So, who are the English Defence League exactly?

You have probably read all about the planned EDL protest in Leicester on Saturday, but do you know what the group really stands for? Adam Wakelin reports on their short but stormy history

If the cause was different, you might be tempted to call it a rainbow coalition. Football hooligans, neo-Nazis, gay rights activists, disillusioned BNP supporters who think the nasty party's gone soft and more besides: protest movements have seen some rum old alliances down the years, but nothing quite like the disparate bunch who gather under the English Defence League banner.

You could equally call it an unholy alliance, if it weren't for the fact that the EDL has Christian and Jewish supporters and has been trying to encourage Hindu and Sikh youths to join the group's protest in Leicester this weekend.

What binds them all together? A common enemy. Islamic fundamentalism.

"We are fighting an extreme interpretation of Islam, people who have no qualms about killing themselves and other people in the process," says Guramit Singh, event organiser and EDL spokesman.

"It's a grass roots social movement."

Prime Minister David Cameron has a rather different view. "Dreadful people," was his verdict on the EDL during the election campaign.

Journalist Matthew Taylor, who followed activists earlier this year for an exposé in the Guardian, said the group acts as a "lightning rod for people with a range of grievances who appear to be coalescing around a rampant Islamophobia."

"At each demonstration I attended, I was confronted by casual – often brutal – racism, a widespread hatred of Muslims and often the threat of violence," he wrote.

And on Saturday, they're coming to Leicester.

So what is the real driving force behind this group that will descend on our city in a couple of days, provoking a counter Unite Against Fascism protest, and costing hundreds of thousands of pounds to police? Who are the EDL?

The English Defence League was born in the aftermath of an ugly demonstration by a small extremist Muslim group in March last year against homecoming troops parading through Luton. Its growth since then has been rapid. The EDL now has between 200 and 300 divisions across England, claims Guramit, and is affiliated to similar defence leagues in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Links have also been forged with groups in Europe and the USA. Luton was the "spark that ignited the fire," he says.

People were sick of the creeping Islamification of Britain and the failure of mainstream politicians to protect our "democratic freedoms" from the medieval dogma of militant Muslims and their Sharia law, reckons Guramit, who got involved with the EDL when it marched through his home town of Nottingham last year.

"There are more than 100 Sharia courts practising on a daily basis," he claims.

Sharia law is a "racist, fascist, paedophilic law", he insists; a law which condones child marriage, imprisons women behind burkhas, legitimises female circumcision and wants to take over the world.

Actually, it doesn't. Sharia courts in the UK don't trample over the laws of the land. They're mainly a forum for resolving matrimonial disputes. In truth, they're the Islamic equivalent of Relate.

The idea that the EDL arrived out of nowhere is wrong, reckons Simon Cressy, a journalist for the anti-fascist monitoring organisation Searchlight. Simon, not his real name, has been keeping a watchful eye on the EDL since day one.

The rump of the EDL, he claims, is a shotgun marriage of football hooligans and extreme right-wingers who have been lurking in the shadows for years. Its self-proclaimed leader is a man who is said to have taken the name of a notorious Luton Town FC football hooligan, Tommy Robinson, as his pseudonym.

Searchlight claim the man behind the pseudonym has a BNP past and a conviction for assaulting an off-duty police officer. "The EDL has quite a lot of unsavoury characters, not the sort of people you want to congregate around," says Simon.

Football hooligan firms are the foundation of the EDL, claims Simon. They use Facebook and established hooligan networks to organise.

The EDL, which has no formal membership structure, has also been a magnet for neo-Nazis and older National Front thugs who've found themselves marginalised by the BNP's desire to present themselves as more respectable.

But it would be wrong to dismiss them as a simple replay of the far-right street movements of the past.

"Black and white unite in Leicester," says the EDL poster for this weekend's protest. The group has launched a Jewish section, with its own Facebook page. There is also a "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender division," says Simon, but their presence has noticeably thinned at recent marches.

"The EDL has made a number of representations to Hindu and Sikh youths in Leicester to come out and march," he says.

Taking a stand against Islamic extremism might be the rallying cry, but Simon claims it's just a front. "The majority of the EDL will be in Leicester for one reason," he says. "They will be there to get drunk and have a fight. They are not serious people with a political agenda."

Surprisingly, Guramit makes no attempt to play down the football hooligan element of the EDL. If anything, he's rather proud of them.

"Most of the main football firms in the country are involved," he says. "It's the only time football hooligans have come together. One Saturday they are kicking the s*** out of one another, the next weekend they are buying one another a drink.

"At the end of the day, we need our army," says Guramit. "We don't need counsellors and school teachers against militant Muslim youth, we need our army, so I don't have a problem with them. It's nothing to me if they want to have a fight on a weekend basis. Some of them are friends and brothers to me."

Guramit has visited Leicester "four or five times".

He says he's seen three to five-year-olds in burkhas and talks of no-go areas that have been "ethnically cleansed" by Muslims. Which is a bit odd because anyone who lives here and strolled through those "no-go areas" won't have seen that.

"In some areas of Leicester there are more burkhas than baseball hats and that shouldn't be allowed," he says. "I'm not really a PC sort of person" says Guramit. "I may say things that other people might find offensive."

Proof of that can be found on a video of him posted You Tube.

Guramit, brandishing a megaphone at an EDL rally, can be heard bellowing: "God bless the Muslims. They'll need it for when they're burning in ****ing hell".

And he's their official spokesman, someone who addressed that braying crowd as "one of the 12 leaders of the English Defence League".

It was a slip of the tongue, says Guramit. He missed a word out. He meant to say "Muslim extremists... burning in ****king hell".

It's interesting that Guramit sees extremists everywhere. Could it be that it takes one to know one? "I say an eye for an eye," he says. "If people want to behead me and take my mum and my grandma as war booty then I'm going to fight them."

Take your mum and grandma as war booty? What? In Nottingham?

It could happen, believes Guramit. If people don't take a stand, he claims, Britain will become an Islamic state.

"As a British-born Sikh I've learned about the 10 Gurus that sacrificed themselves to save India from militant Islam. Everything they fought for is being washed away by the third Jihad. I'm against any fascist ideology that wants to take over my life and my family's life."

The EDL's core support "appears to be young white men who are often fuelled by drink and sometimes drugs", according to Matthew Taylor's report in the Guardian.

Simon, from Searchlight, says most are working-class, male and aged 16 to 40. Strongholds are Yorkshire, Lancashire, Birmingham and London. That's where the vast majority will be coming from on Saturday.

Professor Colin Copus, director of De Montfort University's local governance research unit, has interviewed 25 EDL supporters for a research project. Only half could be described bellicose nationalists on the fringes of the far-right, he says. Others were ordinary people who had voted for all of the major parties in the past.

For many the EDL was an outlet for their dissatisfaction with the "privileges" given to minorities by governments and public sector organisations. There was also a strong sense that such groups were almost above criticism.

They might not be the angry brigade who go on marches, says Prof Copus, but it showed how the league had tapped into growing resentment felt by a relatively broad base of followers.

