Burnley BNP candidate's racist slurs on Facebook

A BURNLEY BNP candidate has been condemned for posting racist jibes on his Facebook site.

Christopher Vanns said the entries, uncovered by anti-fascist magazine Searchlight, were ‘just jokes’ in the style of the late Bernard Manning or Cockney comic Jim Davidson.

But critics have blasted the views of Mr Vanns, who is standing in May’s borough council elections for the BNP in the town’s Trinity ward, as ‘offensive’ and ‘unacceptable’.

Searchlight has also uncovered evidence of similar posts by his son, Christopher William Vanns, who is also seeking election in the Rosehill with Burnley Wood ward.

In the posts Mr Vanns senior makes jokes about Asians being drowned, jibes about mixed race babies and people from Pakistan in Emmerdale.

His son, who posts under the name ‘Tiff’ Vanns, also made remarks about black people and stealing and made other slurs against Asian people.

The pair, from the Dugdale Road area of Burnley, admitted posting the comments and jokes.

Mr Vanns said: “At the end of the day they are just jokes. I could make them about white English people. The problem is anyone can say anything they like about white English people though.

“They are just jokes though, they make people laugh. They are not real life, that’s the point, they are just humour.

“I was brought up with the likes of Bernard Manning and Jim Davidson and when you listened to them it didn’t make you go out and attack anyone or confront anyone.

“Everyone laughs at jokes, it doesn’t make them racist.”

His son said: “I just cut and paste jokes on there if I think they’re funny. I’ve posted lots of things and I don’t know anyone who has been offended by them. It’s just one of those things.”

Coun Sharon Wilkinson, BNP group leader in Burnley, yesterday distanced herself from the pair.

She said: “They're not councillors, so it’s absolutely nothing to do with me and I'm not eligible to comment.

"What they do in their private lives and in the privacy of their own homes is up to them. They are not representing the party because they haven't been elected.”

Simon Cressy, of Searchlight, said: “Not only is Chris Vanns a racist but also likes to mock the disabled.

“I doubt the people of Burnley would want someone like Vanns representing them on the local council.”

Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle said: “I find these remarks totally offensive and totally unaccceptable. It is not the sort of thing we want in Burnley when we are trying to create prosperity for all members of our community.”

Coun Shah Hussain, a Labour councillor in Daneshouse ward, said: “I am not shocked because the BNP is a party that is divisive to our community and if it has people like this running for it, it can only do harm.

“I hope people in the Trinity and Rosehill with Burnley Wood wards will know the kind of characters they are and, through our democratic process, will make the right judgement.

“These people are right-wing extremists and we don't need them in Burnley.”

Coun Peter Doyle, Conservative Party group leader in Burnley, said: “Any form of racism is unacceptable."

Angela Vanns, wife of Christopher senior, is also standing for the BNP in Burnley’s Coal Clough ward.

Lancashire Telegraph

He's nothing to do with us: Daughters of first BNP mayor change names because they're so ashamed

Condemned: John Cave's views have been
called 'repugnant' by his daughters Donna and Rachel

The daughters of the man voted in to be Britain’s first BNP mayor are so ashamed of their father they are changing their name by deed poll.

Donna and Rachel Cave do not want to be associated with the man they say abandoned them when they were teenagers. Donna, a 27-year-old law graduate, said: ‘It’s a terrible thing to carry through life, the feeling of being dumped by your father, made worse now that he’s become a national hate figure. I try not to tell people my name in case they make the connection.’

John Cave, a local councillor, was elected deputy mayor of Padiham, near Burnley in Lancashire, earlier this month and will step up to the role of mayor next year. The position is largely symbolic but his election has been seen as a coup for the far-Right British National Party while being ¬condemned by community leaders.

Last night Donna and her sister Rachel, 25 – who also have two other sisters Victoria, 40, and Katie, 26 – said his character made him entirely unsuitable for the office. Donna claimed he walked out on the four of them and their mother Marlene 12 years ago when she was having chemotherapy for cancer.

She said: ‘It’s unbelievable that this man who abandoned my mother when she had cancer, as well as his four daughters, and who holds such repugnant political beliefs, could ever be considered fit to hold such a position of responsibility. He cut all ties with us, never called or even sent us a birthday card.

‘Our early attempts to keep in contact were either ignored or rebuffed. It’s as if we had never been part of his life. He has two grandchildren who he hasn’t seen.’

Rachel has a four-year-old daughter and Victoria and Katie are both married with two children.

Donna added: ‘I’m speaking out as I’ve had enough of being quiet about the appalling way he’s behaved. It’s amusing to hear someone say they want to make a difference to the community when he can’t even look after his own children.’

Rachel said: ‘It’s the principle of it. He’s representing the town and I think they should have someone with better morals and family values. We’re like a secret family. It’s not right.’

