Nazi salutes amid fiasco for EDL’s so-called ‘Angels’

Click on image for full-size

Angels Demo Degenerates into Homophobic Abuse and Nazi Salutes

The first national mobilisation by the English Defence League’s so-called “Angels” women’s division presented a farcical spectacle at Downing Street [last week], with women EDL members heavily outnumbered by men.

The EDL is an organisation of racists and fascists – and its “Angels” division is no exception – so UAF organised a counter-protest, led by women antifascists. But when the so-called ‘Angels’ arrived, they were only around 100-strong, despite pulling in EDL members from as far away as Coventry – and only around 15 or 20 of them were women!

The true nature of the EDL was on display as one of the fascists gave Hitler’s “sieg heil” salute.

On the counter-protest, women antifascists made up a majority of demonstrators, with young women, trade unionists and pensioners, black, white and Asian, all determined to voice their opposition to the racists and fascists of the EDL.

The national banner of the PCS civil servants’ union, RMT rail union flags, and banners and placards from women’s groups were on proud display on the upbeat and noisy UAF counter-protest. As it became clear that the “Angels” had failed to show on what was supposededly their own demo, the antifascsists began to chant “Where are the women?” and “Where’s your angels gone?” alongside “Black and white, unite and fight” and “EDL go to hell, take your Nazi mates as well”.

The overwhelmingly male EDL members showed what they really think of women – and gave the lie to their claims to support LGBT people – with chants of “lesbian scum” and “back to the kitchen”. Individual antifascist women were called “dykes” by EDL members in a further display of sexism and homophobia.

The EDL’s poisonous politics have nothing to offer women – or men. Last Saturday’s fiasco shows what a lie it is when the EDL claims to support women’s rights.

Click on image for full-size

Pics by Kelvin Williams

Unite Against Fascism

Thanks to NewsHound for the heads-up

BNP leader Nick Griffin to be mocked at Pride London, tomorrow

British National Party leader Nick Griffin will be satirised and mocked at London's Gay Pride parade, tomorrow

British National Party leader Nick Griffin will be satirised and mocked at London's Gay Pride parade, tomorrow. Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell will march at the front of the parade with a placard featuring a doctored image of Nick Griffin with blue eye shadow, red lipstick and pink swastika earrings, captioned with the words: 'Nick Griffin, Queen of Fascism. Homophobe. No to BNP.'

Tatchell is a Patron of Pride London and helped organise Britain's first ever Gay Pride march in 1972. Speaking to PinkPaper.com, he said: "Griffin and the BNP are tin-pot fascists who deserve to be mocked and ridiculed. I'm satirising Griffin to debunk his grand political pretensions and to skewer his claim to respectability and legitimacy. He's a joke and my placard reflects that.

"Griffin has a long history of homophobia. His party is notorious for its racism, anti-Semitism, holocaust denial and Islamophobia. A disturbing number of past and present BNP members have criminal convictions for violence," he added. "The BNP has fought previous general elections on a pledge to outlaw homosexuality, jail gay people and to bring back Section 28. It has described AIDS as 'nature taking revenge' on gay men."

Pink Paper

Polish Neo-Nazi web site editors get prison sentences

A District Court in the western city of Wroclaw has sentenced three editors of the neo-Nazi Redwatch web site for propagating racism.

Mariusz T. from the southern city of Bielsko-Biala, Andrzej P. from the coastal city of Swinoujscie and Bartosz B. from the northern town of Slupsk were sentenced to up to one and half year in prison for promoting a totalitarian regime in Poland and encouraging hatred towards people of different ethnic origin, nationality, race and religion.

The Polish Redwatch site included a so-called “death list” containing personal data of people who ‘supported’ homosexuality. In July 2006, Polish police shut down the website after a political activist whose name was on the list was stabbed.

The Redwatch web site belongs to a British fascist organization “Blood and Honour”, which has branches in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland.

Redwatch publishes photographs and personal information of left-wing, anarchist, anti-fascist, gay and feminist activists. It also popularizes racial hatred and incites violence against people called “enemies of the race”.

thenews.pl

Police crackdown on hate crime across London

Raids across London have been carried out by the Metropolitan Police as part of an operation to crackdown on hate crime

A number of officers simultaneously raided properties across the city at about 0000 BST on Tuesday. Seventy-seven people have been arrested for a range of offences including serious assault and harassment. More arrests are expected to be made later. The action comes a day after the International Day Against Homophobia.

The raids are aimed at bringing hate crime offenders to justice. Police are particularly focusing their attentions on homophobic and domestic violence within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. Between March 2009 and April 2010 there were 51,839 domestic violence offences, 9,914 racial offences and 1,336 homophobic offences committed in London. To crack down on such offences the Met has about 230 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Liaison officers supporting police work.

