October 15, 2009

Inside view on the BNP

Burly security staff in heavy, black coats guard the door while police pace outside the Frank Townend Centre in Cleveleys.

It's not the usual midweek sight outside the Beach Road community centre where children go for dance classes and ladies meet for art and craft sessions. But it's not every night the BNP holds a rally in the quaint seaside town. And it's certainly not often the press get invited to see what goes on behind those well guarded doors. So when Clive Jefferson, North West BNP regional organiser, ushered me into their meeting room, I was quite taken aback.

Going inside, I pass a passionate group of anti-fascist protesters waving placards and shouting. One protester, Jane from Blackpool Trades Union Council told me: "We will fight wherever the BNP stand. If we stand together, we will oppose them quicker."

Then there's an army of bouncers, wearing BNP badges, to negotiate. I join around 40 people – BNP members and invitees – who have turned up to listen to the party's policies and their plans to form a branch in Wyre.

Stood in front of a large banner proclaiming "British jobs for British workers" with a Union Jack flag beside him Mr Jefferson said: "We are a legitimate party, we have a right to hold a meeting here. We want British jobs for British workers. We want the troops out of Iraq."

The audience – a few women but mainly men in their 50s and 60s – burst into applause. But what about their ideas for Cleveleys? James Clayton, candidate for next week's Jubilee ward by-election, said: "The major problems are anti-social behaviour and drug use in Cleveleys, needles being found on the Promenade, mess in the roads, grass cuttings and street lighting. A lot of people have shown interest in our party and this is our chance to show ourselves for who we are, which isn't the skinhead or thugs and yob image."

One member offers me a drink as he says: "We're not intimidating are we? We get a lot of bad press but we're not thugs."

But I don't like what I hear next as around six people put their hands up to request an application form to become a BNP member. One convert shouts: "I'll have an application form, but not a coloured one!"

It was greeted with laughter by most in the audience, and was a deeply unpleasant reminder of where I was. I had a distinctly uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. While inside the building the recruitment drive was in full flow, it was a different story outside as four people got turned away. All were either black or Asian. There were no members of the ethnic minorities inside.

As I left a security guard told me: "After a while it was getting full up so we decided it had to be members only."

Strange that, as I was given a seat all to myself and I'm not a member. And I swear there was plenty of space.

Madhvi Chabba-Moudgil, 35, from St Annes, was one of those turned away, along with partner Vishal Moudgil and brother SK Chabba. She said: "Allowing a party that only allows certain people to join only goes towards a breakdown of relationships between all sections of the community and further leads to spoil the good work of people who work towards integration and good relations between different communities and classes of society. In this day and age, for a society of this kind to require police presence at a community centre, is a very sad statement in humanity. What hope is there for integration of society?"

Stephen Howard, 32, who is black and from Cleveleys, who was also turned away, said: "When I asked why, they said: 'what does BNP stand for?'"

The refusals put Bernie Naughton off from going inside. The 42-year-old from Poulton said: "I came down to hear their opinions but then I saw they were not letting Stephen in I changed my mind."

Around seven police officers were outside to make sure the rally and protest passed off peacefully. Supt Richard Spedding said officers would be looking into the circumstances surrounding people being refused entry. He then praised protesters, including those from Unite Against Fascism, Lancaster Unity and Blackpool Fylde and Wyre Trades Union Council, for how they behaved during their demonstration.

Anti-fascist campaigners are planning a protest in London against the BNP leader's presence on BBC One's Question Time on October 22. Black writer Bonnie Greer will take part in a televised debate with far right party leader Nick Griffin. They will be joined by Justice Secretary Jack Straw – the first senior Labour politician to say that he was willing to appear on the show with Mr Griffin.

* The other candidates for the Jubilee by-election are: Roy Hopwood representing the UK Independence Party, Wayne Martin for Labour and Tory David Walmsley.

Fleetwood Today

17 comments:

Jace said...

"I join around 40 people – BNP members and invitees – who have turned up to listen to the party's policies and their plans to form a branch in Wyre."

A little bit of bullshit going on at Jefferson's Cumbrian Patriots blog then. LOL

"Left wing Labour party lap dogs (UAF) did turn up and mount a brief demonstration but that did not deter upwards of 80 people turning up to the meeting."

Anonymous said...

Disgusting BNP and UKIP they are just as bad they hate black people having spoken to a couple that night they are rascist. Nazi pond life
Jay.