Mr Cave is now married to shopkeeper Sharon Wilkinson, a BNP Lancashire county councillor, who has three sons from a previous marriage. The girls claim he was having an affair with her while their mother was ill.

Donna said: ‘He insisted they were just friends but no one believed him. I think she was the cause of rows between Mum and Dad. He was at her shop frequently and did the cash-and-carry buys for her.

‘I noticed that usually at 10pm when she closed up, he would conveniently walk the dog. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what was going on.

‘And I had watched Mum get more depressed because people were whispering behind her back.’ In 1999, the girls returned from school one night to find their father gone. Rachel said: ‘He didn’t stick around to explain anything. Mum said he was gone for good and, in a way, I was relieved because we could all see that he was hurting her. After he left, she finished the treatment and was given the all-clear. She has been OK since then.’

Mr Cave, a landscape gardener, then joined the BNP. He and Ms Wilkinson rented neighbouring houses while still insisting they were just friends. The girls believe she was responsible for their father’s political conversion from working-class Tory voter to bigot.

Donna said: ‘Before this, Dad never talked about race as an issue. He had Asian friends and he’d take us to some of the Asian shops to see the different foods on sale. I don’t remember any racist talk at home.’

Rachel thinks Ms Wilkinson first embraced the BNP after her off-licence lost out to competition from an Asian shop that opened across the road in 1999.

She said: ‘They were bigger and cheaper. They were always busier than her. That’s when I think she changed. She was very upset.’

The last time all the girls saw their father was at their grandmother’s funeral four years ago. Donna said: ‘Dad spoke to Katie once in passing, but didn’t say a word to the rest of us. Lots of his BNP friends were there strutting around with their badges on, which upset me as Nanna was not racist.’

When their grandfather subsequently died only Donna and Katie attended the funeral. Now, with the change of their names, their estrangement is complete. Donna said: ‘He rejected us so we’re rejecting him.’

Last night Mr Cave told The Mail on Sunday: ‘What my daughters want to say is up to them. My divorce from their mother was not at all amicable and they seem to have taken her version of events. I did not abandon them or “disappear”. That would be impossible in Burnley. Really, I’ve absolutely no comment to make about what those people say.’

Mail Online

BNP member to be Padiham’s deputy mayor?

A Padiham town councillor’s bid to become Mayor is being hampered by political prejudice, he has claimed.

Coun. John Cave, who is a member of the British National Party, said party politics is the reason why some other town councillors have objected to him becoming Deputy Mayor of Padiham for the next civic year.

Although he has only served on the council for 12 months, Coun. Cave said under the rules of standing orders, he should be entitled to hold the post. But, according to Coun. Cave, some members of the council said the rules prevent him being nominated as Deputy Mayor because of the short time he has been a town councillor.

Coun. Cave, who is married to Coun. Sharon Wilkinson, leader of the BNP group in Burnley, said the objection, which he said was made by Coun. Andy Tatchell at a closed meeting of the town council, was actually voiced because of his links to the BNP and not due to the interpretation of the rules. To allay any confusion councillors and the town clerk Mrs Elizabeth Bolton are now waiting for clarification of the rules from Burnley Borough Council’s democracy officers.

“It strikes me as though he is keen to stop me being Mayor,” said Coun. Cave. “It is not supposed to be political, Padiham Town Council is apolitical. It’s because I’m BNP. I’m used to it to a certain extent, you expect it. But I’ve done my damnedest to keep politics out of it.”

Coun. Cave said he is more than equipped for the role after years of experience and would relish the chance to be Mayor of Padiham the following year, after Coun. Bob Clark.

Mrs Bolton added: “The matter is still under review and the democracy team at Burnley Borough Council is assisting the town council in its interpretation of the rules. As soon as we know that, the matter will be put before the full town council.”

A borough council spokesman said: “This is a matter for the town council.”

Coun. Tatchell and current Mayor of Padiham Coun. Jean Cunningham said it would be inappropriate to comment until clarification had been received from the borough council. Padiham Town Council’s next meeting is at Padiham Town Hall at 7 p.m. on Monday.

Burnley Express

BNP boss Nick Griffin to open office in Burnley

BNP leader Nick Griffin has set up a base in Burnley.

The highly-controversial politician officially opened his "Euro office" on Saturday in Yorke Street where he will spend time in his role as a Member of the European Parliament for the North-West.

Mr Griffin believes Burnley holds a "special place" in the party's history and it is thought he will hold surgeries at the address in the coming months.

Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle said democracy meant Mr Griffin was entitled to set up stall in the town. "The office has been there for a number of years and it has done nothing in the past. I would suggest it won't be doing much in future either.

"Nick Griffin is one of our MEPs and a pretty insignificant one at the moment as he doesn't seem to be doing a lot. However, if he wants to come and sort the problems any Burnley people are having with the European Parliament then so be it. I hope he does hold surgeries there and helps deliver what the people of Burnley want," he said.