Det Supt Darren Williams said: "Today's operations represent part of the proactive approach the MPS take to bring those responsible to justice. We know that all hate crime is under reported and this remains a challenge for us. We will continue to work hard to gain the trust and confidence of all communities so that victims feel that they can come forward and tell police. My message to all victims is that if you feel you can't tell the police - tell someone."

BBC

BNP supporter in court today over election assault charge

A supporter of the British National Party is due to appear in court today after allegedly attacking a gay Conservative candidate at the UK's local elections, earlier this month

A supporter of the British National Party is due to appear in court today after allegedly attacking a gay Conservative candidate at the UK's local elections, earlier this month. Desmond OFlynn, 45, is said to have attacked the openly-homosexual Tory candidate on the evening of 6 May.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service told PinkPaper.com: "We can confirm that a 45-year-old man f.rom Mitcham Park, Mitcham has been charged with a section 4A public order offence. He will appear on bail at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court today, 18 May. This follows an incident at Canons Leisure Centre in Mitcham on 6 May."

Pink Paper

BNP "too racist" for black vicar

A black reverend who defected from the BNP because it was “too racist” is standing in the general election as a Christian Party candidate for the Croydon Central seat.

Reverend James Gitau, 63 from West Croydon, joined the BNP and went on the campaign trail on April 10 with Nick Griffin in Barking and Dagenham, the constituency where he is standing.

The Kenyan, who moved to Britain in 1997, said: “I actually decided to join them when they opened up for all races. I campaigned for them to open up to other races. I asked them to give me one of the constituency seats in Croydon and they refused so I decided to leave. I also realised then that they were too racist.”

Rev Gitau will be standing against BNP candidate Cliff Le May in Croydon Central who has come under fire for his racist views.

He wrote to London Mayor Boris Johnson asking him to “stop ruining our community by stuffing New Addington with violent immigrants who have no right to live among decent civilised white people” and called Gavin Barwell a traitor to his “race and nation” for the Conservative’s immigration policy.

Rev Gitau, who is affiliated to the United Holy Church of America, said he was approached by the Christian Party on April 17 who encouraged him to leave the BNP and join their party. However, he said he still gave advice to BNP leader Nick Griffin. He said: “I am giving him advice and telling him that racism is not the way forward.”

Mr Gitau said he told Nick Griffin there should be immigration controls but “genuine immigrants” should be allowed into the country. Rev Gitau said one of the reasons he campaigned to join the BNP was because it was “the only party that boldly speaks against sodomy in public”.

However, he hastened to add, he was not homophobic. He said: “I preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and he preaches against homosexuality. I don’t hate homosexuals, I love them. They are my friends, they are human beings. We should love them but teach them to be better people.”

Rev Gitau said he wanted homosexuals in Croydon to vote for him “because we are all sinners”.

Croydon Guardian

BNP attacks 'morals' of gay MP

A BNP leader has publicly criticised a Sussex MP for being homosexual and has called for kissing between men in public to be outlawed

A BNP leader has publicly criticised a Sussex MP for being homosexual and has called for kissing between men in public to be outlawed. Nick Prince, the leader of the BNP in East Sussex who is standing for parliament in Hastings, launched the verbal attack on Greg Barker, the Conservative MP for Bexhill. Barker last year made headlines when he left his wife and children to enter a gay relationship.

Speaking to local paper the Bexhill Observer, Prince criticised both gay adoption and same-sex public displays of affection such as kissing. He then turned on Mr Barker, saying:

“In the case of Greg Barker, it is a question of morals and honesty. He went to the electorate a married man with a nice young family but now he goes to the electorate five years later a homosexual man. I don’t believe it to be homophobic to raise this issue when we are talking about a guy in his early forties – it is a little late in life to be confused.”

Mr Barker, who has a majority of more than 13,000, responded by saying that the BNP was ‘beyond the pale’ but that he didn’t intend to enter a debate of that nature. The BNP are planning to field a local candidate in his constituency.

Prince's comments come after BNP leader Nick Griffin told an interviewer recently that his party had become more gay friendly.

Pink Paper

Banned, play that challenged the BNP

Dudley council accused of caving in to far right after pulling plug on 'Moonfleece'

A critically acclaimed play about the British National Party and homophobia which has toured the most racially sensitive areas of the country in an effort to "start a conversation about the far right" has been barred from a stage in Dudley for fear of community disapproval.

The play's production team yesterday expressed their dismay at the decision to pull Moonfleece from the Mill Theatre in Dudley's Dormston Centre, and claimed the move was tantamount to appeasing right-wing and BNP sympathisers. The play – the latest offering from the controversial Philip Ridley – was scheduled to be staged in the West Midlands on Thursday, two days before a rally by the far-right group the English Defence League is due to take place in the same town.

