October 23, 2009

Jeered, scorned and ridiculed - still BNP's Nick Griffin milks his moment in spotlight on Question Time

In for a rough ride - Griffin on the Question Time panel
Nick Griffin was booed, jeered and mocked by a hostile television audience on the BBC's Question Time last night. But the British National Party leader's priceless air time still left the Corporation facing accusations of 'publicity-seeking' naivety.

Senior Labour figures warned of racist attacks in the coming days, leaving the BBC with 'blood on its hands'.

Mr Griffin ran the gauntlet of 1,000 angry protesters who had laid siege to the Question Time studio at Television Centre in West London. The 50-year-old, who has a criminal conviction for inciting racial hatred, was loudly booed as he went before the cameras under tight security.

Facing angry heckling, and at times looking shaken, Mr Griffin:
  • Repeatedly refused to give his views on the Holocaust, drawing attacks from Jewish members of the audience.
  • Claimed that Winston Churchill would have joined the BNP.
  • Was branded 'disgusting' by one black member of the audience.
  • Was forced to deny he had said that black men 'walk like monkeys'.
  • Was laughed at when he admitted meeting Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and claimed the organisation was 'non violent'.
  • Was jeered by a lesbian member of the audience who told him: 'The feeling of revulsion is mutual'.
  • One Asian member of the audience called for a whip round to pay for him to go and live at the South Pole where he could enjoy a 'colourless landscape'.
The BBC was forced on to the back foot over the decision to invite Mr Griffin on to the show. David Dimbleby, who chaired the session, tried to calm audience unrest by insisting that the programme 'won't be the Nick Griffin show'. But he refused a request to take an audience vote on the rights and wrongs of the decision.

Baroness Warsi, the Tory panel member, said: 'If you look at the audience and reaction outside, people are outraged by his views and he has been exposed for what he is.'

Justice Secretary Jack Straw said the evening capped a 'catastrophic week for the BNP'.

They were joined on the panel by Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne and black poet Bonnie Greer. Mr Huhne said Winston Churchill would be 'rolling' in his grave if he could hear Mr Griffin speak today.

Around a thousand anti-fascists protest against the BNP at the BBC
Things get a tad hairy as flares are set off in the crowd of angry protestors
About 25 protestors breached security and were promptly hauled out
Earlier Mr Griffin's appearance provoked angry scenes outside Television Centre. Three police office officers were injured and six protesters arrested. At one stage, around 25 people stormed inside the West London building as they attempted to find the Question Time studios. Flares were let off and women dragged kicking and screaming back outside by security guards.

Mr Griffin, meanwhile, was smuggled in via a side entrance by up to 40 dark-suited security guards. Inside, he attacked Mr Straw saying his own father was in the RAF in the Second World War, while Mr Straw's was arrested for refusing to fight.

A black man in the audience was cheered when he confronted Mr Griffin. His voice shaking with emotion, the man said: 'For just one minute could you not think of the benefits my parents brought to this country and other parents from an Asian, Indian or Pakistani background have brought? No, all you're thinking of doing is trying to poison politics and poison the minds of people in this country. The vast majority of this audience find what you stand for to be completely disgusting'

Mr Griffin smirked when he was asked whether he denied the Holocaust but refused to answer detailed questions on the issue. Of his previous comments, he said: 'I can't explain why I used to say those things.'

He acknowledged that the BNP had been a 'racist and anti-semitic organisation', but claimed it had changed under his leadership. 'I am not a Nazi and never have been,' he said. He was wearing the poppy he rarely removes. He says he wears it in protest at the poor treatment of soldiers injured in Afghanistan.

Shimal Thakrar, 33, from Edgware in London, said: 'It certainly wasn't as controversial as had been made out beforehand. The guy couldn't stand his ground at all. He contradicted himself throughout. He had no consistency. It was a needed debate. But he's not a politician.'

Mr Thakrar said the audience hissed and booed during the filming and shouted 'Liar' and 'Get out the door,' at Mr Griffin. The BBC had received more than 1,000 complaints ahead of the broadcast.

Senior Labour politicians predicted that black and Asian people would face a violent backlash in the coming days. The BBC insisted it had no choice but to offer an invitation to the BNP following the party's success in the European elections. But critics have accused the corporation of being naive and driven by a desire to boost ratings.

Higher Education Minister David Lammy, one of Britain's first black ministers, said ordinary people from ethnic minority backgrounds would face violence as a result. He added: 'This is a seminal moment for the country. I am very worried about the days that will follow. Many people across the country, black and white, will be appalled that Nick Griffin has been given a platform on the BBC's flagship current affairs programme for his terrible racist views. Many others, a long way from Broadcasting House, will be left very scared.'