"The office is important as it will bring local people closer to their MEP," said Mr Griffin, who was dramatically refused entry to the Queen's Garden Party at Buckingham Palace yesterday where Mayor of Burnley Coun. Tony Lambert and his wife, Brenda, were guests.

"Burnley has a special place in the history of the British National Party as it was here we made our political breakthrough when winning three seats on Burnley Council in 2002."

Mr Griffin was elected to Brussels last year even though the BNP polled fewer votes in the region than it had in 2004 – winning a seat through the system of proportional representation used in the European elections. He promised then he would be opening an office in Burnley in the near future.

The BNP has used an office within the Yorke Street building since 2002 but recently moved to two new offices within the same complex.

Leader of the Burnley BNP party Coun. Sharon Wilkinson said: "When Nick first got elected as MEP he said he was going to set up an office in Burnley and he's kept his word. It will be funded with Nick's European funding. We will be getting some of the Euro staff here as well which means we will be able to help more local people with their problems."

Burnley Express

Nick Clegg attacks 'evil, vile' BNP

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg launched a fierce attack on the British National Party today, branding it an "evil, vile, fascist organisation". He said the party was "utterly useless" in helping people with the problems they face, such as unemployment, crime and housing, as they could only peddle hatred.

The Lib Dems had been "devastatingly successful at beating the BNP back" and he highlighted Burnley Borough Council as an example, which he said was now run by his party.

In an interview with the BBC Asian Network, Mr Clegg was asked about the BNP and how to counter its support among some communities in Britain. He said: "I feel really strongly about this. The BNP is an evil, vile, fascist organisation. We, the Liberal Democrats, have been devastatingly successful at beating the BNP back. Remember a few years ago when everyone said that Burnley was going to be the first BNP town? Look now, it is now run by the Liberal Democrats."

Asked how mainstream politicians stopped people voting BNP, he said: "First, of course, you explain to them that the BNP are a vile organisation. But you say something much more powerful, which is that they are useless, utterly useless. I'll tell you why they are useless because hate, which is all the BNP peddles, doesn't create a single job, doesn't build a single affordable home, doesn't solve a single crime. If you want help for you, for yourself, for your family, for your parents, for your grandparents, for your street, for your community, the BNP is useless."

Mr Clegg said the way to counter extremism in the UK was to confront it.

"There are people in politics, in religion, who have views that I really don't like, but you have got to engage with them," he said.

And the Lib Dem leader said that his separation from his three young sons, stranded with his in-laws because of the flights ban, was affecting him. Antonio, eight, Alberto, five, and one-year-old Miguel are in Olmedo, one-and-a-half hours north of Madrid, and may have to be driven home.

"It is really starting to get at me, because they are very small and I miss them terribly," he said.

Independent

Man cleared of racially abusing BNP leader

An Asian man was cleared today of racially abusing BNP leader Nick Griffin. Tauriq Khalid, 23, denied shouting "white bastards" at far-right demonstrators in his home town of Burnley, Lancashire, in November last year.

A jury of five women and seven men cleared Khalid of one count of using racially abusive threatening behaviour after deliberating for 45 minutes following a three-day trial at Preston Crown Court.

Tauriq Khalid, 23, told Preston Crown Court that he shouted derisory comments from his car window at far-right BNP demonstrators outside Burnley police station.

Mark Stuart, defending, asked Khalid: “Was that abuse you gave to them based on the fact they were white people?”

“No,” Khalid replied.

“Did you make any racist remarks?” asked Mr Stuart.

“None at all,” Khalid replied.

Khalid, from Burnley, Lancashire, denies one charge of using racially abusive threatening behaviour against Mr Griffin. Khalid admitted driving past Burnley police station, where the BNP leader was giving media interviews, two or three times.

He told the jury of five women and seven men that he had not known in advance about the BNP demonstration on November 19 last year. He said when he drove past the demonstrators: “I had my window down and just shouted ‘get out of Burnley’ then I put my window back up once I had said that.”

Khalid admitted shouting the remark more than once when questioned by his defence barrister. The second time he drove past, about 15 minutes later and accompanied by a friend, he admitted shouting: “Griffin, you fucking wanker”.

Khalid said he also made further remarks. He said: “I was shouting ‘get the fuck out of Burnley’, about three or four times, ‘you’re not welcome here’.”

Mr Stuart asked him: “A number of witnesses have you pointing your fingers in a gun at Mr Griffin.”

“I didn’t do that,” Khalid replied, adding, “I might have done the V sign, but not the gun.”

“Why did you think you might have done that but not the gun,” said Mr Stuart.

Khalid replied: “They were sticking fingers up, my first reaction most likely was like that back to them. I was a bit angry.”

He added: “I shouldn’t have done what I done really, it was just spur of the moment thing.”

Khalid admitted he had a poor recollection of the events of the day.