Last week, the producer, Will Young, received a message from the theatre informing him that, after lengthy discussions, it had decided not to stage the play for fear of offending the local community. Yesterday, Dudley council said: "The booking was cancelled as the school (in which the theatre is based) did not feel some of the issues raised within the play were suitable for a school and community setting."

Ridley told The Independent that he was outraged by the "hypocrisy" of the decision and said he was "heart-broken" that the play would not be staged in an area where its racial issues were relevant. This month the play opened in east London near Barking and Dagenham, which polled 19.4 per cent in favour of the BNP in last year's European elections.

Young said they had deliberately planned a tour that took in areas where the BNP was popular – Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham, Doncaster and Dudley – before returning to London in April for stints at the Riverside Studios and Greenwich Theatre. Some residents in Dudley recently began a protest aimed at the building of a mosque, which was finally refused planning permission.

"It's about homophobia and racism and he [Ridley] didn't want it to play in a theatre made up of your usual theatre-goers, who are relatively removed from the issues to which the play relates. So we went looking for areas with people who are not big theatre audiences," added Young. He said he had been told by the theatre that the area had very strong support for the BNP and there was concern about complaints from this faction.

Moonfleece centres on a young, right-wing activist who is forced to reassess his beliefs as the brutality of the new-look BNP is exposed, and has a multi-cultural cast including Sean Verey and Krupa Pattani. David Mercatali, the play's director, said he was "extremely disappointed" by the decision, especially as the play had sparked interesting reactions in the areas it had already shown, which include Bradford and Birmingham's Aston area.

Independent

The Mayer of Pigtown

Why does pop star John Mayer think racism is funny? asks Alexander Billet

John Mayer (pictured left) is the musical equivalent of Wonderbread: flashy packaging covering a complete lack of taste, substance and anything vaguely nourishing. And very, very white.

There are plenty of media outlets trying to downplay Mayer's comments in a recent Playboy interview. For the likes of TMZ and Rolling Stone, Mayer's crack about having a "nigger pass" and the disturbing notion that he has a "David Duke cock" are "all in good fun." To most of the mainstream press, the fact that he was supposedly making a joke that he is now sorry for is where the matter ends.

None of them are getting at the heart of the issue. To them, the fact that Mayer made a public apology at his concert on February 10 is enough, and time to let bygones be bygones. They're willing to accept his argument that the majority of his touring group is African American, which must be the pop-star version of "I can't be a racist because some of my best friends are Black."

None are willing to point out that his idea of "wit" is likely to offend the very people whose music laid the groundwork for Mayer's entire catalog. In recent years, his music has become much more influenced by blues and R&B (albeit in their most watered-down forms).

If today's music industry treated these musical genres with any respect, this fact alone might have made for a double indictment against Mayer. But that's not the case, so the singer was let off the hook. But this is par for the course for the mainstream media. For them, history and current events happen separately, and comments like Mayer's are best swept under the rug because they're ultimately harmless and have little to do with the rest of the world.

It's an outlook that even seems to have influenced some on the left. Jay Smooth, host of WBAI's Underground Railroad and one of the best alternative pop culture commentators out there, posted a video blog on his Nil Doctrine Web site in which he insists that focusing so much on Mayer's comments can mean that we're likely to "forget that a whole bunch of the biggest race questions - the ones that impact our lives the most and that we most need to change - are the ones that don't manifest in the form of words or people's emotions. A lot of the most important race issues are institutional, systemic, structural issues."

In one sense, Smooth is right. Racism, sexism and homophobia run a lot deeper than just bad ideas or insensitive words. But letting John Mayer's frat-talk fall by the wayside is to miss the connection between the institutional and the day to day. They may just be the words of a camera-hungry rock star, but in an economically unstable world where race can easily become the new fault line, they can have much wider ramifications.

In fact, entire movements have been touched off by similar comments. During the summer of 1976, when an economic slump had most of the planet in its grip, rock god Eric Clapton took the stage of the Odeon Theater in Birmingham, England, and launched into a drunken racist screed. Blaming Black immigrants for the sorry state of the Empire, he insisted that Britain was on its way to becoming a "black colony," and vowed support for arch-racist and former Member of Parliament Enoch Powell. (A favorite slogan of British racists back in that time was "I'm with Enoch!")

For Clapton, whose career was built on Black music, to make such a statement was the worst kind of rank and hateful hypocrisy. His career had hit a slump before his cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff." But given that a fascist group like the National Front was at the time trolling the streets of Britain and gaining votes at the ballot box, Clapton's comments were especially dangerous.