Anonymous said...

One convert shouts: "I'll have an application form, but not a coloured one!"

Well that's fucking hilarious. Where do these morons come from - the Dark Ages?

Anonymous said...

James Clayton, candidate for next week's Jubilee ward by-election, said: "The major problems are...drug use in Cleveleys, needles being found on the Promenade..."

Hang on, didn't he speak out against the creation of a drug resource centre with a needle exchange scheme, the dozy bastard?

Sassy said...

"....this is our chance to show ourselves for who we are, which isn't the skinhead or thugs and yob image."

That's funny because everyone I saw going in was a skinhead thug or yob.

Anonymous said...

"It was greeted with laughter by most in the audience, and was a deeply unpleasant reminder of where I was. I had a distinctly uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. While inside the building the recruitment drive was in full flow, it was a different story outside as four people got turned away. All were either black or Asian. There were no members of the ethnic minorities inside.

As I left a security guard told me: "After a while it was getting full up so we decided it had to be members only."

Strange that, as I was given a seat all to myself and I'm not a member. And I swear there was plenty of space."

This is going to have to be tried when the BNP's constitution has been changed to allow non-white members. Any trickery like this will be worth taking to court then.

Anonymous said...

Well done to everyone who went on the demo but big kudos to the four who dared the thugs at the door and five stars to Bernie Naughton for seeing the light.

Anonymous said...

Re the major problems being drug use, here's what Clayton has to say in his "special by-election edition of Jubilee Patriot"

*The recent discovery of a box containing 200 used needles in Cleveleys is the tip of an iceberg that the other parties do not want to discuss. Drugs are poisoning Britain and are already a major problem in many areas of Wyre. The Blackpool Gazette even hinted in their article that Cleveleys needs a needle exchange service! As a councillor I will be resolving your everyday issues such as dog dirt and congested roads but I am not afraid of tackling the big issues such as drug abuse head on. This town will never have a needle exchange if I am elected. The softly-soft approach of "addicts first", is not working and another example of how the decent majority and their concerns always come last in the LibLabCon's Britain.*


so I take it that he would rather have used needles dumped in boxes for kids to play with (Nice!) than provide help for addicts, and set up a safe place to dispose of these needles.

What a knobber!!!


Jain

Anonymous said...

Ask the DUMB WIT Clive Jefferson about drugs. All you have to do is google is name with drugs attached and you will see what a scumbag he his.

Anonymous said...

Well there must have been 40 security men then! The journo did say an army of 'bouncers'. Still when the party goes down the plughole this army can relocate to the nightclubs from whence they came...

Anonymous said...

Forget this stupid meeting. I am really concerned after reading about this today that they will be bringing in much more money. Also if a huge number of minorities turn up to meetings, do you not think this will be all over the papers? People will then start to think this was done for political reasons, and there could be a backlash.

Anonymous said...

"Well that's fucking hilarious. Where do these morons come from - the Dark Ages?"

'Alf Garnett' style racists, the lot of 'em.

They'll never amount to anything.

blackpoolantifascist said...

I love their video on YouTube which says they signed up loads of new members -> at a MEMBERS ONLY event. lol

Antifascist said...

'Forget this stupid meeting. I am really concerned after reading about this today that they will be bringing in much more money. Also if a huge number of minorities turn up to meetings, do you not think this will be all over the papers? People will then start to think this was done for political reasons, and there could be a backlash.'

Does all that make sense at all?

Brummie said...

Clive Jefferson: "We want the troops out of Iraq."

British troops have been out of Iraq since July 31st. Anyone else spot this BNP lie??

Anonymous said...

There are a few there training local forces and, amazingly, a further 100 is going to be sent back to guard instillations!!

Kev Scott loves The Jam said...

Lol, normal BNP sales tactics then:
"We booked a room with a capacity of 40 and luckily the council staff were able to remove a partition doubling the room size which also was soon full to capacity and we had to turn some people away. The meeting was one of the best I have ever attended and we sold 300 VoF newspapers"

If them, then EVERYBODY bought nearly 4 copies of VoF... if reality then everyone bought nearly eight!

Bullshit asshole... face it, since your thugs went to EDL you are fucked... no amount of waffle will enable you to scrounge from whats left of your active members... best you set up an indigenous squirrel sanctuary and raise extra dole money via that... nobend