The Herald

BNP leader gives evidence in Burnley protest case

BNP leader Nick Griffin told a jury that he was subjected to racist abuse by a motorist who made a gun gesture towards him and threatened to shoot or kill him.

The politician was giving evidence at Preston Crown Court in the trial of a Burnley man accused of causing racially aggravated fear or provocation of violence while a British National Party demo was taking place in Burnley town centre over the arrest of four people.

Tauqir Khalid (23), of Windermere Avenue, Burnley, denies the charge relating to alleged events on the afternoon of November 19th last year. A demonstration was taking place outside the police station on Parker Lane over arrests which involved some leaflets. Mr Griffin told the court that some people had hooted support for the demonstration that afternoon, while others were not in favour. He gave a number of TV, radio and newspaper interviews that day.

In an initial incident, an Asian man in a taxi shouted abuse which he could not quite catch. There followed a second incident with a different car as an asian male shouted "white bastards" through his open window. He claimed the same vehicle returned a few minutes later, with the man making a gang gun gesture at him, with two fingers straightened out.

Mr Griffin told the court: "He shouted out 'Griffin you b... I'm going to...'. I took it to be 'kill you or shoot you'. It went at the same time of the gun gesture."

He said he took advice and for a short time decided to withdraw himself from the demo. "We decided it would be good to make myself scarce in case he came back and tried to shoot me".

He rejoined the demonstration about half-an-hour later. The court heard that someone noted the registration number on a "vote BNP" placard.

Mr Ian Metcalfe (prosecuting) said Khalid was arrested and interviewed about a month later. He admitted driving past the demo two to three times, but claims he had merely told Mr Griffin "get out of Burnley" and had possibly directed a V sign at him. Under cross examination by Mr Mark Stuart (defending), it was claimed that the words "white bastards" had not been shouted at him, but rather "Nick Griffin you fucking wanker".

Mr Griffin said he did not believe he had got it wrong and in response to a question from the judge, he said he was not lying about it. Mr Griffin disagreed with a suggestion that the words "get out of Burnley" had been shouted at him. He maintained that a gun gesture had been made to towards him and not a V sign.

He added: "I'm quite used to having people flick various gestures at me and it doesn't bother me. There is a difference between a gesture like that. It is a direct threat. There's nothing political about threat."

The trial is expected to expected to last three days.

Burnley Express

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

Burnley BNP councillor tried to defraud insurance company

A serving Burnley councillor could face criminal charges after a civil court judge ruled he tried to defraud an insurance company.

Coun. Derek Dawson, the British National Party councillor for Gannow, made a claim against Zurich Insurance which would have initially been worth up to £30,000. The claim related to an accident in 2003 at Zurich customer Mr Stephen Hargreaves' house in Whalley, where it was alleged Coun. Dawson's severely fractured ankle was caused by a ladder being knocked onto his leg by a car driven by Mr Hargreaves.

As it was a civil trial no punishment was handed down by the court, but Zurich was granted permission to pursue Dawson and Hargreaves for Contempt of Court proceedings through the Attorney General. If successful, this will attract a criminal penalty.

But Burnley's BNP leader Coun. Sharon Wilkinson defended Coun. Dawson, calling him "an excellent councillor" and even questioned whether the judge was influenced by Dawson's "political persuasion".

During the case, which began last year before starting again this month, Deputy Circuit Judge John Morgan heard evidence at Burnley County Court, which proved the fracture was caused by Dawson falling off a ladder rather than Hargreaves' car knocking the ladder onto him.

Coun. Wilkinson said: "At the start of the case, the judge was made aware Derek was a BNP councillor. He then chose to believe the evidence of Zurich's expert engineer and not Derek's expert engineer as to how his injuries were caused. Whether the judge was influenced by Derek's political persuasion we can only speculate. Derek is an excellent councillor and I don't think this will affect his position."

But Burnley Council leader, Coun. Gordon Birtwistle called for Coun. Dawson's resignation saying: "Any councillor that attempts to commit fraud is not a fit and proper person to be a councillor."

Mr Stephen Langton, representing Hargreaves, appealed against the judge's decision, which was not granted. Mr Langton and Mr James Hurd, representing Dawson, also appealed against the imposition of court costs, but again the judge found in favour of Zurich. The costs, which are expected to run into tens of thousands of pounds, will be decided later.

Mr Simon McCann, representing Zurich, argued: "Dawson and Hargreaves colluded together to defraud Zurich. Fraudsters should not benefit."

Mr Scott Clayton, claims fraud and investigations manager for Zurich, said: "Fraud is something we take very seriously as this case shows. Unfortunately, some people will go to great lengths to secure financial gain. We challenge fraud because the costs in challenging these cases are spiralling at the expense of the honest customer."