This spurred a group of music lovers and activists to write an open letter to Clapton published in Britain's largest music rags. The letter lambasted Clapton: "Come on, Eric. Half your music is black. You're rock music's biggest colonist...P.S. Who shot the sheriff, Eric? It sure as hell wasn't you!"

The letter also called for the formation of a grassroots group mobilized against the "racist poison music" that would become Rock Against Racism. RAR managed to organize a full-on movement, joining forces with the Anti-Nazi League to push back the National Front and bring out some of music's most militant voices - from the Clash to the Specials to X-Ray Spex.

Now, Mayer didn't call for everyone to vote for Sarah Palin. Clapton, drunk though he might have been, was being serious, while Mayer intended his comments as a joke. But it would be irresponsible to say there aren't consequences for what Mayer said in these volatile times. Barack Obama's frustrating inability to deliver on any of the "change" he promised has opened the door for some of this country's less savory elements to exploit the presence of a Black president.

In their heads, the debilitating recession is the fault of affirmative action, "illegal" immigrants, "welfare queens" and entitlement programs. The momentum that their thinly veiled racism can be seen clearly at everything from Minutemen patrols to Tea Party conventions.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that far-right hate groups are growing right now. Fascist groups have become increasingly brazen in staking a public presence from Los Angeles to Atlanta. Recently, the neo-Nazi National Socialist Front announced their intention to demonstrate in Chicago on March 21--a date originally chosen by the anti-apartheid movement to highlight South Africa's oppression of Blacks.

Legitimate anger in times of economic crisis can easily be taken advantage of by bigots. Music, far from being separated from the rest of the world, is bound to reflect these kinds of contradictions. What we need is a movement that can challenge racism, sexism and homophobia head on--a movement that can mobilize the power of beats against bigotry in the streets, on the stage and in the music press.

Alexander Billet's music blog is Rebel Frequencies.

Socialist Worker

Thanks to NewsHound for the heads-up

BBC news website asks users: 'Should homosexuals face execution?'

The BBC's Have Your Say talkboard

Talkboard post seeks readers' views ahead of interactive World Service programme Africa Have Your Say

The BBC today asked users of its news website "Should homosexuals face execution?" on a talkboard discussion for a World Service programme for African listeners. Posted on a BBC News premoderated talkboard, the thread was designed to provoke discussion ahead of the latest edition of interactive World Service programme Africa Have Your Say.

"Yes, we accept it is a stark and disturbing question, but this is the reality behind an anti-homosexuality bill being debated on Friday by the Ugandan parliament which would see some homosexual offences punishable by death," the post said.

The talkboard post asked users to send in their views to the programme, which goes out on the World Service and is also available online.

"Has Uganda gone too far? Should there be any level of legislation against homosexuality? Should homosexuals be protected by legislation as they are in South Africa? What would be the consequences of this bill to you? How will homosexual 'offences' be monitored?," the post added.

Premoderated posts included one from Chris, Guildford, posted at 8.59am, which attracted 51 recommendations of support. He wrote: "Totally agree. Ought to be imposed in the UK too, asap. Bring back some respectable family values. Why do we have to suffer 'gay pride' festivals? Would I be allowed to organise a 'straight pride' festival? No, thought as much!! If homosexuality is natural, as we are forced to believe, how can they sustain the species? I suggest all gays are put on a remote island somewhere and left for a generation - after which, theoretically there should be none left!"

Another, from Aaron in Freetown, said: "Bravo to the Ugandans for this wise decision, a bright step in eliminating this menace from your society. We hope other African nations will also follow your bold step."

The Africa Have Your Say programme aired at 4pm today. By 5.30pm, the headline of the discussion had been changed to "Should Uganda debate gay execution?".

Liliane Landor, the BBC World Service acting head of Africa region, defended the radio programme and talkboard post, saying it allowed gays and lesbians from Uganda, whose voices have never been heard in the UK, to talk with dignity about the impact the legislation would have on their lives.

The show also included the opinion of those who supported the anti-homosexual legislation, including religious leaders, she said. "The programme was a dignified exchange between people who have differing beliefs," Landor added.

Landor said that the World Service realised that the headline on the talkboard was blunt, but it was carefully put in context. "We wanted to frame the question starkly, in order to reflect the stark reality of the Ugandan bill," she added.

The BBC Pride board, composed of gay and lesbian staff at the corporation, lobbied the World Service to change the headline and close discussion "to minimise negative reflection on the BBC".

Eric Joyce, the Labour MP for Falkirk, labelled the post "more than offensive". "It's completely unacceptable. And it's mainly British people replying," he said on Twitter.

