Adam Walker - Committed to Crown Court

A British National Party activist has been committed to crown court concerning claims he drove a Land Rover at a group of children and
threatened one with a knife.

Former teacher Adam Walker, of Winchester Court, Spennymoor, County Durham, is charged with affray, driving a motor vehicle dangerously and three counts of criminal damage.

Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court yesterday (Friday) committed Mr Walker to Durham Crown Court, on November 7, where he is expected to face a new charge of possession of a bladed article. The 42-year-old has not entered any pleas.

The incident is said to have taken place after a march through Spennymoor, on April 23, by the Spennymoor English Cultural Society, to mark St George's Day.

The Northern Echo

North East BNP chief accused of chasing children with knife

Nick Griffin blows a raspberry at hardman Adam Walker (right)

North East BNP chief Adam Walker drove his car at a group of youngsters before brandishing a knife and threatening a child, a court heard.

The 42-year-old allegedly chased the children, who were on BMX bikes, over a village green in Tudhoe, Spennymoor, County Durham, in his Land Rover car after asking them to leave a celebration of St George’s Day.

Now the BNP’s national organiser has appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court where he entered no plea to one charge of affray, one charge of driving a motor vehicle dangerously and three of criminal damage charges. It is claimed the disorder occurred during the village celebrations on April 23 this year.

Alison Nunn, prosecuting, told the court that in police interview, the children, aged 11 and 12, described being “terrified” during the alleged incident.

She said: “These three children gave evidence that whilst they were at a fun day they were told to leave and to get off the bouncy castle. They say that Adam Walker chased them in his vehicle. He pursued them across the green in his Land Rover whilst they were on their bikes.”

She also described Walker doing a “handbrake turn” in the direction of the children. Ms Nunn added: “It is then said he had a knife with him and he has brandished the knife.

“One of the children is clear in his police interview that Adam Walker put that knife to his face and made a threat.”

It is just over a year since Walker was cleared of racial intolerance by a teaching watchdog after describing immigrants as “savage animals”. Walker, who also claimed that Britain was becoming a “dumping ground for the filth of the Third World”, said after the General Teaching Council (GTC) hearing that prospective employers would “be knocking on my door to employ me”.

The former teacher at Houghton Kepier Sports College, in Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, was brought before a GTC disciplinary panel after posting items on an internet discussion on the popularity of the BNP in February and March 2007. The panel heard that Walker used a school laptop to make the postings and an inquiry launched at Houghton Kepier established that Mr Walker spent up to eight hours using the laptop for purposes not connected to his school duties.

He was cleared of racial intolerance but found guilty of using a school computer for personal use during lesson time.

The panel imposed a Conditional Registration Order which allows Walker to maintain his status as a registered teacher subject to him meeting certain conditions.

Walker, of Winchester Court, Spennymoor, will appear back at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court on October 7.

Journal Live

Peter Tierney guilty of actual bodily harm

Peter Tierney - yet another BNP thug

High-profile BNP member Peter Tierney has been found guilty of assault and causing actual bodily harm to an anti-fascist protester on St George’s Day last year.

During the incident, which was captured on CCTV, Tierney swung a camera tripod at the back of the activist’s head. The victim subsequently needed his head wound gluing up at hospital. The jury took just an hour to find Tierney guilty, rejecting the notion that he acted in self-defence and was “in danger for my life.”

A spokesperson for Liverpool Antifascists said: “This is absolutely a positive result. Tierney’s guilt was clear-cut, as we have seen from the CCTV footage, and it is absurd that he has been able to drag this out for so long – at unneccesary expense to the taxpayer and stress to the victim. Liverpool Antifascists have protested at every single one of Tierney’s court appearances.

“Despite the wish of the BNP that this incident be forgotten, we have refused to turn a blind eye to the violent criminality of so prominent a member in Liverpool BNP. This result vindicates our stance.”

The sentence will be announced on July 12th. Judge John Roberts, adjourning, said: “I have not made a final decision on sentencing. That would be wrong at this stage, but provisionally I am thinking of some kind of community service. To decide how I should sentence you I will need a report from probation services.”

