Royal British Legion ban BNP meeting in Leighton - BNP fury at cancellation

Right-wing extremists have hit out at a move by Tory MP Andrew Selous to scrap a controversial meeting of the British National Party that was due to be held at Leighton's Royal British Legion Club tomorrow night. Mr Selous, MP for South West Beds, took action after being swamped by complaints from old soldiers who were horrified that their premises were to be used for a political rally.

The local branch of the BNP had hoodwinked the club's secretary Eileen Johnson by booking the West Street Hall under the name British Heritage. It wasn't until yesterday (Monday) that Mr Selous, a member of the club, discovered the real identity of the group, and stepped in to ask the charity to cancel the date.

Mrs Johnson said: "The hall was booked under a lady's name. I knew it was a political group but not that it was the BNP. As soon as I heard we cancelled them. We don't want those sort of people here. Our members wouldn't be at all happy."

In recent months the party has been actively campaigning and recruiting in Leighton-Linslade and the surrounding villages. The meeting on Wednesday night was to introduce three prospective parliamentary candidates to local people.

Mr Selous said: "The British Legion were tricked into taking the booking and I'm worried that people will still turn up thinking the meeting's on. I have had complaints from people who fought fascism in the Second World War and the British Legion isn't prepared to give fascism promotion in any way.

"I recognise that we live in a free society and we are entitled to free speech but the BNP is not a main stream party and they hold extreme views. A BNP meeting in the Royal British Legion Club is not something we want in this town."

Shelly Rose, who was organising the meeting, was furious at Mr Selous' intervention and said that a meeting would still be held. "It is absolutely outrageous. It is Andrew Selous who is acting like a fascist. He won't allow anyone else express their opinions. I'm really angry about this. Make no mistake we will have our meeting but we'll hold it elsewhere.

"This was going to be a low key meeting. There was nothing mysterious or sinister about it. We were going to be discussing the up and coming general election and have three prospective candidates address the meeting. It's Mr Selous who is being heavy-handed about this. It is perfectly fitting for us to hold a meeting in the British Legion. We are the only party opposed to the Iraqi/Afghanistan war and the only party that's patriotic and standing up for our soldiers."

A spokesman for the BNP's national headquarters, slammed the MP's intervention as "undemocratic".

He said: "We are a recognised political party with elected representatives but in some areas we are forced to book venues under an assumed name because of local reaction. In other areas we are completely open and up front about it and accepted. The reaction of certain people is not our fault. It's unfair and undemocratic to ban our meetings. Many of our members are ex-servicemen and the British Legion should be more patriotic and less political."

Leighton Buzzard Online

Revealed: The BNP's 'secret' Burnley base

Yorke Street, where the BNP have an office

The British National Party has been quietly running an office in Burnley town centre for up to nine years, the Lancashire Telegraph can reveal.

The low-key office, just metres from Burnley town hall, is not mentioned in the far-right party’s literature or on its website – and most residents and even seasoned local politicians were unaware it existed. But it is now set to become more widely used after the party shelved a search for a North West headquarters somewhere in East Lancashire, with party leader and recently-elected MEP Nick Griffin using it as his base in the area.

The BNP’s political opponents have slammed the party for not advertising the fact that it already had a permanent presence in the town, in Yorke Street, which it uses to print and distribute leaflets and co-ordinate local election strategy.

Local activists insisted the second-floor rented office, which is identifiable only by a small “British Heritage” sign on the door, was no secret. But Lib Dem council leader Gordon Birtwistle said only “very, very few” people were aware of it.

He added: “Outside their membership I would not have thought anyone knew. If they had been open about it, they would not have used a pseudonym and it would be on their leaflets. If they want to be taken seriously they should be open so people know if they want to visit them they can do.”

On the party’s website and leaflets, a PO Box address is given, and no posters are displayed in the windows, unlike other political parties.

Mr Griffin, who last week appeared on BBC One’s Question Time, watched by more than eight million people, insisted it was “widely known” the party had an office in Burnley. But former long-serving Burnley MP Peter Pike, now a well-known community volunteer and chairman of Burnley Labour Party, said: “I certainly was not aware of it. It comes as a complete surprise to me. I am certain it’s not widely known. They need to be more up-front. When I was MP everyone knew where my office was.”

Surrounding business owners, who did not want to be named, said the party had “not wanted to make a fuss” when it moved in, and some weren’t even sure which part of the building it used. A worker at the charity Mid Pennine Arts, in Yorke Street, said she had no idea the BNP were based opposite.

At the weekend shoppers in the town centre gave their reaction.

Zafar Dhami, 55, of Manchester Road, said: “I did not know they had an office here, and I am very surprised. It’s understandable they don’t advertise it, they are probably worried about being targeted.”

Elaine Heywood, 37, of East Road, said: “It makes you wonder what they have got to hide. They are supposed to be a major political party now, but they are not being open and transparent. You can’t have your cake and eat it.”

And Brent Barnes, 65, who lives in Higham, added: “I am surprised, I didn’t know they had an office in the town. Of course they should be up front. They shouldn’t be hiding behind anything.”

After Mr Griffin was elected to the European Parliament in June, East Lancashire BNP activists were told to search for a North West headquarters, with Padiham Town Hall and the former Derby Arms pub at Gannow Top in Burnley seen as possibilities. But last month Mr Griffin claimed their efforts were being frustrated by landlords pulling out at the last minute.

At no point during the search did the party refer to its existing Burnley headquarters.

On Friday, following his Question Time appearance, Mr Griffin told the Lancashire Telegraph the party had decided on Cumbria for its main HQ but would be “making more use” of its Burnley office, which the party had rented for “a couple of years”.

Burnley BNP leader Sharon Wilkinson said: “We did think about getting a different office, but we are getting a main one in Carlisle, so we are not going to get another one now. We are going to utilise what we have got.”

She added: “We have an office, we have had it since 2002. Most people know where we are. Most of the information is in the public domain. The reason we don’t have posters is because there’s nowhere to put them.

“We are waiting for extra equipment to go in there. Nick Griffin will use it when he comes up here. “ Asked why the sign outside said “British Heritage”, rather than the BNP’s name, she said: “Don’t ask me why. That plate has always been there.”

Burnley Citizen

Blind association 'horrified' at BNP meeting

Not content with attempting to mislead the general populace with its lies about its core policies and plans for the future (such as they are), the BNP played up to its usual standard last night when it held a meeting at the Hastings Voluntary Association for the Blind, by lying about the booking and claiming to be an organisation called 'British Heritage'.

For a party that purports to want to run the country, is supposedly proud of what it stands for and believes in truth at all costs (or so it would have us believe despite all the evidence) it's remarkably deceitful when it comes to booking meetings

A recent Trafalgar Club dinner was only allowed to go ahead after the hotel owner was informed of the truth about the Trafalgar Club's connections with the BNP because he believed it would be damaging to his reputation to cancel at the last minute. Even so, he was furious at being misled and vowed that the BNP would never return, under any guise.

Similarly the Hastings Voluntary Association for the Blind, who were shocked to hear the news that it was the BNP who had booked their venue last night and that the meeting was attended by the convicted racist Nick Griffin.

'To say we are shocked about this is an understatement. We are horrified. We would not have allowed the booking if we had known it was for this purpose', said one member of staff.

The BNP's current infestation of South African ex-Security Service personnel seems to be increasing the BNP's love of cloak and dagger operations. Supporters were told to meet outside a nearby Methodist Church before being directed to the venue, a five minute walk away. The password, apparently, was 'buffoons'.