"In some respects it's a sign of how fractured and frightened some elements of society are," he says. "They will associate themselves with groups they wouldn't normally associate with because they are worried about what they see as a greater problem."

The EDL's Leicester division usually brings 30 to 40 supporters to a demonstration, claims Guramit. He expects up to 200 local activists in a crowd of about 3,000 when it mobilises in the city.

Simon believes the EDL will be "lucky" to get 1,000 out on to Leicester's streets.

The EDL is already struggling to carry the weight of its contradictions and conflicting agendas, some observers claim, with friction between the hooligans and the right-wing elements.

At a recent rally in Bradford, dubbed 'the big one', only 700 turned up. Marches and demos might have seen the EDL commandeer acres of newsprint, but the tactic already seems to be running out of steam.

The idea of spending two hours on a bus and being corralled into a corner of a city centre for another two hours, before getting back on the bus is rapidly losing its appeal for a lot of EDL activists, says Simon.

That doesn't mean Leicester can afford to be complacent.

"The number of arrests (on an EDL rally) doesn't really tally with the amount of disorder," he claims. "I was in Bradford and I saw what the EDL was like and what the locals were like. The police momentarily lost control. They just wanted to get the EDL in and out with the least amount of fuss possible.

"The BNP has had to adapt and portray a more moderate image. The EDL don't have to answer to anybody. They can get away with doing what they want – they don't want respectability."

In total, Matthew spent four months filming the EDL for his Guardian report, The English Defence League Uncovered. He said it had only been possible to record some of "the most alarming scenes" with a hidden camera.

He joined EDL supporters at a pub in Stoke in January for their first demonstration of the year.

"They had spent the past four hours drinking," he wrote. "The balcony around the top of the cavernous pub was draped in flags bearing the names of different football clubs – Wolves, Newcastle , Aston Villa – and the chants 'we all hate Muslims' and 'Muslim bombers off our streets' filled the air.

"The atmosphere was tense, and not just because of the growing anti-Islamic rhetoric. The pub was packed with rival football gangs from across the Midlands and the north of England. Twice, fighting broke out as old rivalries failed to be subdued by the new enemy – Islam."

It will get ugly if the EDL an United Against Fascism are within shouting distance of one another, believes Simon.

"I feel sorry for the people of Leicester that they've got to put up with this in their multi-cultural city," he says. "I'd appeal for locals to stay indoors. Don't attend the counter-demonstration. Don't get involved."

If you doubt the wisdom of that then Guramit makes it crystal clear.

"We're here for peace," he says. "But we're ready for war."

See Matthew Taylor's film for the Guardian here.

Leicester Mercury

Six held after allegedly burning Qur'ans

• Internet footage shows Islamic holy book on fire
• Warning 'provocation' will increase risk for UK troops


A security expert warned yesterday that the alleged burning of two Qur'ans in northern England risked making Britain more of a terrorist target and endangering British troops.

Police have arrested six men over the apparent burning of the Muslim holy book behind a pub in Gateshead on the anniversary of the 11 September attacks on the United States.

Police refused to say whether those arrested were connected to the far right English Defence League (EDL). A witness said the pub had been the subject of police attention because some customers were alleged to have links to the EDL.

A threat by an American pastor to burn the Qur'an in the United States on 11 September led to warnings from US military chiefs that such an act would endanger troops fighting in Afghanistan, and to an intervention by president Barack Obama. Eventually the pastor called off his planned burning.

Video of the Gateshead incident, posted on YouTube, shows two men with headscarves covering their faces, wearing tracksuits and trainers, and dousing what appears to be the Qur'an with petrol before setting light to it as several others look on. They utter verbal abuse and others are heard to shout, "This is for the boys in Afghanistan; September 11 international burn a Qur'an day", before another book is thrown onto the small fire. At one stage the burning book is kicked.

Police say that a tip-off from a member of the public alerted them to footage of the video, which was posted on the internet.

Rachel Briggs, a senior research fellow with the Royal United Services Institute, said the posting of videos showing the Islamic holy book being burnt in Britain risked further endangering UK troops. "The people who would put our boys in danger are looking very carefully [at] what happens in the UK," she said. "This sort of provocation will have an effect. It plays into their narrative of Jihadist grievance. Whether it's in the UK or US, it's significant because it is happening in the west."

The burning took place in the car park of The Bugle pub on Leam Lane in Gateshead. A barman, who refused to give his name, said it had been targeted by police in the past because some customers had links to the EDL, and that officers' inquiries led them to the pub last Wednesday. The barman said: "The police came to the pub and searched it. We were closed for hours. They took my mobile phones, some empty boxes the phones had been in, some CDs and DVDs, and all the tea towels. They arrested me and another man and took us to the station. They were asking questions about who had been burning the book."

The EDL claims to be a peaceful organisation opposed only to Islamic extremism. However, many of its protests have involved incidents of racism, violence and Islamophobia by some of its supporters.

On its website the EDL says it "does not condone the burning of any religious books … "

The six men were arrested on suspicion of stirring racial hatred, police said, which is outlawed under the 1986 public order act. They were not arrested for the actual attack on, and burning of, the Qur'an, but in connection with the posting of the video.

Section 21 of the 1986 act reads: "A person who distributes, or shows or plays, a recording of visual images or sounds which are threatening, abusive or insulting is guilty of an offence if he intends thereby to stir up racial hatred, or … racial hatred is likely to be stirred up."

The Guardian

Say No to BNP in Stroud meeting organised

Community groups, trade union activists and political representatives are to stage a meeting called Say No To The BNP in Stroud following news that the party is moving its national media department to the Five Valleys.

The meeting will be held at The Space in Lansdown and organisers say they want to send out a message that the party is not welcome here.

Speakers will include former MP David Drew and district councillor John Marjoram (Green, Trinity), who has gathered more than 100 signatures on a letter protesting against the decision to open the publicity department at Unit 13 on the Salmon Springs Trading Estate between Stroud and Painswick.

Chris Moore, a member of the Stroud branch of the Socialist Party, who recently co-ordinated the town's Save Our Post Offices campaign, is organising the meeting.

"I was shocked and disgusted to hear the BNP was proposing to set up a national propaganda centre in Stroud," he said. "Maybe the party thinks it can get away with it, thinking Stroud is just a little town. But we have a long history of organising demonstrations and protesting."

British National Party leader Nick Griffin recently sent an email to supporters, which is available on the party's website, announcing details about the new centre for media and communications, which will also run party's website.

In a statement sent to the SNJ, a spokesman for the BNP said the party had been using space on the industrial estate as an office for the last two years.

"We have had departments or staff working out of our Stroud office for several years now with no fuss, hassle or grief at any time," he said. "We are utilising an existing office unit, refurbishing it and relaunching it as a campaigns and communications hub.

"Stroud is a beautiful location and we are happy with the surrounding area and amenities."

The Say No To The BNP in Stroud meeting is on Wednesday, September 29 at 7.30pm. All are welcome.

Stroud News and Journal

Geert Wilders to spread his anti-Muslim movement west

An anti-Muslim populist in the Netherlands is forming an international alliance to spread his message across the west in an attempt to ban immigration from Islamic countries, among other goals.

Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom party, told the Associated Press that he would launch the movement late this year, initially in five countries: the US, Canada, Britain, France and Germany.

"The message, 'stop Islam, defend freedom', is a message that's not only important for the Netherlands but for the whole free Western world," Wilders said at the Dutch parliament.

Among the group's aims will be outlawing immigration from Islamic countries to the west and a ban on Islamic sharia law. Starting as a grassroots movement, he hopes it eventually will produce its own lawmakers or influence other legislators.

Ayhan Tonca, a prominent spokesman for Dutch Muslims, said he feared Wilders message would fall on fertile ground in much of Europe, where anti-Islam sentiment has been swelling for years.

"So long as things are going badly with the economy, a lot of people always need a scapegoat," Tonca said. "At the moment, that is the Muslims in western Europe." Tonca called on "well-meaning people in Europe to oppose this."

Known for his bleached-blond mop of hair, Wilders is a shrewd politician who has won awards in the Netherlands for his debating skills and regularly stands up for gay and women's rights.

But he rose to local and then international prominence with his firebrand anti-Islam rhetoric that has led to him being charged under Dutch anti-hate speech laws and banned from visiting Britain until a court there ordered that he be allowed into the country.

Wilders said he hopes to position the alliance between traditional conservative parties and far-right wing groups, saying that in Britain there is "an enormous gap" between the ruling Conservative party and the far-right BNP: "The BNP is a party that, whatever you think of it, it's not my party I think it's a racist party," he said.

Wilders, who calls Islam a "fascist" religion, has won increasing support the Netherlands in recent years even while he has been subjected to round-the-clock protection because of death threats.

His Freedom party won the biggest gains in a national election last month, coming third with 24 seats in the 150-seat parliament, up from the nine before the election.

However, mainstream parties will not form a coalition with Wilders, leaving him on the margins of Dutch politics for the next parliamentary term.

Wilders is due to stand trial in October on hate speech charges stemming from his short internet film Fitna, which denounced the Qur'an as a a fascist book that inspires terrorism. The film aroused anti-Dutch protests around the Muslim world, and he was banned for several months from entering Britain.

But he is unrepentant and said he now wants to take his message outside the Netherlands. "The fight for freedom and (against) Islamisation as I see it is a worldwide phenomenon and problem to be solved," he said.

Wilders declined to name any of the other founders of the organisation he is calling the Geert Wilders International Freedom Alliance. He has been criticised for running his party as a one-man show.

Guardian

Well go on then, eat your hat

A vicious little BNP racist runt, hiding behind the nom-de-plume "Rugfish", "writes" regularly for the cowardly Paul Morris's "Green Arrow" blog - you know, the one where all these "patriotic heroes" keep their identities well hidden while they indulge their fantasies on the only place they dare - the Internet.

Rugfish is an averagely characteristic member of the Paul Morris gang, which in itself is averagely characteristic of the BNP generally, being obsessed with such heady concepts as "Islamo-fascism", the "Islamic Jackbooted Labour Government", "Marxist Conservatives", and on and on into the BNP night.

We're all used to his spittle-flecked rants, his racism and his hatred, but his dyslexia is something new.

Now it's been no great secret that the Muslim community around King's Lynn, Norfolk (around 70 strong) have been looking for premises in which to set up an Islamic centre - essentially a sort of community centre for Muslims. To that end they have been raising money among themselves, had spotted a building that would fulfil their needs, and made a planning application to the local council.

Naturally, this upset the local racists in the BNP, including the decidedly non-Norfolk Dave Fleming (who hails from Northern Ireland), and, naturally, they objected. Not, you understand, on the grounds that the Islamic Centre would be used by "the darkies" - no, Fleming and company were worried about "parking problems" and "air quality".

The strange thing is that when Fleming's candidature for North West Norfolk was announced on the BNP website, on February 12th, the BNP was claiming that Fleming and his friends had "successfully submitted an objection to a planning application for an Islamic centre in King’s Lynn".

It's strange, because the application wasn't even considered until Monday - March 1st.

Fleming and friends soon left their deep-seated worries about "parking problems" behind as they got to the heart of what it is they really object to. The BNP website reports Fleming thus:

“..any Islamic project threatens social cohesion because Islam sequesters and segregates finances, social interaction, and the general conduct of both working and domestic life, to avoid contamination by non-Muslim practices.

“Islam governs all aspects of a citizen’s life, and permits little, if any, departure from its rules.

“Islam does not permit half measures in its daily practice and observance; however, half measures are permitted by Islam if they are necessary to work towards a life in full accordance with Islamic law..."

How this bigot was allowed to address the planning committee in these terms without being ejected is anybody's guess.

The BNP website reports that Fleming's objection was carried by the planning committee by 9 to 7 - “Yes to Fenland; no to Fenistan”, said Fleming, perhaps, not being a local himself, unaware that King's Lynn is part of Marshland, not Fenland.

If the application fell due to the BNP's racist objections then somebody has some explaining to do - but there may have been other, legitimate grounds on which the application failed. The BNP, who cannot seem to move their lips without uttering a lie, may simply be claiming credit for a victory that isn't theirs. Either way, the racist, bigoted nature of their objection puts the decision to refuse the application in some doubt, since we know that it is going to be appealed, and Fleming's disgusting performance will be cited as part of the appeal.

What has this to do with the idiotic cretin "Rugfish" and dyslexia?

Well Rugfish, having read the BNP report of Fleming's "victory" and doubtless having got his hands very wet and sticky, seems to have convinced himself that King's Lynn and west Norfolk is awash with BNP councillors. Mistaking "a delegation of BNP parliamentary candidates" for "councillors", he excitedly penned a typical "Green Arrow" fantasy entitled "I'm ready to eat my hat", exulting:

So the first rejection, as reported on the BNP Website, was carried marginally by BNP Councilors on a vote of 9-7 against but they were nearly outdone by the Nothing British Non-Patriotic Conservative Party Councillors (what do they conserve?), however with much argument, British National Party Councillors won, and the people of King's Lynn can rest a few more weeks until the Islamic Labour Party gets its Jack Boots on and kicks them into touch.

No, you cretinous little twit. The BNP has no councillors anywhere in Norfolk, and as long as we draw breath never will.

Simon Darby, BNP leader, interviewed by pupils in their classroom

A senior official in the British National Party was invited to address a classroom on whether the hijab should be banned, The Times has learnt.

Simon Darby, the BNP’s deputy leader, was phoned by 14-year-old students in Rochdale, Lancashire. The pupils, supervised by a teacher, asked him questions over the phone about the French ban on the hijab. The BNP’s policy is to ban Islamic dress in schools.

Andy Rymer, the head of Matthew Moss High School, told The Times that the students were doing a project on news reporting and had suggested contacting the BNP. He said: “We ask kids to be critically curious. This was something they were interested in and wanted to check out. They did so in a supported way with an intelligent teacher.

“(The school) is not encouraging people to contact or spread the philosophy of the BNP. Equally we have a significant number of kids in here for whom those issues are very real.”

However, the move raised concern from some parents and Paul Rowe, the area’s Liberal Democrat MP who separately participated in the discussion.