Peter Tierney has engaged in aggression and violence during BNP activism, and in full view of his fellow members. Liverpool BNP’s support of him, and of this violent criminality, has been unwavering throughout the trial. Political violence is a characteristic of fascism, and Liverpool Antifascists are glad that the truth has come out.

Liverpool Antifascists

Folk Against Fascism

The British National Party's manifesto encourages its members to insinuate themselves into the folk and traditional customs and events of Britain. This involves the appropriation of British folk music, customs and culture as a means of spreading their racist policies. They are selling traditional music through their Excalibur merchandising arm, despite the protestations of many of the artists included, who find their policies abhorrent.

The UK folk scene is a welcoming and inclusive one. Folk music and dance is about collaboration, participation, communication and respect. This group is being created to take a stand against the appropriation of folk culture by the BNP. They want to take our music. We will not let them.

From the BNP's Activists and Organisers Handbook:

"Community Activism means our activists getting involved in the affairs of their neighbourhood at all levels...We have had some major successes, for example, with local groups set up to encourage the celebration of St George's Day. Fun activities for children and families which are linked to our Christian heritage - such as Pace Egging in many northern towns - are particularly suitable candidates for revival as popular awareness of the growing power of Islam encourages support for and interest in our own religious and cultural traditions."

More from the Activists and Organisers' Handbook:

"Ideally our units will lead their communities in organising, or at least supporting, cultural events such as St George's Day celebrations (April 23rd). Most regions of the country have cultural events which are unique to that area, or county. For example, Padstow Hobby Horse (sic) in Cornwall, Arbor Tree Day in Shropshire, Garland King Day and the Well Dressing in Derbyshire, the Marshfield Mummers in Wiltshire, the Haxey Hood in Humberside, and countless others.

Some such celebrations, now very popular, have only been revived in recent years - the Hastings Jack in the Green and Whittlesea Straw Bear festivals show just how big such things can get. Why not do some research to see if there's a lost local tradition you can inspire a team of enthusiasts to revive?"

One of the things we need to be particularly aware of is the English Fair Fund. This exists to "give grants to help local community groups celebrate St George's Day."

Another racist organisation, The Steadfast Trust, provides community grants for "English-themed" events and St George's Day celebrations, and has already co-opted folk music within this strategy.

So, you're a folk musician or in a morris side. Someone in your town or village asks you to come and play at their St George's Day festival, and, in the spirit of community, you agree. Later, the BNP or the Steadfast Trust releases a press statement telling of all the wonderful St George's Day festivals it has supported this year, and lists all the artists/dance sides who took part. And there's your name.

Just like the artists who find their music being sold on the Excalibur/BNP website and are powerless to do anything about it, you become part of their marketing strategy, and there's not a lot you can do.

So if you are asked to play at any St George's Day events next year, ask who is supporting them. Find out where the money is coming from. Or, even better, start your own St George's Day event, and make it one that actively welcomes ALL of England's communities. Don't let them win.

Folk Against Fascism

St George belongs to us, not the BNP

Let's not hand over our national symbols so easily to those on the far right who would destroy this multi-ethnic, multifaith nation

The half-hearted celebration of St George's Day is something that we should bemoan. Pies at Leadenhall Market and the flying of flags on London cabs do not really capture a sense of national commemoration or equate in scale to Irish celebrations of St Patrick's Day, Welsh celebrations of St David's or American celebrations of 4 July. No offence to cabbies who try their best, but can you imagine Dublin or Cork abandoning St Patrick's Day parades in the same way that, say, Sandwell council has done with the borough's St George's Day parade this year?

The low-key celebration of England's national day seemingly centres on concerns that some people are offended by the flying of the St George's flag as it was hijacked and used by the far right back in the 1970s. Personally, I am offended by the far right. How dare they take our national symbols and sully them in the name of their bizarre racial supremacy theories. Not that the BNP or National Front are known for their logic, but St George, a 3rd-century Lebanese-Palestinian Christian with probable Jewish ancestry seems an odd figure for a group of neo-Nazis to get excited by.