The talkboard post is understood to have been written by a female member of the BBC World Service Africa bureau. The World Service, which broadcasts in 32 languages on TV, radio and the web, is part of BBC Global News, but funded by the Foreign Office.

Guardian

BNP targeted wrong Asian peer

The British National Party mixed up two members of the House of Lords during a hate campaign waged on the internet, it has been revealed

Lord Patel of Blackburn (Lab) told peers of his experiences with the ultra-nationalist group during the debate on the Queen's Speech yesterday.

"I am myself a great lover of the internet and all that it brings, although I did have some problems of my own last year when I came into conflict with a number of supporters of a certain party recently represented on Question Time," he told the House. Lord Patel said he had refused to meet with BNP and "found myself the subject of an intense and somewhat vulgar internet campaign".

"I remember, over the whole weekend, reading pages and pages of internet blogs calling me any number of names and epitaphs, none of which I can repeat here," he said. "The culmination of this was on the Sunday evening, at the height of this small trouble, when I came across a front-page piece all about me - where I was born, what school I went to, what jobs and roles I have had over the years.

"Becoming slightly unnerved, I continued to the end of this long document, and I suppose that I was somewhat relieved to find that my detractors had not done their homework as well as I had thought. In their final attempt to disgrace me, they had published a picture of me. However, when I scrolled down to look at the picture, I saw that it was not a picture of me. It was a picture of my friend from the crossbenches, the noble Lord, Lord Patel.

"Well, I thought that it was easy to mistake one name for another. But perhaps they had gone a tad too far by suggesting that all peers look the same."

Lord Patel said he hoped his namesake, renowned physician Lord Patel of Dunkeld in Perth and Kinross, "did not suffer any difficulties from this". He then drew attention to the murders of four gay men in London and "a dramatic increase in homophobic attacks".

"This kind of hate crime, which is deplored by the vast majority of people, must not be allowed to continue," he said. "We have to turn our backs on those who seek to drive division and hatred between us and who would see our great country turn in on itself and away from the universal rights that so many have fought for and lost their lives defending."

ePolitix

Campaign urges LGBT voters to stop BNP gaining in European elections

Anti-fascist magazine Searchlight has launched a new campaign urging LGBT voters to help prevent the British National Party from gaining a foothold in the European elections. The campaign, called HOPE Not Hate, is encouraging voters to exercise their democratic right on June 4th so that the controversial party cannot gain seats in the European parliament.

Anthony McCaul, of the Manchester branch of the campaign, told the Lesbian and Gay Foundation that everyone should challenge the BNP. He said: "HOPE Not Hate Manchester is all about bringing together people from across Manchester to stand up for our city and stand against the racist, homophobic BNP. HOPE Not Hate is a broad coalition of faith groups, community organisations, individuals, trade unions, celebrities, businesses and political parties which has come together to encourage as many people as possible to vote in the European elections on June 4th."

He added: "HOPE Not Hate is not about telling people who to vote for, that's up to everyone. What we are about is making sure that the vast majority of decent, tolerant Mancunians understand that the only way to defeat the BNP and stop them gaining a seat in this years Euro elections is to get out there and vote."

Last month, deputy leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman told PinkNews.co.uk that the expected low turn-out in the European Elections may give parties such as the BNP a greater chance of winning seats. She said: "There's no doubt about it that the BNP are homophobic and reactionary, as well as racist. We saying that that should be a major motivation for people to vote."

Pink News

The Hope not hate 'Pride not prejudice' leaflet uncovers the continuing homophobia within the BNP and explains why the LGBT community must vote. A5 double sided, full colour. You can download the leaflet (237kb pdf) here or order it here.

Homophobia: the forgotten hate crime

New report says that the abuse and violence suffered by lesbians and gay men is on the rise

Michael Causer's only crime was to be openly gay. For this the trainee hairdresser was dragged from his bed last July and viciously beaten. His piercings were forcibly removed with a knife, according to some witnesses. He died nine days later in hospital from brain injuries.

Tomorrow James O'Connor, 19, will be sentenced after admitting the murder of the 18-year-old in Liverpool, in a case which, campaigners say, illustrates a rising and little-reported tide of homophobia in Britain.

New research to be published next week reveals widespread anecdotal evidence that gay and lesbian people experience severe daily harassment and abuse which they do not report to the police. The survey shows that, although society's attitude towards gay and lesbian people appears to be more tolerant, bubbling beneath the surface, and often unreported, is a stream of abuse and harassment.

Earlier this month, Gerald Edwards, 59, was stabbed to death in the home in Bromley, Kent, that he shared with his partner, Chris Bevan, who was seriously injured in what police believe was a homophobic attack.