Mr Rowe said that there were plenty of other political parties that could have been consulted and that it was “inappropriate” for students to discuss issues with the BNP. He said: “I’m concerned that anybody is giving succour to the BNP.”

Some Asian parents at the school, in the Castleton area of the town, spoke of their concern at allowing the BNP a voice in the classroom.

Jamil Khan, whose daughter wears a headscarf to school, said: “I do not feel comfortable with the presence of the BNP in the classroom. They are extremists, full stop. They can only paint the picture one way.”

However, many parents said that they were happy to leave the matter to the discretion of the teacher and the school. Its governors said that as long as the issue was handled carefully, there was no reason to exclude the BNP as the party was active in the area and students would come across it eventually.

Ted Flynn, a governor and local councillor, said: “I’ve no sympathy with the BNP at all. But the pupils are intelligent enough not to be wavered by Nick Griffin and his compatriot’s opinions.”

Mr Raymer said that a group of Asian students were undertaking a project on news reporting and had decided to investigate the British reaction to the French Government’s decision to ban the hijab from schools.

He said they were not satisfied by Mr Darby’s response on the issue as he referred to British school uniforms.

Mr Raymer said: “At the end they were angry their question hadn’t been answered properly. The discussion turned to how journalists operate to get answers.”

On his blog, Mr Darby said: “It was reassuring to think that even in 2010 politically correct Britain there are still teachers who insist on the old adage that if you don’t have access to all the information, you will never come up with the right answer.”

It comes as a government review is due on whether BNP members should be prevented from becoming teachers. Police and prison officers are already barred from joining the party.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: “We trust head teachers as professionals to ensure appropriate visitors are invited into their school and that pupil welfare and safety issues are considered.”

The spokesman said the promotion of partisan political views was forbidden, adding that there were safeguards in law to guard against biased or unbalanced teaching.

The Times

How the media helps the BNP

Newspapers may profess to hate the far right, but their narratives about race continue to shore up support for the party

There was a brilliant column by Johann Hari a few years ago about his experience of appearing on a Sky News programme hosted by newspaper columnist Richard Littlejohn. Having admitted he didn't know how much an asylum seeker got in benefits, Littlejohn screeched at Hari: "It's people like you who help the BNP!"

Now, you could be forgiven for thinking that the election of two MEPs would bring the BNP under closer scrutiny since last year. Surely the media glare would expose its nasty underbelly? The party's deputy leader, Simon Darby, doesn't seem to think so:

"Dealing with the press on a daily basis it is hard not to develop a healthy disrespect for the people who quite rightly can be blamed for the state this country is in today. However, certainly over the last year I am not the only one here at BNP Towers that has noticed a distinct thaw in the attitude towards us from some aspects of the media."

The problem here is that while newspaper columnists and reporters keep stating they hate the BNP and all it stands for, they nevertheless keep promoting narratives that harden BNP support. Here is a short list I prepared earlier.

Blaming racism on immigrants

A common media theory is more immigration leads to a breakdown of social cohesion and hence more racism. If we want to stop racism then we must stop immigration, apparently. This assumes that people naturally hate those of other races or cultures – which isn't true. We don't have moral panics about Americans, Europeans or Chinese people coming here because there's no threat assumed from them. People don't naturally hate the other but are afraid if they think the immigrants represent a threat to their way of life.

There are different kinds of threats, of course, which may not even be to do with difference. Sometimes completely different cultures are tolerated as long as people "do their own thing". My point is that examples countering this myth are numerous. Social cohesion doesn't need to automatically break down but it sometimes does need to be managed if flashpoints take place (which could happen even in a racially homogenous country – for instance mods and rockers). However, I prefer a stronger sense of Britishness.

Blaming racism on minorities

You know the answer to this one – are Jews to blame for antisemitism? I think not. This trick is usually directed towards long-settled ethnic minorities and used to hold them responsible for problems as a whole. But rather than blame them directly, these days the vague punch-bag of "multiculturalism" is used instead. There is the strong insinuation for example that all black Londoners are to blame for knife crime (which has fallen hugely incidentally), or "their culture" is to blame. That inevitably leads some to call them "savages". And because minorities are then labelled as backward or uncivilised, it becomes easy to blame them for hating them. After all, the mythical "race relations industry" is also commonly blamed for all the evils of the world, as is the funding of cultural festivals (I've dealt with this one in more detail here).

Overplaying BNP gains, underplaying Greens

Come election time, every media outlet is anxious to see how much the BNP vote will expand by. But despite the Nick Griffin on Question Time drama and two new MEPs, the BNP's electoral support remains woefully small at around 2%. In contrast, more successful parties such as the Greens are ignored by the media, because they're not seen as "dangerous". This always overplays the BNP presence in people's minds and gives the impression it has become a widely successful party.

Playing down impact of BNP victories

Racial and religiously motivated crime usually rises following election of BNP councillors, research has shown. And yet this fact is rarely highlighted.

But people who vote BNP aren't racist are they?

If you want to vote BNP and think people of different cultures and races are scary, why not just say so? Every modern interview with a BNP voter is prefaced with: "I vote BNP, not because I'm racist but ... ", which inevitably leads to a diatribe on why immigrants are leading the country into hell in a handcart. It has been repeatedly pointed out, even in most tabloids and broadsheets, that the BNP is a racist party. It is tearing itself over the issue right now. Surely it should be obvious to most what it stands for by now?

Debate on immigration is being suppressed

Probably the oldest trick in the book. The rightwing press talks about immigration every day. And yet commentators on the right maintain with a straight face that the debate on immigration is being suppressed. What they actually mean is: those immigrants who don't agree with us are all bad.

Let's be clear: Britain is now a multiracial and multicultural country. This means more mixing, which in turn means that racism can never become as socially acceptable as it was in the 70s and 80s. But people's attitudes are way ahead of many journalists – who are still happy to push their bigoted agenda. That is what keeps the BNP's agenda alive, and it needs to be exposed.

Sunny Hundal on Comment Is Free

Nuneaton BNP councillor stands by controversial blog post

A BNP councillor will face a standards investigation after he described an Asian garage attendant as “f***ing filth” on an internet blog .

Nuneaton Coun Martyn Findley (Barpool) launched the attack because the Asian man was staring at his son who was wearing his army cadet uniform.

He posted: “How dare this piece of filth look at my son like that while he proudly wares (sic) his uniform? If he has a problem with British Army uniform there are plenty of places on gods (sic) earth that he will not see it. He should move to one of them.”

The comments have led to Nuneaton and Bedworth’s longest serving councillor, Dennis Harvey (Lab, Camp Hill) to call for Coun Findley to resign.

Coventry Telegraph

Findley's post:

FUCKING FILTH!

At this moment in time I cannot express the rage that I am feeling.

It is our pleasure twice a week when possible to pick our oldest son and his friend up from Army Cadets. An organisation that he enjoys being a part of and we are justifiably proud of him in his uniform.

It is not allowed that the lads should walk to cadets with their uniforms on open display lest they should offend the local Asians so they are told to wear civilian jackets over the top which they do even though they cover both journeys in a car.