However Mr Lammy acknowledged that the mainstream parties had to accept some of the blame for the rise of the BNP.

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett criticised the BBC for 'publicity seeking'.

'To spend the first ten minutes of the Six O'Clock News covering their own decision and the consequences of putting the leader of the BNP on Question Time, was a total distortion of news priority and a deliberate promotion of their own publicity-seeking decision,' he said.

BBC Director-General Mark Thompson yesterday defended the decision to offer an invitation to Mr Griffin. Mr Thompson said the Government should change the law if it did not want the party to appear on news and current affairs programme. He said: 'Censorship cannot be outsourced to the BBC.'

Daily Mail

Note: If you missed the programme, you can watch it and laugh at Griffin here.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope the BBC get privatised, provided they don't get bought up by Fox (Sky)

Jamie McFarrell said...

I still think it's an absolute fucking disgrace that this bigot was allowed to talk shite on Question Time but I have to say that Dimbleby and the other panelists were pretty bloody good given the limited time available, and the audience was fantastic. Griffin ended up looking like an amateurish bumbler and in my view has done more damage to the BNP than we could possibly have hoped for.

If anyone was stupid enough to think of him as any kind of statesman yesterday, they'll be changing their minds today. The man's an idiot.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone else notice the pig farmer start shaking when he was asked about his views on the Holocaust? What a loser.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone catch when he was called "Dick" Griffin? LOL

Wes said...

The most telling moment for me was when he was repplying to the holocaust question and he couldnt stop himself from smiling. Sir David had to tell him not to smile.
Loved the Jack Straw bit where he told him as Justice Sec he could answer the question.

He didnt do too well in the eyes of the public, but to the BNPers it will be seen as triumph.

NewsHound said...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6886306.ece

SERIOUSLY DELUDED GRIFFIN THINKS HE CAN WIN OVER TORY VOTES AFTER THE NEXT ELECTION

Anonymous said...

Nazi Griffin on Question looked like a corned rat. But i fear he has won the role of being the victim, we must be ever more on guard against this fat bag of tricks.
Jay

Workingman said...

What an absolute buffoon.He was visibly shaking near the end, thought he was going to shed a tear at one point.

UK Fightback said...

The BBC's decision to allow DICK Griffin was in my opinion highly questionable, but, to be fair, the panelists did humiliate and expose Griffin after all, as we were promised. The panelists relentlessly focussed on Griffin's Nazism and made him into a literal laughing stock in front the nation.

The panelists directly and specifically referred to videos first posted onto You Tube by the UKfightback channel (and its predecessor GHDF1) to provide the evidential basis for their attacks on Griffin; and, as an additional plus point, the run-up to the broadcast featured hours of TV interviews with articulate and well-informed Anti-Fascists.

This whole episode could have been a disaster for Anti-Fascism but as it panned out my impression is that it has been a great success. Griffin has not been projected into the "mainstream" but has been exposed as a Fascist and a fraud, seriously damaging the PR makeover that the BNP have been working on for years.

PS - Lancaster Unity rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Bless him, the poor little nazi mite...

Meep-meep said...

Nice report at the Mirror

JEERS AT A CLOWN
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/10/23/jeers-at-a-clown-115875-21767156/

Anonymous said...

As far as I can see, just TWO people seem ecstatic with Nick Griffin's performance on QT - Lee Barnes, who is mental anyway, and Clive Jefferson, who a Griffin arse-licker. Everyone else thought he was crap.

West Midlands Unity said...

He was shaking like an elderly dog, the prat could hardly string a single sentence together. He failed to defend himself and his party and in fact the only thing he "tried" to defend was his bedsheet wearing friends of the KKK, according to Griffin the KKK are a non-violent organisation...

He also found Homosexuality to be repulsive and creepy (which is precisely what every gay man in Britain thinks of him)

Then he was laughing whilst "talking" about the subject of the Holocaust, for which he was struck down by Dimbleby.

I mean last night was car-crash TV for the BNP, but fantastic TV for us, and that's where I would like to thank the beeb.

Thanks Beeb!

Anonymous said...

I just saw a quote on Stormshite

"anger is surely building at the way NG was treated"

Er no, that's 'laughter is surely building...'

Arry Iggins said...

Apart from the inevitable bollocks about everyone supposedly worrying about immigration, I thought it was great. Nick Griffin sat and squirmed and just ,ade himself look stupid every time he opened his gob. I don't think the audience were over-impressed at his crack about Straw's father or grandfather being a conscientious objector either, though Straw seemed reasonably infazed by it.

I can't stand Straw or Warsi and Huhne is a complete nonentity (I've never heard of Greer before this) but they and the audience did well last night.

AndyMinion said...

