”, he said. “I thank the political class and their allies for being so stupid. The huge furore that the political class has created around it clearly gives us a whole new level of public recognition.”
Although the BBC was “institutionally biased” against him, he believed that it had shown a degree of principle in allowing him to appear. “Thank you, Auntie,” he said.
Mr Hain’s eleventh-hour attempt to prevent Mr Griffin from appearing on Question Time was rejected by the BBC Trust last night. He said that the corporation was culpable of a huge boost for racist and fascist politics, “which is totally obnoxious”.
Mr Griffin claimed that on Tuesday, after he compared Britain’s most respected military generals to Nazi war criminals, the BNP enjoyed its “best ever single day” with telephone donations. He said that the party’s website attracted 77,000 unique visitors, second only to the day that he was elected to the European Parliament in June. In the past, the BNP has been accused of overstating its level of donations.
The BNP leader hopes to present himself as a credible “mainstream” political figure and put his party on course to win its first Westminster seat in next year’s general election.
He predicted that “a whole crop of new, quite high-quality, serious political people” would sign up to the BNP after tonight’s appearance, although he admitted that his party could not even find a venue to hold an AGM to discuss changes to its whites-only policy, being enforced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
He repeatedly insisted that he had banished the racist and neo-Nazi elements from his party. He likened the BNP to dissidents who fought totalitarianism in Eastern Europe and Zimbabwe.
Mr Griffin accused President Obama of being an “Afrocentric racist bigot” whose comments about the legacy of slavery would encourage black youths to attack white children.
As Holocaust survivors prepared to protest outside BBC Television Centre in London, Mr Griffin said that Adolf Hitler was a “very bad thing” but had “no real relevance for Britain today”.
The BNP leader, who regularly receives death threats, said that his biggest concern about this evening’s event was “that I might get shot on the way in”. The BBC refused to comment.
Times Online
Lancaster Unity adds:
Getting his excuses in first - extracts from yesterday's missive penned by the highest quality and most serious of all BNP members:
...
However, members and supporters must be aware that this show will be a stage-managed farce organised in a specific way to leave several impressions:
The audience will be hand-picked and overtly hostile - thus giving the impression that the British people at large must be hostile to BNP views.
The panellists will be overtly hostile, even the non-political guests will be hostile. Everyone will be hostile - this will leave the impression to non-informed viewers that BNP views have minority status.
I will, no doubt, be interrupted, shouted down, slandered, put on the spot, and subject to a scrutiny that would be a thousand times more intense than anything directed at other panellists.
It will, in other words, be political blood sport.
...
Nick Griffin
11 comments:
I've reposted this (from the last thread as the comment was under the article.
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One of the comments under the article states ( and a several recommendations) reads:
"When you're in power, Nick, I'll happily help you draw up the list of people to be rounded up."
So we just give their freedom of speech on moral grounds so that "race traitors" and minorities can be round up (and shot?). The "selling the idea not selling out your ideas" speech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfwdNAT8sWU&feature=player_embedded especially outlines the plan to get the foot in the door then immediately remove freedoms i.e. "move every last one of them out". "Race traitors" are included too as well I presume! The BNP don't acknowledge rights to anyone else its all about power for them
Has anyone at the BBC ever read any of the BNP manifestos from the last few years?
"In an interview with The Times, he said that the bitter row over the decision to invite him on to this evening’s Question Time had attracted record donations for the party. "
Of course it has Nick, Of course it has!!!
I am so disappointed with The BBC. At a time when we have the chance to knock the fascists back into their holes The BBC is instead treating them as if they are just another legitimate organisation.
The thing is: perhaps it is just another example of our British values? Tolerence. We seem to always give con men the benefit of the doubt even when they conned us so many times before. This is like some kind of abusive relationship where no matter how much one party beats up the other the victim still let's them continue.
Here's The BBC's 'profile' on Nick Griffin I just spotted, what a lame waste of space which seems to tiptoe around the man:
Nick Griffin
The British establishment has always had a sympatheic attitude towards fascism. They couldn't have run a worldwide empire devoted to the subjugation of millions without a nasty, superior streak of entitlement.
I am a bit surprised though by their blatant and clumsy embrace of organized fascists at the present time. Maybe it's a result of their frustration at the depths to which Britain's standing in the world has slumped over the last fifty years or so, being now somewhat below that of Bolivia.
It's all BNP propaganda, the BNP's recent distarious week (and month)is enough to make anyone depressed in the BNP, escpecially the furher. He may have a strange face but the face is trying to look brave
@ Joe Chapman
Fwiw it's factually incorrect too. Griffin did not become National Organiser of the NF until 1984 after he and his friend Joe Pearce had successfully ousted Martin Webster, whose post it had been hitherto.
In 1978 Griffin was in fact Organiser or Chairman - can't remember which - of the National Front Students' Association.
Lazy journalism, but what does that matter when the sole object of the exercise is to reinvent Griffin as a mainstream politician?
"It will, in other words, be political blood sport."
I thought the BNP supported blood sports.
Interesrting that Griffin claims that his QT appearance will lead to an influx oh high-quality new members.
Would think that's the last thing he'd want, as they would pretty quickly show up his own idiocy.
The whole Griffin strategy depends on surrounding himself with idiots, to make him look better!
How appropriate the saying, 'in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king' !!
"record donations for the party"
Yeah, yeah. I make that the 729th time in the past three years that they have had a day of "record donations". Funny how they never show up in the accounts though ...
Ah yes, the accounts .... where are they?
Don't all hate me, fellow anti-fascists, but I think it is good the BNP and its obnoxious charman receives more publicity.
I have trust in ordinary Brits to repudiate this hateful and divisive party once they know more about it.
Expose moronic BNP 'policies', warped BNP 'personalities', BNP supidity, and most of all the moral rot at the heart of the BNP by all means.
The 'no platform' stance has been overtaken by events. IMO it is the job of all anti-fascists to make that platform as unstable and uncomfortable for the BNP as humanly possible.
The BBC got top ratings for QT, and now other programmers will be falling over themselves to book BNP speakers. This is the cold reality of modern media.
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