Burnley Express

BNP wins Lancashire council seat

The BNP today won its first county council seat in Lancashire in the party's stronghold of Burnley as Labour faced a routing in the town's local elections

In the first three results to be announced from the count, the far right party won one seat on Lancashire County Council and the Liberal Democrats two seats, from Labour. Previously all six seats were held by Labour since 2005, with three more results to come.

Burnley, scarred by race riots in 2001, already has four BNP members who sit on the local borough council.

The BNP's Sharon Wilkinson defeated Labour's Marcus Johnstone in the Padiham and Burnley West ward to gain her seat on the county council.

The BNP breakthrough in the Lancashire County Council elections will strengthen the party's hopes of getting their leader, Nick Griffin, elected as Euro MEP for the North West.

Griffin only needs around 8 per cent of the Euro votes across the region, to be elected to Strasbourg.

In Burnley, with 11 per cent of its 65,000 electorate from ethnic minorities, mainly Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, the turnout was around 35 per cent from the first three results, well down from the 2005 election turnout of 59.54 per cent.

Ms Wilkinson said: "It is absolutely wonderful for the party and gives me the opportunity to represent more people."

And there was more bad news for Labour, with the Liberal Democrats taking the remaining three seats from them - wiping Labour of the map.

Kitty Ussher, local Labour MP for Burnley speaking from the count, said: "It is disappointing. We have lost some really good county councillors who have worked very hard to serve their community. I think we were the victims of uncertain economic and political times nationally.

"Hazel Blears wore a brooch saying, 'Rocking the boat'. If you are in choppy waters you don't change the captain. I think with James (Purnell), I read what he said, I'm sad he did that. We have a very good and able Prime Minister to take us through this difficult time."

Gordon Birtwistle, the Liberal Democrat leader of Burnley Borough Council and prospective parliamentary candidate for the town, said: "We are over the moon, we have completely wiped Labour off the map. They had all six seats, today they lost the lot, of which we took five of the six. Obviously Labour nationally are in a catastrophic position."

Tony Martin, who had been a Labour county councillor in Burnley for 20 years until today's defeat, said: "It has been an absolutely awful day for Labour in Burnley. We expected the results to be bad but we hoped we could hold on to a couple of seats. I'm devastated I lost my own seat and ended up coming third.

"It is the same for Labour as it was with the Tories in 1997. They just had to reform themselves and are now doing very well with Cameron. We have been in power for 13 years and sometimes you get the backlash. We will be back."

Independent

Burnley BNP supporter’s appeal fails

A POLITICIAL campaigner claims he set off a Burnley Town Hall fire alarm because he feared people were trapped behind a fire door.

But town hall staff insist they had told British National Party supporter John Rowe that the venue’s public gallery had been closed for a full council meeting in February, 2008, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Councillors and mayor Coun Ida Carmichael, along with staff and the public, were forced to evacuate the building just after 7pm.

Police arrested Rowe, who was found inside the town hall complex and he was later convicted by Burnley magistrates of causing criminal damage. He later lodged an appeal against the ruling.

Problems began when Rowe, 54, of Tennis Street, Burnley, arrived to witness the council meeting, the crown court was told.

Because of previous altercations with officials, Rowe had been told that he must give 48 hours notice, in writing or by telephone, if he wanted to turn up for meetings.

Head porter David Bristow said Rowe, who attended the meeting with a pushbike, was told he should not sign the visitors’ book as he was barred from the proceedings.

Mr Bristow said: “He was obviously upset and said it was ‘bloody ridiculous’ that he was not allowed in, and that he had every right to be in there as a member of the public and a council tax payer.”

Giving evidence later, receptionist Diane Whittle said she told Rowe that the gallery was closed for the meeting.

Mercedes Jabbari, representing the respondents, said Rowe was seen walking along a corridor towards the gallery when the alarm sounded.

Martin Hackett, defending, said Rowe’s case was that, on finding the door to the gallery locked, he genuinely believed people on the landing would be trapped in the event of a fire.

Rowe said, in the witness box: “It appeared to me that if I was locked out then other people would be locked in.”

Earlier Mr Bristow had said that the fire door could only be opened from the inside.

Judge Andrew Woolman, sitting with magistrates, dismissed Rowe’s appeal.

Lancashire Telegraph

Row over Burnley flyposting promoting BNP

A cash row has erupted over an ‘unpaid bill for fly-posting’ between Burnley’s ruling Liberal Democrats and the British National Party.

Council leader Coun Gordon Birtwistle, at a full council meeting, blasted the BNP for a series of stickers and posters which were plastered over bus shelters and walls around the May 2008 elections. He said that the BNP party, which has four representatives on Burnley council, has still not offered to pay for cleaning up the fly-posting. But BNP chiefs said there was no evidence the posters or promotional material was connected with official party sources.

Coun Birtwistle made his accusation shortly after the BNP made budget submissions at the full council meeting. He said: “I am surprised that the BNP have come into this chamber to present a budget, particularly anything to do with spending on Street Scene.”