The lads are not lazy and would happily walk but with the group of Asian males that very often found hanging around nearby it is felt wisest to transport them. One particular week comes to mind last summer when the cadets had to vacate the park and take refuge in the hut because they were being pelted with stones and could not continue with their marching practice.

After picking the lads up tonight we dropped Andrew’s friend off at home and I needed petrol so we went to the nearest garage. I filled up and went in to pay.

As soon as I rounded the door I saw an Asian man staring through the window directly at my son in his cadets uniform in the back of my car. There was no pretence and no chance that he was looking elsewhere. This was a look of pure hostility!

I was unashamedly shaking with rage as was my voice as I said, “Problem!” He said nothing and walked across the shop. How dare this piece of filth look at my son like that while he proudly wares his uniform? If he has a problem with British Army uniform there are plenty of places on gods earth that he will not see it. He should move to one of them.

I believe that there are legal reasons why I should not identify the garage or the individual and so I shall not. Needless to say I went to a different shop for the other bits and bobs that I needed and shall henceforth never be seen again at that particular garage.

BNP invite to debate sparks concerns

Police could be called in to maintain order at a student debate after anti-fascists vowed to stop two BNP politicians joining it.

Unite Against Fascism (UAF) said Durham Union Society’s decision to invite the BNP to a multiculturalism debate was disgraceful. The group wants the meeting cancelled or the invitations withdrawn, and is planning demonstrations outside the Debating Chamber, on the Palace Green, Durham City.

Simon Assas, from UAF, said: “It defies belief. It is a huge error of judgement and they should think about their university’s reputation. It is outrageous.”

Inspector Paul Anderson said Durham Police would speak to event organisers before deciding whether officers were needed outside the debate or whether they would advise it be abandoned.

The Durham Union Society, one of the world’s oldest student debating societies, will discuss the motion: “This house believes in a multicultural Britain”. For the proposal will be Kulveer Ranger, an advisor to Boris Johnson, and Conservative MP Edward Leigh.

Arguing against will be Andrew Brons, the British National Party MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, and Chris Beverley, a BNP councillor in Leeds.

Mr Brons said: “If the UAF want to defeat us, why don’t they defeat us with reasoned argument? I look forward to the debate.”

Anna Birley, the president of Durham Union Society, said: “While personally I disagree with the views of the BNP, I respect everyone’s right to freedom of speech. As president, I am responsible for promoting open debate, which means inviting people with opposing points of view – the best way to expose them to public scrutiny.”

Professor Chris Higgins, the vice-chancellor of Durham University, said: “I, personally, abhor the views of the BNP which I consider inappropriate, shallow and offensive.

“However, because the university is a strong advocate of freedom of speech, we did not oppose the right of the Durham Union Society to invite BNP members as long as they spoke as part of an open debate in which their views could be challenged.”

The debate, open to society members only, will be held from 8.30pm on Friday, February 12.

Northern Echo

See also BNP allowed to campaign at Newcastle University - a student's personal view

...And for light relief: One in three Brits believe that Peter Griffin is the BNP Leader:

One in three people matched Nick Griffin’s image with Family Guy protagonist Peter Griffin’s name, naming the cartoon character as the leader of the British National Party.

Church of England tells clergy not to invite BNP candidates to hustings

British National Party candidates should not be invited to election hustings in church halls, the Church of England has told clergy.

Vicars have also been warned to avoid talking to members of the far-right party or being caught photographed with them, in case the images are used in their campaign leaflets. The Church fears the BNP, which won two seats in the European Parliament last year, is trying to shrug off its extremist image by portraying itself as a “guardian of British Christian heritage”.

In response, the Archbishops’ Council has issued detailed guidance on how clergy should deal with “far right political parties, extremist groups and racist politics”. It comes after the Church’s governing body, the General Synod, voted a year ago to ban clergy and lay workers from joining organisations that “contradict the duty to promote race equality”.

The Rev Dr Malcolm Brown, Director of Mission and Public Affairs, said: “The note is advisory and seeks to enable church leaders to discern an appropriate course of action within areas where community relations are often fragile or fragmented. Our faith calls us to develop and sustain the hope and vision that things can be different.”

The guidance, first published in 2007 but now expanded ahead of the general election and council polls in May, tells clergy that they do not have to invite BNP candidates for election hustings held in church halls as long as the other parties’ representatives declare the fact.

It states: “Churches are under no legal obligation to include the BNP in election hustings meetings, or give space to such parties for public meetings, if they consider this ‘association’ could have detrimental affect on their reputation and activities (as charities).

“If candidates participate in an event that does not include all candidates in a constituency they need to declare this on their election returns."

The document says that if BNP candidates are elected to a local authority, priests in the area should not contact them personally and refuse any requests to hire church halls.

It says: “Church leaders need to take care when attending functions at which councillors from far-right parties may be present (not least such events as Remembrance Day services). For example: photographs of conversations can be used to imply church support for such councillors and their policies.

“It is not advisable to meet groups promoting racist policies as this gives them credibility and publicity. It is advisable not to give them a platform in churches or church buildings, as this can be used to suggest support for their policies (even by implication).”

However it adds that public sector staff have no choice who they work with and “need your prayers”.

The guidance advises clergy on how to deal with a new wave of protests by the English Defence League, which organises marches against radical Islam but which is accused of hostility to all Muslims. Its events, often attended by football hooligans, have descended into race riots.

It says: “Direct confrontation is inadvisable. Church leaders need to coordinate with police and other community leaders (particularly those being targeted) when a local demonstration is advertised. A prayer vigil followed by the advice to avoid the location of the demonstration has enabled the damage of potentially incendiary situations to be limited.”

Telegraph

Scuffles break out among BNP opponents in Ross-on-Wye

Scuffles broke out this evening outside The Chase Hotel in Ross-on-Wye as some protesters tried to stop BNP (British National Party) supporters arriving at a fund-raising event.

Police put one protester in the back of a police van after a man appeared to lash out at a car which arrived for the BNP dinner.

An egg was thrown at another vehicle which arrived at the hotel.

Demonstrators had started to arrive at The Chase Hotel shortly before 5pm and, within minutes, more people came to voice their disapproval at the BNP’s presence.

Many people told Hereford Times reporter Paul Rogers that BNP leader Nick Griffin was at the event.

Jesse Norman and Philippa Roberts, the respective Conservative and Labour parliamentary candidates for Herefordshire and South Herefordshire, were among the 100-strong crowd gathered outside the hotel.

Hereford Times

BNP hit by second leak of 'members database'

The BNP is bracing itself for potentially fresh embarrassment tomorrow when details of the party's UK-wide rank and file membership are expected to be posted on the internet.

The list, which purports to be a snapshot of the party's support in April this year, includes the names, addresses, postcodes and telephone numbers of people who have signed up to the far-right group, including the grade of membership assigned by the party – Standard, Family, Family Plus, Gold, OAP, and Unwaged.

This list was leaked to a website, which insisted today that it was genuine, and that it intended to publish the information tomorrow.

Today the BNP seemed unaware of the potential disclosure and said it appeared to have been timed to undermine the party ahead of its leader Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time on Thursday. Today the political row about the BBC's decision to invite him on to the programme intensified, with the corporation refusing to bow to pressure from a cabinet minister to cancel Griffin's appearance.