I wasn't happy about it going on, and watched it with some trepidation.

Glad he couldn't get away with his smug act, and just came across as the greasy, lying, unpatriotic, evasive, jittery, mad - eyed, pudgy, half - mental, slimy tit we always knew...

Still can't say I'm pleased it went ahead, but things could've been worse.

Barbara said...

Bloated, shaky, shifty, sweaty, he evaded answering, but BBC ratings are through the roof.
We'll see more of Griffin now, because of the ratings game, but this is the worst kind of celebrity.
It is public humiliation.

Brummie said...

No bloody wonder that he will be putting in a complaint to the BBC on how he was treated, ah yes, he was democratically taken apart by the panel/audience/Dimbleby and exposed, he could not democratically give an explanation as to why he's such a racist dickhead. So he's now biting the hand that is feeding him, the BBC.

Just like a little two year old spoilt brat who screams and wails when he doesn't get his own way!

Anonymous said...

That 'bloated' 'shaky' 'sweaty' look, is he an alcoholic?

Anonymous said...

I expected Griffin to do better & was pleasantly suprised to see him on the back foot.

He presented as craven, dishonest & squalid which is what obviously he is. I don't think last night did the bnp much good but on the other hand it didn't do much harm either.

If the bnp are to go on QT again I'd like to see the likes of Brons, Darby & Barnes asked to attend. The public at large would then get a chance to see the huge moral vacuum at the heart of the bnp.

gtm

Anonymous said...

For a guy who is used to speaking in rooms above pubs to true believers, I think it showed just how out of his depth he was.

According to Bonnie Greer he spent the whole show trembling.

Anonymous said...

The guy from the KKK that Griffin was talking about became a Senator in Arkansas. And I recon that will come out. Pluss, he is on Sky tv asking for a one to one interview with Davis Cameron (who chose the ordiance) and Jack Straw. Sky have been sucking up all day.

Anonymous said...

Has anybody checked to see if David Dimbleby's and Bonnie Greer's photos have been posted on Redwatch?

;-)

irishtony said...

I have to confess on an earlier post I doubted "Dick" Griffin would show up but I hoped he would so I could enjoy watching the odious creature sweat, shake and stumble and show the nation that that he was an intellectual and political lightweight.

This was humiliation of the highest order and fantastic news for all haters of "Dick" Griffin.
Now he is trying to play the victim card!!

Well one of predictions came true He is most certainly in a minority now

Lets hope the name Dick Griffin sticks.

Anonymous said...

Did nobody hear on QT that Gri££in went to Libya asking for cash?

Wake up!

Jon Mac

SoftMachine said...

Did anyone see those things in the Daily Hatemail about Jackie Griffin, who is quoted as saying young Nick was brought up believing the sun rose and set in his own arse, and that even her parents thought he needed a good slap.

You know where the door is, Jackie! Liberate yourself and be the boss in your life!!!!

John P said...

Cassette Boy has reedited Question Time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QAvkFS_cgk

Anonymous said...

"Did anyone see those things in the Daily Hatemail about Jackie Griffin, who is quoted as saying young Nick was brought up believing the sun rose and set in his own arse, and that even her parents thought he needed a good slap"

Here's that article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222045/DOMINIC-CARMAN-A-deeply-disturbing-encounter-BNPs-Nick-Griffin--wife-thinks-hes-oddball.html

He comes across in it as a 'Mummy's Boy' who spends his life poncing off his parents.

He and Mark Collet are obviously kindred spirits in that respect.

UK Fightback said...

The You Tube video about Nick Griffin and the KKK that was referred to in Question Time has had nearly 27,000 hits TODAY... it's 7pm and I'm still counting :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04QolIvfQEw

Anonymous said...

I know that I am in the minority however I really do believe the more exposure this lot gets the more wanting they are seen to be on every possible level - they have no sound political stance and their revolting stance simply as human beings (which is also a questionable term to apply to them)is also so evident. They might gain a few creeps (to use "Dick's" term)on the right but they also expose themselves for what they really are!

Anonymous said...

"I expected Griffin to do better & was pleasantly suprised to see him on the back foot.

He presented as craven, dishonest & squalid which is what obviously he is."

I don't know why but the longer the show went on the more sorry i began to feel for Griffin - yes he was that bad.

Will the BNP be selling a CD of the show at the rwb? lololol

Anonymous said...

Yes he was suprisingly poor but looking at the press either he (or the BNP anyhow!) has benefitted massively as it was seen as 'unfair' or will benefit because they are going on about them all bloody day(s) and focussing on Gri££ins complaint. The BCC messed it up by its mis-management of the programme. They could exposed him as a lightweight without the martydom but I fear the worst.