Street Scene is the council’s initiative to tackle issues such as fly tipping, graffiti, dog fouling, littering and fly posting.

Coun Birtwistle said: “The BNP have not paid a bill of £600 for fly-posting at the last election. They have waited for council tax payers to pick up the bill. Which is why I am not interested in anything they have to say here tonight.”

But later Coun Sharon Wilkinson, BNP leader in Burnley, said: “There is no evidence of us fly-posting. They are trying to say that someone from the BNP put up these posters but they are just guessing. If they had any evidence by now then they would have prosecuted us. But I have said to (council chief executive and returning officer) Steve Rumbelow you do not have anything to prove it was us. Obviously someone has put these posters up but they were freely available on a website at the time.”

A Burnley council spokesman confirmed that a request had been made to the BNP for an £810 contribution to cleaning up the posters and stickers, following the election.

Burnley Citizen

Arrest warrant issued for Burnley politician

 

The BNP's John Rowe, smirking as he's nicked for being a moron

A warrant has been issued after a political campaigner failed to attend court over allegations that he used a fire alarm to disrupt a town hall meeting.

Councillors and Burnley Mayor Coun Ida Carmichael, along with chief executive Steve Rumbelow and his directors, were forced to abandon the town hall after the alarm interrupted a full council meeting in May. Rowe, formerly of Cowper Street, Burnley, was later arrested by Lancashire Police and taken to the town's police station for questioning after allegedly being found trapped inside a town hall compound, following the incident.

Police later issued British National Party council candidate John Rowe, 52, with an £80 fixed penalty notice, in relation to an offence of criminal damage.

Rowe was summonsed to appear before Burnley Magistrates Court, to face a full criminal hearing after he was alleged not to have paid the charge. His case yesterday had originally been adjourned from August 11, to enable him to attend court. But when he did not appear magistrates issued a warrant backed by bail for his arrest.

Following his arrest in May, Rowe said he would be seeking legal advice about the matter, claiming that the council's chief executive had acted illegally in barring him from the authority's meetings. Council sources have previously confirmed that Rowe can only attend meetings with prior written consent, following a number of angry stand-offs at previous council sessions.

Police and council bosses hit out after the incident in May, saying that vital resources could have been diverted from a genuine emergency.

Rowe has twice stood unsuccessfully for the Rosgrove with Lowerhouse ward on Burnley council. His first attempt for political office ended in an High Court battle, after the BNP candiate tied with Labour councillor Paul Reynolds. Law lords rejected his claim that a single vote, cast in Coun Reynolds' favour, should have been discounted as it was marked with a diagonal stroke instead of a full 'X'.

Lancashire Telegraph

Disturbance after ex-Burnley BNP councillor's funeral

Police were called after reports that mourners were hurling objects off a Burnley bridge following the funeral of a former BNP councillor.

Officers arrived at the Yorkshire Street bridge at 9pm on Tuesday after being told around 40 youths were causing a disturbance. The mourners had attended the funeral of Luke Smith, 26, of Brunshaw Road, who was found dead last week, police said. The convicted football hooligan, who was forced to resign as a councillor after continued allegations of violence, was said to have been suffering from psychological problems when he appeared in court earlier this month charged with assault.

Sgt Phil Carter, of Burnley police, said: “Police dispersed the group on Tuesday soon after arriving and no arrests were made.”

It is believed the mourners had been drinking in the Lounge pub, in nearby Higgin Street, following Mr Smith’s funeral. Yesterday a large banner was hung from a bridge in Yorkshire Street with the message “Luke Smith lives forever”.

Speaking last week, Mr Smith’s uncle, Steve Smith, who was the BNP leader in Burnley when his nephew was elected, and is now leader of the far-right England First party, said: “He was a lovely, lovely lad who, like a lot of people, was just too sensitive to exist in what is effectively an extremely cruel world. Things had gone downhill for him.”

Mr Smith was 21 when he was elected as councillor for Lanehead ward, in May 2003. But he was suspended from the BNP less than three months later, after it emerged previous football-related violence had earned him a lifetime ban from Turf Moor, and he was alleged to have been fighting at the party’s Red, White and Blue festival in Sawley in July that year.

In September 2004, after a full investigation by the Standards Board for England, he was banned for three years from becoming a member of any council across the UK.

Earlier in 2004, the former gas engineer had been given a two-and-a-half year football banning order, and he was jailed for 11 months in March 2006, after breaching the order and being involved in football-related violence in Manchester, Blackpool and Burnley. His football banning order was extended to six years.

In his latest court appearance, on July 14, he was charged with assault after an attack on the landlord of the Princess Royal – the pub near where he was found dead.