Perhaps we need a model for our celebrations. Perhaps a huge parade? A national holiday? Why not use the model of the England rugby world cup victory parade when 750,000 individuals from different religious and ethnic backgrounds lined the streets around Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus all decked out in red and white and not a neo-Nazi in sight. No one had a problem on that day with the flags, or singing a plethora of English national songs projected onto a big screen courtesy of the television companies covering the event.

The far right have an agenda to exclude minorities and are all too happy to occupy ground that the mainstream surrender. They don't want minorities feeling comfortable dressed in red and white and flying flags. Apparently Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, has now decided to march in the now unfunded Sandwell parade. Evidence, as though it were needed, that where the mainstream withdraw, extremists tend to triumph.

Sir Basil Henriques had an interesting approach to all this. In 1914, he formed the Oxford and St George Jewish youth club in the East End (apparently named after his university and the local parish). Today it would be thought of as odd to have a Jewish group named after a Christian saint and even odder to name the attached place of worship the St George Settlement Synagogue, but he did and was unapologetic about it. His youth movement was set up to create a sense of responsibility among the poverty-stricken Jewish children of the East End. Records show that at the core of its ethos was a belief that these children of early 20th-century migrants should feel both Jewish and English. In a postmodern world some would no doubt wish to express "concerns" that Henriques was not being true to himself, or being jingoistic or culturally insensitive or something of that sort, but that misses the point – he reclaimed St George, a dragon-slaying warrior knight, as part of his national myth and instilled in the boys and girls under his charge a sense of national identity – let's call it a "Cry God for 'Henriques, England and St George'" approach.

So, St George has religious overtones, so does his flag, and yes, he may have been a little militaristic and imported by Crusaders who were not exactly champions of religious pluralism – and no doubt Harry Potter fans might be a little upset to hear that dragons were hurt in the making of this myth but he is ours and quite frankly is harmless fun – and on the day after the budget we definitely need a bit of fun.When the fascist Blackshirts tried to march past Henriques's club in 1936 in nearby Cable Street they were beaten back by Jewish and trade unionist activists to the cry of "they shall not pass". They didn't and we should keep this in mind today. We should be able to celebrate our national history, tell and retell our stories, participate in civic society and use our vote or we will let them pass.

Let's not give away or hand over our national symbols so easily to those who wish to destroy this nation that we in multi-ethnic, multifaith Britain have worked so hard to create together. Let's tell our national story, including the tale of George and his dragon and the sonnets of Shakespeare, whose birth and death anniversary is on St George's Day – and perhaps to take matters forward someone could decide at last to give us the day off next year.

To those from the political mainstream who are championing St George's Day let us say raise our finest ale and say cheers.

Guardian

Happy St George's Day!

There are no words to adequately describe the
unutterable stupidity and banality of Dicky Barnbrook.

Or, as our friends over at Kirklees Unity so succinctly put it:
'What a pair of twats'.

BNP leader "infiltrates" West Bromwich St George's Day parade

Nick Griffin surrounded by his usual entourage of thugs

The appearance of BNP leader Nick Griffin at a St George’s Day parade proved the event was being infiltrated by right wing extremists, it was claimed today.

Mr Griffin and his deputy leader Simon Darby were among up to 20,000 people who turned up at the parade through West Bromwich yesterday. The far-right politicians claimed to be there in non-party political capacity and were without any party paraphernalia, but they both attacked Sandwell’s Labour council for severing its ties with the event over fears it had been hijacked by extremists.

Councillor Derek Rowley, Sandwell’s cabinet member for safer communities, said the pair’s attendance proved the council right in its decision to cut funding for the march, which last year stood at around £10,000. Instead, the authority organised its own fun day this year in Dartmouth Park with Keith Chegwin top of the celebrity billing on Saturday.

He said: “Clearly the parade has been infiltrated by right wing extremists and they were bound to say they weren’t being political.”

Mr Griffin said: “I’m here as an Englishman, not to be party political.”

The attendance of the far right politicians came after an alleged leak of a BNP “war book” calling on extremist skinheads to cover-up their shaven heads in a bid to look more respectable.

Trevor Collins, from parade organisers the Stone Cross St George’s Association, said he couldn’t prevent Mr Griffin from attending the march.

