Police and British Legion probe 'appalling' BNP leaflet

A police probe has been launched into a leaflet posted to homes across Burnley and Pendle which blames Muslims for the heroin trade in Britain.

A British National Party councillor from Pendle and a former Burnley BNP election candidate are named in the leaflet as endorsing the views.

Councillors have called for Coun Brian Norton Parker, a BNP councillor for the Marsden ward in Nelson, to quit. But both he and John Rowe, a former BNP candidate for Rosegrove with Lowerhouse in Burnley, have spoken out in support of the leaflet.

Colleagues on Pendle Council are now considering reporting Coun Parker to their watchdog, the Standards Board, on suspicion of bringing the authority into disrepute.

Police have confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the leaflets - of which hundreds were delivered to homes - after a number of complaints were lodged with Lancashire Constabulary. The question of whether the leaflets amount to incitement to religious hatred is now being considered by Crown Prosecution Service lawyers.

Another inquiry looks set to be launched by the Royal British Legion, as the leaflets claim to be a 'Preston Pals' publication. The Pals represent a Lancashire regiment,the 5th Battalion, which endured heavy casualties in the First World War.

Coun George Adams, chairman of the legion's Nelson and district branch, said he was furious that the organisation's name has been linked to the "racist" flyer. The Walvderden councillor told a meeting of Pendle Council's Nelson committee: "I am asking if Coun Brian Norton Parker will distance himself from the leaflet as his name is on it."

Insp Russ Procter, of Lancashire Police, who was also in attendance at the meeting, said: "This leaflet has been distributed around Burnley, Pendle and Preston. I am also aware that this leaflet has been distributed in the Brentwood Road area and we have had a number of calls about it and we have passed this on to our hate crime unit. There is now a file which has been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service. There are a number of residents who have been concerned."

Coun David Foster, Nelson committee chairman, added: "I think it is absolutely appalling that that sort of leaflet is being put out."

But Coun Parker declined to dissociate himself from the leaflet or its contents.

Coun Parker said: "I have been asked to apologise for it but I think that the heroin trade has to be highlighted because it causes so many deaths. One person dies every day in Scotland, I have read, because of heroin. This is a campaign by my colleague Tony Bamber which I support if it highlights the number of deaths from heroin."

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Rowe, of Cowper Street, Burnley, said: "I do not think that this (leaflet) is unreasonable."

A note on the leaflet says it had been produced by a Tony Bamber of Preston.

Burnley and Pendle Citizen

Police probe into BNP heroin leaflet

A British National Party member could face police investigations after he distributed hundreds of leaflets across Preston which blame Muslims for the heroin trade in Britain.

Tony Bamber, who stood in local elections for the BNP in Tulketh ward in 2006, denied being solely responsible for the distribution of the leaflets but admitted he was involved.

Mr Bamber, 52, said: "The leaflets are not making a comment about the Islamic religion, they are making a statement about the activities of Muslims. The leaflets were made by Preston Pals, a group of concerned indigenous people in the city."

The question of whether the leaflets amount to incitement to religious hatred is now being considered by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Detective Sergeant Graham Gallagher, head of the Hate Crime Diversity unit at the Lancashire Constabulary, said: "This leaflet has been distributed around Preston, Burnley, and Pendle. We received a number of complaints after the leaflet was distributed to a number of addresses and we have now submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service to see if we have sufficient evidence to progress with our inquiry."

Another inquiry looks set to be launched by the Royal British Legion, as the leaflets claim to be a Preston Pals' publication. The Pals represent a Lancashire regiment - the 5th Battalion - which endured heavy casualties in the First World War.

Mr Bamber, whose name appears on the leaflet, said he would continue distributing them.

Preston and Leyland Citizen

BNP to contest Barrow-in-Furness Ormsgill ward

The British National Party has re-launched a bid to get into Barrow town hall – despite its drubbing at the last local elections. The far right political group will field the same candidate, Mike Ashburner, who stood for a Central ward seat on the council last May.

Mr Ashburner, of Sidney Street, came last out of four Central ward candidates, with 100 out of around 1,000 votes. This time he will contest Ormsgill, the ward represented by Peoples Party leader Jim Hamezeian.

Mr Ashburner told the Evening Mail his party has a good deal of support there and reckons he has a “realistic” chance of getting elected.

The BNP opposes mixed race relationships and believes all immigration into Britain should be stopped. But Mr Ashburner insists neither he, nor his party, is racist. He said: “We stand up for local people, the British people. We stand for democracy, for freedom of speech and against political correctness.”

The BNP’s “second front” in Barrow brought scorn from other local political parties, with deputy Labour group leader, Councillor Dave Pidduck, saying: “The residents of Central ward last year clearly showed the BNP that there’s no place for them in Barrow. They have nothing whatsoever to offer the people of this borough. There’s no way they could address the problems the borough faces in terms of creating jobs, improving the environment and getting investment into the town. To vote for them is just a waste of a vote.”

Cllr Hamezeian said: “It’s quite obvious to everyone that the BNP is a racist party. They try to cause hatred within the community and everyone knows what the BNP stands for. I would have thought Ashburner would have learned his lesson from the election in Central. He got the lowest percentage of them all and he didn’t get anywhere.”

Council leader and Conservative chief, Councillor Bill Joughin, said: “My own view is that whilst I deplore their policies, I recognise in a democratic country they’re entitled to stand. I’ve no doubt the electorate of Barrow and Ormsgill will show them that there’s no room for their brand of politics in Barrow. From a practical point of view, I don’t think there’s a big enough minority in Barrow to support even the election of one councillor.”

Independent leader, Councillor Eric Wood, said: “They’re not exactly my cup of tea but I think it’s up to the individual whether they want to vote for them or not.”

And Liberal Democrat spokesman Barry Rabone said: “Liberal Democrats believe in the right of the individual to freedom of expression. We trust though that the voters of Barrow and Dalton will strongly reject the BNP message in the forthcoming May elections, as they have done so in previous elections.”

Paul Jenkins, spokesman for Barrow and South Cumbria Unite Against Fascism, said: “We need everyone to use their vote to vote against the BNP, because they offer no solutions for ordinary people.”

An anti-racism family event is planned for Ormsgill community centre on April 13.

North West Evening Mail