The apparent disclosure of a membership list will add to the controversy surrounding the party. The Guardian has seen the list but could not verify its authenticity. It appears to show that:

• The BNP had 11,560 members as of April this year, including one peer;
• The party appears to have benefited from a surge in female recruits – one in eight of the party's members are now women;
• The highest concentrations of membership lie in Leicestershire, Lancashire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

If the document is authentic, it will be the third time the party's internal membership data has been made public in recent years.

In November 2008, a list of members' names, addresses, contact details and sometimes jobs and hobbies was leaked by disgruntled members, who were said to have become frustrated that the party had become too soft under Griffin. That list was widely circulated on the internet and last month 37-year-old former BNP member Matthew Single, appearing before Nottingham magistrates, admitted leaking the data and was fined £200 for breaching the Data Protection Act.

In December 2006, an undercover investigation by the Guardian revealed that the organisation's members included Simone Clarke, then a ballerina for the English National Ballet.

A spokesman for the website which is proposing to publish the list said today it wanted to reveal the membership data in order to provoke a debate in the UK about why people want to become members of the BNP.

A BNP spokesman said it considered any publication of its internal membership data to be a criminal offence under the Data Protection Act.

"This is an example of the perpetual hatred and vilification we face," said BNP deputy chairman Simon Darby. "The public will look at this and think it is another example of persecution of the BNP and wonder what on earth the establishment is frightened of."

Griffin will become the party's first representative to appear on Question Time on Thursday evening, when he will face fellow panellists including justice secretary Jack Straw. The BBC's invitation to Griffin has caused outrage and today the Welsh secretary, Peter Hain, called on the broadcaster to withdraw the invitation because the BNP is currently "an unlawful body" after the party told a court last week it would have to amend its whites-only membership rules to meet discrimination legislation.

The BNP claimed the publication of the list was timed to sabotage the impact of its Question Time appearance. Darby said BNP officials are currently examining ways to capitalise on the platform.

The last time BNP data was published, it emerged that teachers, policemen and former members of the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats had signed up. Several dozen of them admitted to being members and were named in the press. The latest list suggests that at least 19 of those members have now left the party.

The Guardian

Generals join forces to resist 'hijacking' by BNP

The Armed Forces are in danger of being hijacked by far-right extremists “for their own dubious ends”, a group of former generals warn today.

The British National Party is tarnishing the Forces’ reputation by associating itself with the sacrifices of servicemen, they write. They highlight fears within military circles that the party is exploiting their public standing.

The letter, seen by The Times, is signed by General Sir Mike Jackson and General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former heads of the Army, Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, former Chief of the Defence Staff, and Major-General Patrick Cordingley, commander of the Desert Rats in the Gulf War.

“We call on all those who seek to hijack the good name of Britain’s military for their own advantage to cease and desist,” they write. “The values of these extremists — many of whom are essentially racist — are fundamentally at odds with the values of the modern British military, such as tolerance and fairness.”

They point out that 10 per cent of servicemen and women are from the Commonwealth. “The reputation of our Armed Forces was won over centuries of service in some of the most difficult areas of the world,” they say. “Political extremists should claim no right to share in this proud heritage.”

The letter is part of a campaign launched today that attempts to highlight the BNP’s strategy of cloaking itself in the military.

It comes amid anger at the BBC’s invitation to the BNP leader Nick Griffin to appear on Question Time this week. The Times revealed this month that the party had been targeting veterans’ charities to widen its appeal.

General Jackson told The Times: “The BNP is claiming that it has a better relationship with the Armed Forces than other political parties. How dare they use the image of the Army, in particular, to promote their policies. These people are beyond the pale.”

The BNP has repeatedly used insignia, images of Winston Churchill and pictures of soldiers. It named its campaign for the European elections, in which it won two seats and nearly a million votes, the “Battle for Britain”. Its campaign logo was the Spitfire and it regularly evokes the “spirit of the Blitz” on its website.

Mr Griffin repeatedly wears a poppy badge despite objections by the Royal British Legion, which has accused him of exploiting an emotive issue.

The generals’ letter forms part of a campaign, titled Stolen Valour, by leading military figures and Nothing British, an organisation that monitors the BNP. It calls on the Charity Commission to clamp down on BNP organisations masquerading as veterans charities and calls for legal action to be taken against unauthorised use of photographs. The campaign includes YouTube videos recorded by Andy McNab, the former SAS soldier, and Simon Weston, the Falklands veteran.

Times Online

Swanley: Residents say BNP councillor has 'done nothing' for the area

A BNP councillor has done nothing for his ward since being elected, residents and councillors say.

Paul Golding was voted in as councillor for the Swanley St Mary’s ward of Sevenoaks District Council in February after being the first ever British National Party member to stand in the area. At the time the 27-year-old said his success was down to a “professional and pro-active campaign knocking on every door in Swanley” and the promise of “change for the area”.

He said: “Native British people are sick of being treated like second-class citizens in their own country. They are bottom of the list for council houses after asylum seekers and foreigners. I will do my best to sort out the problems.”

However, a council spokesman said Cllr Golding has not joined any council committees, which make decisions on key issues in Swanley. And residents of the St Mary’s ward say he has not been in touch with them since the election or championed their concerns to the council.

John Dudley, of St Mary’s Road, said: “The only time I saw him was when he was canvassing - they really put the pressure on and were here every day. But since then we have not heard anything from him.” The 73-year-old added: “He should be doing more to represent the ward and find out what the people want.”

Cherry Avenue resident Ronald Gasson, 76, agreed, saying: “In my opinion he only showed interest in us to get votes and doesn’t care about us now he’s been elected.”

Labour councillor for the Swanley St Mary’s ward John Underwood says he has seen no evidence of Cllr Golding being active in the area. He said: “He is not on any committees, doesn’t say anything at full council meetings and constituents have told me he is hard to reach, so I don’t see how he can be making a difference.”

Conservative councillor for the Swanley Christchurch and Swanley Village ward Robert Brookbank said he has only seen Cllr Golding at full council meetings. He said: “I’m not sure he has done anything.”

Cherry Avenue resident Joan White says she fears people outside of Swanley St Mary’s associate its residents with the BNP and the allegations of racism against the party. The 82-year-old said: “I worry they associate us with the BNP and therefore being racist.”

Cllr Golding was unavailable to respond to the residents’ or councillors’ allegations.

In July News Shopper revealed a Gravesend woman convicted of intimidating an Asian mother was a member of the BNP, after Cllr Golding made a video stating she was not. Helen Forster, aged 32, of Park Place, denied being a member in the video posted on YouTube and the BNP website, but she was registered under a different surname - Colclough.

Cllr Golding says he was unaware Forster was a member of the party under a different name at the time of making the video.

This Is Local London

BNP rally hotel licence revoked

A Blackpool hotel which plays host to the annual BNP conference has had its entertainment and alcohol licence revoked.

The New Kimberley on South Promenade was brought before Blackpool Council's licensing panel for posing a risk to public safety, and failing to comply with health and safety notices.