Next week's report, published by the charity Galop, the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence and Policing Group and the Metropolitan Police, found that homophobic hate crime is seriously under-reported, partly because of out-of-date contact numbers and addresses, but also because of fears of reprisals and a belief that the police don't take them seriously.

But those incidents that are reported to lesbian and gay groups can take place in daylight, often feature casual violence and verbal abuse, and frequently take the form of persistent bullying from neighbours. Researchers found that nearly half of all victims reporting to lesbian and gay organisations knew their aggressor.

Over a quarter of all incidents involved physical violence. Figures from the Met show that in the last year reported homophobic hate crime in London has risen by more than 5 per cent, from 1,008 to 1,062 incidents. London's gay and lesbian population is thought to stand at around 750,000.

National figures on homophobic incidents are not collected by the Home Office, however. A survey by Stonewall, the gay rights charity, published last year found that one in five gay people had been the victim of a hate crime in the last three years.

Stonewall also published a report earlier this month which revealed a "deeply alarming" amount of homophobia in schools. The report is the largest survey of both primary and secondary schoolteachers on the issue of homophobic bullying.

Called The Teachers' Report, it showed that around 150,000 pupils are affected by anti-gay bullying. Not only are children who are thought to be gay victims of name-calling and abuse, but pupils are picked out because they are boys who work hard or girls who play sport or because they have gay parents.

Nine in 10 secondary school teachers and two in five primary school teachers said pupils experience homophobic bullying, even if they are not gay.

Deborah Gold, chief executive of Galop, said: "Homophobic and transphobic crime is certainly not going down. Whether it's going up or whether there's increased reporting is hard to say. But it is as significant a problem as it always has been.

"On the face of it there's increased acceptance [of gay people], but when you look at homophobic bullying in schools or the abuse people face when they are leaving their homes from neighbours or kids shouting at them, it's a significant problem."

IoS

Hypocrisy, homophobia and lesbian BNP organiser Donna Hancock

This article was submitted by one of our readers, Hexapla. We welcome any contributions from our supporters (as long as those contributions conform to the law and are in reasonably good taste). Please send your articles to us via email.

To add to its distasteful racism, anti-Semitism and residual anti-Catholicism, the BNP is an unequivocally homophobic party. The BNP views homosexuality in the same terms as it views the white working class: both are regarded as internal threats to the purity and strength of the White race and Britain. Given this, it is quite surprising to find married heterosexual and BNP Worcestershire Organiser Donna Hancock not only proclaim herself to be an open lesbian but that she intends to wed her girlfriend and take her to the BNP annual piss-up, the Red, White and Blue ‘festival’. If anything, Donna Hancock is making a big mistake and should brace herself for the inevitable backlash from the BNP rank-and-file.

The hypocrisy

Along with husband Lee Hancock (a BNP candidate), Donna Hancock operates the BNP blog, Worcestershire Nationalist. Despite Donna Hancock proclaiming herself as the BNP’s only open gay organiser, we find the following homophobic statements on the Worcestershire Nationalist blog directed at one of Britain’s leading anti-fascist activists, Denise Garside, herself an openly gay women (in addition to other homophobic writings):

“the lesbian Garside”, “Garside a fucking dyke”, “LGPA (Lesbian and Gay Police Association) = Looks Good Patently Aesthetic”

BNP Worcestershire Organiser Donna Hancock’s lesbian postings

Posting on the lesbian forum LoveGirls.co.uk (‘For girls who love girls’), Donna Hancock claims that not only can a lesbian be a raving fascist but that she also plans to take her girlfriend to the BNP’s Red, White and Blue festival:

“Hi, this issue bugs me loads. I'm a political animal and when I inform others of this there is often an automatic assumption that because of my lesbian preferences my political leanings must be of a liberal or leftist persuasion. In fact my political views are what could be termed on the right if one uses arguably out-dated political mapping. Anyway, I am planning to attend the BNP's RWB (Red White and Blue festival) in Derbyshire in August. Bet my g/f and I will be the only gay women present (just like last year although we did not go around asking or advertising ourselves as such!!) but why should this be so? Gay women have a lot to offer and this applies across the political spectrum. Please join me in fighting against the political stereotyping of gay women! It's all hands on deck as we battle encroaching liberal-fascism!”