“We couldn’t say to Tony Blair ‘you can come’ and then say to someone else ‘you can’t’ - because then we’d be being political,” he said. “If they come without being party political, then there’s nothing we can do - it’s a democracy.”

He added: “It doesn’t matter what colour you are or where you’re from, what matters today is what’s in your heart. It’s about being English.”

The parade was rescued after local businessman Chris Kelly, from Keltruck, stepped forward with a promise of cash to fund the parade’s legal requirements such as insurance, security and road closures.

Celebrity guests on the march, which started at around 10.30am in Westminster Road, included journalist Adrian Goldberg, former West Bromwich Albion footballer Bob Taylor and marathon runner “Blind” Dave Heeley. Heading the march were armed forces veterans including retired parachute regiment soldier Gordon Griffiths, from Walsall.

The 83-year-old, who served in Italy, Palestine and Egypt among others between 1945 and 1950, said: “It’s been smashing - I marched all the way. Everybody’s been cheering and had their flags out.”

Inspector Howard Lewis-Jones was drafted in from the West Midlands Police HQ in Birmingham to oversee more than 40 officers keeping law and order on the day, which ended with a fair in Dartmouth Park. He said: “It’s gone extremely well. It’s been very well organised right from the speeches at the start to the march itself.”

He added that a small number of cans of alcohol had been confiscated.

Birmingham Post

GMP cleared of BNP association

Claims that a Greater Manchester police (GMP) officer and another member of staff wore British National party (BNP) badges have been rejected by the police watchdog.

Media reports earlier this year said that the two people had been spotted wearing the badges and associating with BNP supporters at a bar in central Manchester on St George's Day. The Guardian, citing a GMP officer who brought his concerns to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), said that the GMP officer and member of staff had joined in racist chanting and the abuse of other people at the bar on April 23rd 2007.

But following an investigation the IPCC said the two individuals had been "innocently celebrating" St George's Day at Sinclair's Oyster Bar.

Police had been called to attend an incident at the bar to investigate reports of unruly customers.

"It is clear from the interviews and CCTV footage that there was an unsavoury element in the crowd, and this element exhibited racist behaviour by abusing passers-by and singing inflammatory songs," an IPCC statement said.

Naseem Malik, IPCC commissioner for the north-west, added: "Investigators have trawled through hours of CCTV footage and interviewed more than 50 people present on that day.

"As a result of this I can say with some degree of certainty that there is no evidence to support the legitimate concerns expressed in the report made by the officer or the allegation made in the Guardian newspaper. In fact there is sufficient evidence to reach the conclusion that the concerns and allegations were incorrect."

He added: "There is no evidence that off-duty officers or staff were involved with the group of people who prompted police attendance. The investigation identified two friends – one an off-duty police officer and one an off-duty police staff member - who were innocently enjoying a drink together in the pubs and bars around Exchange Square. At no point did they have any association with the unsavoury element in the crowd."

View London

Inquiry into claim that police joined BNP event

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is to investigate allegations that some off-duty officers attended a British National party event to mark St George's Day in Manchester last month.

Supporters of the extreme right-wing party had gathered outside a pub in Manchester city centre and police were called after complaints that they had turned rowdy.

At the time, Chief Superintendent Terry Sweeney, head of the GMP's professional standards branch, said: "There is absolutely no evidence at this time to suggest that any GMP employees took part in the disturbance ... The officer [who submitted the report] did not see any GMP employees involved in the disturbance himself, but has rightly brought to our attention the information he received from other people. We will investigate this thoroughly to establish if any off-duty officers or staff were involved."

Yesterday it emerged that Greater Manchester Police has referred the matter to the IPCC, which is investigating the allegations. Naseem Malik, IPCC commissioner for the north-west, said the incident could "undermine public confidence in the force".

He added: "I have decided that we will manage Greater Manchester police's investigation which means we will be in charge of the direction and control of the investigation. The investigation will focus on establishing firstly whether any off-duty officers or staff members were present and secondly, if they were, whether they were innocent bystanders or associating with the BNP supporters."