The hotel caused public outcry after hosting three of the far-right BNP conferences since 2006, as well as this summer's "celebration event" after two party members were elected to the European Parliament in May.

New Kimberley manager Peter Metcalfe, who was fined £1,000 for nine offences of breaching food hygiene safety rules last year, was issued with two enforcement notices from Lancashire Fire and Rescue, which found the hotel to had inadequate fire safety standards. And Blackpool Council officers had visited the 50-bedroomed hotel on numerous occasions, issuing a hygiene improvement notice in October.

At Friday's meeting, Gareth Shaw, spokesman for Blackpool Council's Health and Safety Enforcement Section, said: "We have had many unpleasant dealings with the people responsible for the New Kimberley. We issued a hygiene improvement notice in October after customer complaints since 2006. We also requested the hotel produce a certificate proving there was no asbestos risk on the premises, and that regular testing of electrical equipment took place."

The hotel was sent a letter demanding action on April 22, but on June 10 the council was forced to issue court proceedings. Management was fined £525 for seven offences of failing to comply with health and safety notices.

Mr Shaw added: "We've since visited, but Mr Metcalfe has become very aggressive and we have seen no efforts made to improve health and safety."

The fire service's enforcement notices to the hotel, whose leaseholder is Susan Metcalfe, also demanded that smoke detectors should be fitted, and that designated fire exits should be identified. These requests were ignored, said fire chiefs.

Paul Roper, spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue, said: "I've little confidence the managers of this hotel will ever comply with health and safety laws. We've been extremely accommodating with Mr and Mrs Metcalfe. We granted an extension when our enforcement notice, issued in July 2007, ran out, as Mr Metcalfe said the ownership of the hotel had changed hands, and now belonged to a Mr John Donut, of South Shore Travel.

"We've tried to get hold of this man, but we've never been able to, and therefore we have reason to doubt his existence. The managers of this hotel have continually failed to meet any safety standards and therefore we support the council in their call for a review of the licence."

David Kelly, spokesman and "designated fire safety officer" for the New Kimberly, said: "We have tens of thousands of visitors every year, and we have never had any problems. I know everything has been dealt with on an ad hoc basis, but we have had many problems and I'm determined to sort them out.

"I've never met Mr Donut, but I believe he had some financial input and then moved to Indonesia, and he ceased to own the hotel from August this year. We have also had firebomb threats because of the BNP conference, so we have been distracted. We have recently installed a £35,000 fire alarm system, and under my guidance Mr and Mrs Metcalfe will run a pristinely clean, safe hotel that will be among the best in Blackpool."

Mr Kelly claimed the council had taken action against the hotel due to its hosting of the BNP conference. The council denied the claim.

The hotel will have 21 days to appeal against the decision, after which time it will no longer be able to sell alcohol, or provide entertainment .

Blackpool Gazette

See also Grimy BNP-link hotel 'a hazard to humans'

Birmingham: pressure on to repeat Luton EDL ban

Police urged to ban far right rally in Birmingham

West Midlands Police have been urged to step in and ban a far right group from holding a march in Birmingham next month to avoid a repeat of the shocking scenes of violence witnessed earlier this month.

White nationalist organisation The English Defence League (EDL) and an associated group, Casuals United, are due to hold a rally against Islamic extremism in the city on September 5. Their first demonstration on August 8 ended with violence and bloodshed as supporters clashed with anti-racism campaigners.

One of those calling for a ban was Respect councillor Salma Yaqoob, who expected more street violence if EDL returned.

“When it comes to public safety we have every right to intervene,” she said. “But the ‘just stay away’ message we are hearing won’t wash with today’s Muslim youngsters who won’t put their heads down and carry on walking when they are subjected to racist taunts – they will react and fight back.”

Yesterday, those at a public meeting to discuss how the city should deal with the group’s next visit voted unanimously that the police should have the demonstration banned. West Midlands Police were urged to join forces with Birmingham City Council to apply to the Home Secretary for a banning order under the Public Order Act.

Luton is one of the places which has banned the EDL and other right-wing groups from holding marches for three months to avoid violence.

But a senior police officer said there were no current plans to do so as the EDL had a legitimate right to hold its march.

The Birmingham rally saw 35 people arrested, and running battles between protesters and police in riot gear in Victoria Square and New Street.

Chief Insp Adrian Atherley, head of West Midlands Police’s diversity and community cohesion unit, told yesterday’s meeting how both groups involved, the EDL and the Anti Facist League, acted within the law and the problem lay with their supporters.

“The people fighting were Brummies fighting each other. Why? Because they had been wound up and provoked by the groups who had left by then,” he said.

He said to obtain a ban they would have to jump through numerous legal and bureaucratic hoops. “We have considered it, but section 13 of the Public Order Act is very specific about marches,” he said. “In Birmingham the situation is very different to Luton where the Chief Constable felt he could not police that event. We did not lose control on August 8 , there were no major injuries or damage, and in terms of disorder there was no loss of control.”

He added: “Obtaining a section 13 ban requires the Chief Constable to go to the local authority to say in the event of a march I cannot police the streets and the local authority has to apply to the Home Secretary.”

But he said their decision was constantly reviewed and he would feed back comments to the Chief Constable.

Also at the meeting was Birmingham councillor Judy Foster, vice-chairman of the West Midlands Police Authority, who said she would be raising the issue of a ban during a meeting with the Chief Constable Chris Sims today.

Birmingham Post


Ban call for anti Muslim march

Birmingham politicians and community activists are calling on West Midlands police to ban next month’s planned protest against “militant Islam” in the city – following the example set by their counterparts in Luton.

The last demo organised by the English and Welsh League on August 8 erupted into violence when the far-right group encountered resistance from supporters of Unite Against Fascism, leading to 33 arrests.

Concerned Brummie Waseem Zaffar called a public meeting at the Council House yesterday to discuss an appropriate response to the EDL’s planned return to the city on September 5.

The gathering of around 80 people unanimously called on police to halt the protest on the grounds that it jeopardised public safety. It was noted that police in Luton have responded to a proposed EDL “event” in September by cancelling all marches in the town for three months.

Chief Inspector Adrian Atherley, of West Midlands Police Diversity and Community Cohesion Unit argued that the Birmingham demonstration couldn’t be treated in the same way. He said that while marches can be banned, the right to protest is enshrined in law.

Yardley Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming, who was at the meeting, was unimpressed, and reckons the law can be used "creatively" to impose a ban.

He said: “What happened on August 8 was unforgiveable. However, it seems quite clear that the EDL are a bunch of football hooligans coming to incite people to violence. They can’t be allowed to continue to do that. Once you get to the stage where people are going at something to deliberately wind other people up, that’s not on – and that’s their objective.”

He was backed by Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood who said: “ I agree with the sentiment of the meeting. These people came to deliberately incite, and it’s the taxpayers of the West Midlands and Birmingham who are having to pay for it. That money would be better spent on my constituents.”

Others present included Respect Party leader Salma Yaqoob, Dudley councillor Judy Foster, the Vice Chair of the Police Authority; likewise representatives of Unite Against Fascism, musician Apache Indian and Stirrer editor Adrian Goldberg.