Incredibly, Donna Hancock then tries to spin an image of the BNP as non-homophobic:

“From what I can gather about BNP attitudes, there are no more homophobes in its ranks than in any other Party and actually, suprisingly enough to anyone who believes that a so-called far right Party would be anti-gay”

As we show below, not only is Donna Hancock in denial over the BNP’s homophobia but is either a liar or overwhelmingly naive about the BNP. Donna Hancock goes on to regal us with the colours and styles of pubic hair that she and her girlfriend sport as well as the fascist-inspired tattoos she has on her genitals (she also says that “I am butch and I used to sign off my emails and texts 'the cock' (short form of my surname). Sort of gave it away I guess!”). Donna Hancock also tells us of her plan to wed her girlfriend, something, as detailed below, the BNP are definitely opposed to:

“Can anyone recommend a lesbian-friendly wedding planner? I'm in the West Midlands but I suppose my big day could be arranged from a laptop in the Outer Hebrides if need be!”

But, Donna Hancock then admits to fearing her family’s homophobia:

“I don't think that some of my relatives have even sussed that I am a lesbian ... I can't help but feel sort of gagged as these people are my family and I don't want to fall out with them ... How on earth do you come out to your dearest relatives when you know that they will not accept it in a million years?”

If Donna Hancock fears the reaction of her family, then she should defiantly fear the reaction of her fellow BNP members.

The BNP’s pure, unrefined homophobia

The BNP’s only elected member of the London Assembly, Richard Barnbrook, condemned homosexuality in the following terms:

“There is a close analogy here with homosexuality. No one knows what causes some individuals to do what the majority of any healthy society places on a scale somewhere between distasteful and abhorrent, but some individuals will behave in that way whatever the bulk of popular opinion ... [in] the present circumstances where such "alternative lifestyle choices" are presented as valid – even superior – by the most powerful behavioural modification programme in human history”

This homophobia has been translated in murderous violence. Former BNP member, David Copeland, bombed the Soho gay pub, Admiral Duncan, killing three people in a homophobic terrorist attack. David Copeland said his act was inspired by the BNP leadership. Readers can click on this link for a picture of David Copeland with master homophobe, BNP founder and leader John Tyndall. This is what BNP leader Nick Griffin said about the anti-gay Admiral Duncan bombing in the BNP’s then official magazine, Spearhead (June 1999):

“TV footage of …gay demonstrators flaunting their perversion in front of journalists showed why so many ordinary people find these creatures so repulsive”

David Copeland is not the only BNP-linked person to have carried out homophobic violence. In an April 2000 interview, BNP Thurrock organiser Dave Strickson boasted of attacking gays and lesbians in what he termed “queer-bashing” in Leicester Square. Further, BNP councillor Ian Meller was arrested as part of an armed fascist gang who attempted to attack a Gay Pride march in Leicester.

Writing in the BNP’s magazine, Identity (December 2003), BNP leader Nick Griffin denounced homosexuality as “form of behavioural deviancy”, “not a valid lifestyle choice” and “homosexuality is wrong” that “needs to be pushed humanely but firmly back into the closet”. Nick Griffin then issues this warning to gays and lesbians: if they continue to “press their aims further” there will be an “almighty backlash” which will result in the imprisonment of homosexuals in Britain. Nick Griffin has even advocated ways of criminalising gays and lesbians:

“There's plenty of people making soap operas that present homosexuality as a wonderful lifestyle, which as a matter of fact it very often isn't .. So if you fined or even imprisoned a BBC filmmaker for breaching those laws, then it's not persecuting a homosexual necessarily, it's persecuting someone for breaking those laws”

The BNP’s Director of Publicity (and former head of Young BNP) Mark Collett went on to call gay and lesbians: "AIDS Monkeys", "bum bandits" and "faggots" and said the idea of homosexuality was a "sickening thought". Also, that AIDS is a “friendly disease because blacks, drug users and gays have it”. Not surprisingly, a BNP spokesman told the gay newspaper PinkNews that:

“Some unfortunate people suffer from homosexuality so we will just have to tolerate them. If I was one I would be ashamed and would remain celibate”

The BNP’s founder John Tyndall in his official Dagenham by-election leaflet promised that the BNP would ban all funding to gay and lesbian groups. BNP London organiser Nick Eriksen even went on to claim that gays and lesbians attempt to convert heterosexuals to homosexuality:

"It therefore follows however that I do not approve of those who proselytise in favour of homosexuality or ‘homosexual rights’, or who parade proclaiming their homosexuality to the world"

The BNP’s website also carries the following homophobic policy:

“On the other hand the BNP is not blinded or cowed by political correctness and recognises that homosexuality, which affects less than 2% of the population, is not the norm and that homosexual relationships do not produce offspring – essential to the survival of a people and a nation. We therefore believe in a policy of tolerance to all forms of adult sexuality, but homosexuality should not be promoted or encouraged. The BNP ... is opposed to the flaunting or celebrating of homosexuality which ‘civil partnerships’ represent. We believe that the government should adopt a more neutral position towards homosexuality rather than aiding and encouraging it by passing legislation specifically and solely designed to favour it”

So, will Donna Hancock still persist in her myopic belief that the BNP will accept gay persons such as herself? When will she stop propagating the lie that the BNP can accept gays and lesbians? Is her hatred for non-Whites so overwhelming that she’s prepared to throw her lot in with an organisation that despises her too? Is this a turkey voting for Christmas?