The allegations are especially embarrassing for GMP as it was one of the forces whose trainee officers were caught making racist remarks by an undercover television programme. Following revelations in the BBC Secret Policeman documentary, the force vowed to stamp out racism in the ranks.

Earlier this week the force said it had seized CCTV footage and that its detectives will scour it frame by frame for evidence. The force added that any officer found to be a BNP member could be sacked.

The incident happened at 4.30pm on April 23.

Around 120 BNP supporters were reported to be milling around Sinclair's Oyster Bar, and were said to be chanting abuse at passers by. Some were wearing T-shirts saying "Love Britain or fuck off" and shouting BNP slogans. One officer present claims he saw a fellow officer wearing a BNP badge. Bar managers feared trouble and called police to help them clear away the BNP supporters.

Yesterday Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, was barred from speaking at Bath University amid fears the event would bring chaos to the campus.

Guardian

Greater Manchester police investigates claim it has BNP members in ranks

· Off-duty colleagues said to have been at pub event
· Force seizes CCTV footage of St George's Day incident

One of Britain's biggest police forces is investigating allegations that it has British National party members among its frontline officers, the Guardian has learned. Greater Manchester police launched the investigation after complaints from its own officers, who say they saw colleagues at a BNP event to mark St George's Day.

The supporters of the extreme right-wing party had gathered outside a pub in Manchester city centre and police were called after complaints that they had turned rowdy.

The allegations are especially embarrassing for Greater Manchester Police, (GMP) which was one of the forces whose trainee officers were caught making racist remarks by an undercover television programme. After the revelations in the BBC Secret Policeman documentary the force vowed to stamp out racism in the ranks.

The force says it has seized CCTV footage and its detectives will scour it frame by frame for evidence. The force vowed that any officer found to be a BNP member could be sacked. But the BNP claimed it has members among the force's ranks.

The incident happened at 4.30pm on April 23. Around 120 BNP supporters were reported to be milling around Sinclair's Oyster Bar, and were reported to be chanting abuse at passers by. Some were wearing T-shirts saying "Love Britain or Fuck off" and shouting BNP slogans. One officer present claims he saw a fellow officer wearing a BNP badge. Bar managers feared trouble and called police to help them clear away the BNP supporters.

The report that sparked the investigation came from an inspector sent to the scene to help quell the disturbance.

Police sources say the inspector does not claim he saw officers whom he recognised as part of the BNP group. His report relays allegations from other officers that they recognised some of the crowd as off duty policemen.

Senior GMP officers are sceptical of the claims of BNP members in their ranks. The force's initial reaction to the undercover footage obtained by the BBC of their trainee officers being racist, was to arrest the undercover reporter who obtained it.

Police officers are not allowed to be members of the BNP, which is widely seen as being racist and which has members with convictions for violence. The policy was passed by police chiefs three years ago. They say membership of the party is incompatible with officers' duties under race equality laws.

Ali Dizaei of the National Black Police Association, who is a chief superintendent in the Metropolitan police, called for an independent investigation: "It beggars belief that in today's police service we appear to have serving police officers who are members of the BNP."

He added: "These allegations must be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Police should now carry out an investigation of all police forces to find the extent of the problem which, if not addressed, will have significant impact on legitimacy of policing in the UK."

Chief Superintendent Terry Sweeney, head of the GMP's professional standards branch, said: "There is absolutely no evidence at this time to suggest that any GMP employees took part in the disturbance. GMP's professional standards branch received a report on May 2 from an officer who was present on April 23 and was concerned there may have been off-duty police employees in the vicinity.

"The officer did not see any GMP employees involved in the disturbance himself, but has rightly brought to our attention the information he received from other people. We will investigate this thoroughly to establish if any off-duty officers or staff were involved. If it emerges that any staff were part of the disturbance, we will take the strongest possible action. As part of the investigation, we have taken CCTV from the city centre and will be looking at it frame by frame.

"The chief constable has made it clear that BNP members are not welcome in the GMP. No police officer or member of police staff may be in the BNP and anyone found to be a member is likely to be dismissed."

Asked if there were serving police officers who were also BNP members, Phil Edwards, a spokesman for the extremist organisation, said: "I believe there are."

Guardian