Lancashire Telegraph

Inquest opens into death of ex-BNP councillor

A post-mortem has been held following the death of former Burnley councillor Luke Smith.
The 26-year-old was found hanged from a tree on a bridle path next to the Princess Royal pub in Yorkshire Street on Sunday. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 5-43 p.m. The post-mortem was carried out at Burnley General Hospital on Tuesday, but toxicological tests are also being carried out. An inquest has been opened and adjourned while tests are carried out.

The former British National Party councillor was voted into the Lanehead ward in 2003 but resigned the same year over what he claimed was lack of support from the party's national leadership. At the time of his death he was said to be suffering from mental health problems.

Mr Smith, of Brunshaw Road, was a former pupil at Towneley High School, had previously trained as a gas fitter and was a lifelong fan of Burnley Football Club. His funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 11-15 a.m. at St Catherine's CE Church in Todmorden Road, and then at Burnley Crematorium at noon.

Burnley Express

Updated: Former Burnley BNP councillor Luke Smith found dead

We've just spoken to the coroner's officer in Burnley, who has confirmed the death of former BNP councillor, Luke Smith. Smith was found hanged in Burnley's Yorkshire Street at around 4pm yesterday. An inquest will open on Friday though the verdict is likely to be suicide. Smith was 26.

The last report we had of Smith's behaviour was when he suddenly reappeared from obscurity a few days ago, after being convicted of attacking a pub landlord. In the article that we reprinted, it was revealed that Smith's mental health was fast-deteriorating and the court was told that he was said to be suffering from adjustment disorder, brief reactive depression and a mental and behavioural disorder due to misuse of substances.

Smith had a long history of football-related violence behind him, and was jailed for 17 months in March 2006 after being convicted of violent disorder in relation to incidents surrounding a World Cup qualifier in October 2004 and later violence in Blackpool. He was also banned from football grounds for six years. This followed on from a two-and-a-half year football banning order, imposed for being involved in over 20 violent episodes in five years. Following his 17 month conviction, the BNP rallied around him saying that he was not a man of violence.

Smith was also one of the youngest BNP councillors, resigning his seat on the then BNP flagship Burnley council (on which they had, at the time, eight councillors) in 2003 following an incident at that year's Red, White and Blue booze-fest, when a drunken and belligerent Smith attacked then Leeds organiser Martin Reynolds (now Head of Security) with a bottle, smashing it into Reynolds' face and opening up a gash close to his left eye that required seven stitches, subsequently dealt with by Leeds Royal Infirmary. This fracas earned Smith his expulsion from the BNP and a three-year ban on holding public office by the Standards Board.

Former Burnley BNP cllr assaulted landlord

A former Burnley councillor who attacked a pub landlord is suffering from mental health problems, a court has heard.

Convicted football hooligan Luke Smith, 26, is awaiting sentence at Burnley Magistrates Court after punching the landlord and his solicitor told the court there had been a marked deterioration in his mental health.

The former Lanehead councillor made national headlines in 2003 after he was kicked out of the British National Party for fighting at the organisation’s national festival in Sawley. Smith, of Brunshaw Road, Burnley, is now said to be suffering from adjustment disorder, brief reactive depression and a mental and behavioural disorder due to misuse of substances.

The defendant, who handed himself into police on Monday morning, after going missing from court the Friday before, has admitted common assault in court on May 11. The court was told Smith had been ejected from the Princess Royal pub on Yorkshire Street, Burnley, but went back in a few minutes later drunk. When the victim took hold of him, he took a swing and struck him, breaking his glasses.

Smith was bailed until August 5, for a pre-sentence report and the bench said they were thinking of a medium community penalty. He must not go within 100 metre of the pub and not contact witnesses.

Dylan Bradshaw, defending, said Smith went to hospital on June 23 and was kept in until July 3. He was seen and diagnosed by a consultant psychiatrist. Mr Bradshsaw said Smith’s life had spiralled out of control. He had earlier left court because he could not face the proceedings and he had surrendered himself at the police station later.

The former town hall member was banned from being a councillor for three years by the Standards Board for England after being caught fighting at the Red, White and Blue Festival in Sawley in August 2003. He had earlier been kicked out of the party following internal meetings over the Sawley incident - a decision which prompted leading BNP organiser Steven Smith to quit. He now heads the Cliviger-based England First Party.

Luke Smith was also jailed for 17 months in March 2006 after being convicted of violent disorder in relation to incidents surrounding a World Cup qualifier in October 2004 and later violence in Blackpool. He was also banned from football grounds for six years.

Previously the former gas engineer, who is barred for life from Turf Moor, had been serving a two-and-a-half year football banning order, imposed for being involved in over 20 violent episodes in five years.

Lancashire Telegraph

Police called to Burnley council meeting - BNP candidate sets off fire alarm

John Rowe - yet another BNP criminal and idiot

A British National Party council candidate has been fined for setting off a fire alarm which caused a Burnley town hall to be evacuated.