We’ve contacted The English Defence League and will publish their response when we have it.

The meeting also unanimously backed The Stirrer's Birmingham United campaign.

Join the Birmingham United Facebook Group

The Stirrer

Three charged over racial taunt at BNP rally

Three people have been charged with racially aggravated public order offences after a group heading to a far-right British National Party camp on Saturday taunted anti-racism protesters, police said.

Derbyshire police arrested 19 people during the mainly peaceful anti-BNP rally near a farm outside the village of Codnor where the BNP's Red, White and Blue festival was held over the weekend.

The three were among a group who crossed fields to get to the camp on foot under police escort as hundreds of demonstrators waving placards saying "the BNP is a Nazi party" blocked road access to the site.

The BNP, which campaigns to halt immigration and repatriate immigrants voluntarily, won its first two seats in the European Parliament in June.

Although it has no representatives in the British parliament, the party has won support from white voters angry about unemployment and access to public housing and other services during the worst recession in generations.

Reuters

Family's fear of Huyton race hate gun thug

A family told of their shock and fear after a neighbour racially abused them before pointing a gun at their father.

The Adedoyin family watched in horror as Ian Maitland, 44, “erupted like a raging bull” before waving the gun and unleashing a torrent of racist abuse. They had never spoken to the cabbie across the street before he screamed at the children aged five, 10 and 15-year-old twins and told Jeff Adedoyin to “get home to Africa”.

He boasted about being a BNP member before declaring he “would kill them all”. Maitland was jailed for nine months yesterday after telling Liverpool crown court the children awoke him by playing outside around 9pm.

The court heard IT consultant Mr Adedoyin went to see Maitland at his home in St Christopher’s Drive, Huyton, after hearing a volley of abusive shouting and finding his children in tears. The 37-year-old, who is originally from Nigeria, stood outside the house as his terrified mother-in-law dialled 999 and Maitland appeared with the gun and a baton.

He screamed and waved the gun towards them. Maitland’s wife Julie appeared and spat at Mr Adedoyin’s mother-in-law, Julie Durkin.

The 52-year-old told the ECHO: “I just felt this shock and disbelief that this was happening. He was like a raging bull. You wouldn’t think it could happen. I’ve never heard language like it. The whole thing has been horrendous. It’s had an affect on all of us.”

Restaurant worker Lindsey Adedoyin, 33, said she had struggled to sleep and was unable to work for months after her children and partner were threatened. She said: “I keep having panic attacks and it took me almost a year to get back to work. I kept thinking I saw him in the street – even though he moved away – and I worried about the children playing outside. I had nightmares about it for ages. I still feel shaken.”

She said she noticed a change in her children, particularly her son, now 11. “He always used to be really outgoing but now he holds everything in. I’ve seen a difference in him; the way he is with his friends.”

Maitland admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear and causing racially aggravated fear of violence during the incident on August 10 last year. Prosecutor David Watson said when police arrived he told them: “I am BNP, that’s my choice,” but later denied being a member of the right wing party in interview.

Michael Maher, defending, said Maitland was “essentially all mouth” with “no bite.” He said he had since lost his house, his Hackney taxi licence and feared being separated from his children.

Julie Maitland, who admitted common assault, received a community order with 12 months supervision and was ordered to attend a human dignity probation programme. She wept and shouted “I love you” as her husband was led away.

Mrs Durking said her family were upset by the sentences. She said: “We can’t help thinking if this had been an 18-year-old lad waving a gun and shouting racial abuse he would have gone away for a lot longer.”

Victims of racial abuse can call the Knowsley Ethnic Minority Support Group on 07890 948 912.

Liverpool Echo

East Lancashire BNP activists won't be charged over leaflets

Three British National Party activists arrested last year in connection with campaign leaflets have been released from police bail.

The three, a 41-year-old man from Nelson, a 44 year-old man from Darwen, and a 57-year-old man from Nelson were all arrested in November on suspicion of the publication and distribution of written material intended to stir up racial hatred and the possession of racially inflammatory material.

The swoops were in connection with leaflets which claimed Muslims were responsible for the heroin trade. Lancashire police have now told the three they will not face any charges.

A 53-year-old man from Preston arrested on suspicion of the same offences has been re-bailed until later this month.

Yesterday BNP activists protested outside Blackburn Police Station against the police’s handling of the case.

Burnley Citizen

Far right bets on disdain for main UK parties

At the ESWA sports club in Birkenhead, north-west England, Thursday night is “race night”, with punters crowding round to place bets on virtual horses.

Down in the basement an altogether different kind of race event is taking place. The anti-immigration British National party is holding a party meeting to whip up local support for the European parliamentary elections on Thursday.

The BNP is confident it can ride a wave of popular disgust towards politicians in the wake of the parliamentary expenses scandal, and win its first seat in the European parliament. North-west England is the party’s number one target constituency, with Nick Griffin, the far right party’s leader set to win a seat if the BNP attracts more than 8.5 per cent of the vote.

The party’s confidence has worried mainstream politicians. David Cameron, leader of the opposition Conservatives, has described BNP members as “nazi thugs” in suits and Jack Straw, justice minister in the Labour government, said it would be “very damaging” for the country if they win any seats.

In a further cause for worry, Mr Griffin’s party has held talks to affiliate with other European far-right parties – such as the Freedom Party in Austria, Jean-Marie Le Pen’s Front Nationale in France and Vlaams Belang of Flanders – amid fears such groups could gain a firm foothold as voters across the continent express their disapproval of mainstream politics after the banking crisis.

Mr Griffin’s address mixes “anti-politics” rhetoric – arguing that Labour, the Conservatives and opposition Liberal Democrats are “three factions of the same establishment party”– and the theme of “charity begins at home”. Mr Griffin decries the allocation of a £7bn foreign aid budget while “British old age pensioners die of the cold”.

The speech is received rapturously by the few dozen people in the audience, made up largely of pensioners, former servicemen, some young shaven-headed men in suits and a smattering of middle aged women.

In Wallasey, a nearby town, the response among white shoppers to BNP activists ran from apathy to morbid curiosity. But one man shouted, “You’ll do well this time lads,” a view shared by several others. Another man in his 20s shouted, “Don’t listen to them; they’re all . . . nazis”. A respectable-looking middle aged woman then screwed up a leaflet and threw it back at an activist, saying: “You’re not wanted in this town; it’s totally unchristian.”

Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Griffin conceded that the north Wirrall area was not a typical BNP heartland because it has large numbers of unemployed people, who tend to opt out of voting, rather than the disgruntled manual workers who make up the party base. Given the “perfect storm” for the BNP of disdain for the political class, rising unemployment, low voter turnout and the fact that people often use European elections to protest, one party worked admitted, however, that “if we don’t win now, we never will”.

But in spite of the party’s largely polite public demeanour and Mr Griffin’s awareness that the British public would not vote for a party that “marches in ­jackboots and burns down shops”, there are unpalatable views below the surface. Mr Griffin says he has “nothing against Sikhs and Hindus” – even though they cannot join the party and he will offer large sums to encourage them to voluntarily repatriate – but is avowedly “anti-Islam”.

Financial Times