Political campaigner John Rowe, 52, had been barred from attending a meeting of Burnley's full council when the drama unfolded. Moments later the fire alarm sounded and new Mayor Coun Ida Carmichael, who was taking her inaugural meeting, and fellow councillors were asked to clear the building.

Council insiders said that Mr Rowe had tried to escape via a fire exit but had found himself trapped in a courtyard inside the town hall complex, where he was later found by council officers. Mr Rowe, of Cowper Street, Rosegrove, was later issued with an £80 fixed penalty notice for criminal damage. But he remained defiant about his stance following the incident, amid criticism from police and political rivals.

Mr Rowe said: "I think it is completely improper and there is no justification from barring me from council meetings, and prevent me from council buildings."

He says that he will be seeking legal and political advice over the situation but that the matter "might just die a death".

Mr Rowe has accused council chief executive Steve Rumbelow from excluding him for "political reasons". He says that if the chief executive or council wanted to bar him from their premises then they would need a county court injunction.

"The did not do that because they know perfectly well that it would not have been granted," added Mr Rowe.

Following the town hall incident, Mr Rumbelow said: "It is not the disruption to our meeting that concerns me so much as the fact that this mindless act risked lives in other parts of Burnley; our emergency services could have been needed elsewhere. This completely irresponsible act wastes taxpayers money and has put lives of Burnley folk at risk."

Sgt Martin Selway, of Burnley police, added: "The police will take false alarms extremely seriously. Not only does it disrupt police and the fire service but it cause unnecessary disruption for member of the public and potentially puts lives at risk."

A spokesman for Burnley council's ruling Liberal Democrats said: ""People were shocked by Rowe's behaviour. We now know that he did not intend to endanger life directly, but he must realise that his hoax has put lives at risk by distracting the fire service and police from essential duties. In addition to the risk, there is also the cost. Around six police officers and a fire crew attended the building. Forty councillors, the mayor, at least seven council staff plus members of the public all had their democratic business suspended and were forced to wait outside for the all-clear. How such a man is considered by the BNP as a suitable candidate for a public election is beyond us."

Burnley Citizen

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

Fighting poverty 'key to better racial integration'

Fighting poverty is the key to better integration between whites and Asians in a town which suffered race disturbances seven years ago, MPs heard today. People in Burnley, Lancashire, still lived "parallel lives" in segregated communities but increased economic prosperity would help break down those barriers.

Burnley Council's chief executive Steve Rumbelow told a cross-party parliamentary select committee that fixing the economy was the "real issue".

The Communities and Local Government Committee completed a two-day visit to the town as part of their investigation into community cohesion and migration.

In June 2001 up to 200 white and Asian youths clashed in a night of violence which involved attacks on pubs and shops. Two years later the British National Party (BNP) won enough seats in the local elections to become the second largest party on the borough council.

The select committee has already visited Peterborough, where there has been a large influx of Eastern European migrant workers, and will next go to Barking and Dagenham, where the BNP won 11 of the 13 local election seats it contested in May 2006.

Today, the committee was told by Mr Rumbelow that community relations were better than 2001 despite raised levels of deprivation.

He said: "The real issue is fixing the economy and making sure we have opportunities for all the communities. That will deal better with cohesion issues. It is true to say that living, to a degree, in segregated communities is not in itself a problem. The biggest problem is deprivation. The most urgent need is to turn the economy around. It is not the total answer but is the biggest part of the answer."

Economic development would help people crawl out of poverty and move away from poor areas and enable them to mix better, he said.

He said the council had not always got it right in the past with communicating how and why regeneration funding was distributed but their thinking was now clear. This had previously led to a perception that poor white areas were being neglected in favour of poor Asian areas.

Clive Betts, Labour MP for Sheffield Attercliffe, asked if it was accepted different communities lived parallel lives then was there a need to integrate unless it led to a riot.

Burnley Council leader Coun Gordon Birtwistle replied: "You do have parallel lives in Burnley but providing the parallel lives meet and achieve cohesion I do not have a problem."

Shufqat Razaq, Chair of Burnley Action Partnership, told the committee the historic matter of the distribution of regeneration funds and, to a greater extent, the knock-on effects of violent acts committed by Muslim extremists were the main sources of racial tension in the town.

He agreed that the downturn in economic fortunes in Burnley was also a factor. He said: "When you speak to my parents, thing did not start out bad. They were made welcome.

"There were racial tensions in the late 60s and 70s but it was not bad. There were plenty of jobs in the factories. When the decline started the jobs disappeared. There is a correlation between the tensions building up between the communities."

Yesterday, committee chairman and Labour MP for Milton Keynes South West Dr Phyllis Starkey said she was surprised that communities in Burnley were still living separate lives as they were in 2001. She added there were not enough jobs and a lot of poor housing, and those things affected the whole community.

The committee is expected to reports its findings and recommendations to Hazel Blears, Minister for Communities and Local Government, next month.

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