Donna Hancock and her BNP husband Lee Hancock


The not so 'indigenous White' Donna Hancock and her Jewish roots

On the lesbian forum LoveGirls.co.uk, Donna Hancock admits to being East European Jewish in origin (not a good thing in the BNP) on her mother’s side:

“Tell me about it! I'm jewish on my mother's side ... They even talk about 'nice jewish boys' they want to introduce me to. I hear them 'kvetching' (complaining) ... Oy vey! ... All I want is 'a maidel mit a klaidel'. (trad yiddish for a woman in a pretty dress). Gezundheit to all reading this!”

Yet, posting on the Worcester News website, Donna Hancock gives the deliberate impression that she’s 100% White indigenous Briton when she writes:

“As to who are the indigenous Britons: The most up to date genetic studies have shown that three quarters of all British people are direct descendants of the first inhabitants of the British Isles that came here at the end of the last Ice Age, around 13,000 years ago, from the Iberian Peninsula .. There were later invasions and less violent immigrations which left a small genetic signal but no individual event contributed even a tenth of our modern genetic mix. So we are in fact an extremely homogenous people and indeed the indigenous, aboriginal people of this land. And as such, we have just as much right to fight for our interests in our homeland as other indigenous people around the world are encouraged and applauded for doing”

Donna Hancock dissimulation is further compounded by the following racist statement against Eastern Europeans on the Worcestershire Nationalist blog:

“They [Eastern Europeans] may be White, my comrades, but they have a completely different culture. And the hardships they faced in their own countries make them opportunists in ours”

One minority attacks another minority

Is Donna Hancock an inconsistent enigma? We ask this question because in the following posting on the Evening Standard website, Donna Hancock seems to be arguing for equal rights for non-White lesbians:

“Ken has not done nearly enough for us gay women! Where are the gay women in prominent positions within the Labour Party, let alone in the canteens of London? And there are sizeable numbers of lesbians who happen to be BME [Black and Ethnic Minority] -where are the support network for gay BME women fleeing from prejudice within their communities? After all, there's lots of support for heterosexual women fleeing forced marriages! - Donna Hancock, UK”

Yet, in a posting on the BNP’s website Donna Hancock rants against non-Whites as “the advancing dark hordes”:

“I’ve always thought that the best way to destroy something is to take the p*** out of it. “The Life of Brian” did a lot to destroy Christianity. I never thought I’d hear myself saying this, but we’ve got to support Christianity against the advancing dark hordes because, in reality, what sounds better to you? The sound of church bells, or the sound of wailing Muslims? We’re talking about the destruction of 2,000 years of religious history here. Not to mention such places as Avebury and Stonehenge. These sites have a huge cultural significance to us all that outweigh any islamic prayers, because these sites are linked to the ancient gods of Europe. Our gods stem from the beliefs of the Germanic people, and the people that built these ancient sites are our people. Anyway, is it just me or does Rowan Williams look a bit/ a lot Satanic? :D”

Donna Hancock in denial

Some BNP members claim that Donna Hancock is, like BNP deputy leader Simon Darby, a MI5 agent. It is pointed out that within a relatively short period of time Donna Hancock has been elevated to three senior positions within the BNP: BNP Worcestershire Organiser, the BNP’s national enquires team and the BNP’s membership team. But, we’ve got a more plausible explanation. As we all know, the BNP is renowned for a being a party of slavish political correctness. Indeed, the BNP proudly boasts of its equal opportunities program for marginalised minorities such as married heterosexual, part-Jewish and part-Eastern European lesbians such as Donna Hancock. The BNP must have stumbled across Donna Hancock when they read her post in which she complains about persons like her being grossly under-represented in British politics:

“As a gay woman, I would like to know what Ken and Boris plan to do for me - lesbians are terribly under-represented in most fields. And why the stereotype of the left-wing butch dyke (although I'm proud to be a teensy bit butch). My girlfriend and I happen to be right of centre politically”

Don’t worry Donna you’ll do fine in the BNP. It's full of misfits like you, so you should feel at home! You're a great advert for the BNP's much touted family values policy. We just hope that you were holding your girlfriend’s hand at the Red, White and Blue festival.

¡No Pasarán!

Councillors clash over parish poll for mayor

The BNP and Independents have clashed over a parish poll on whether Morley should have a directly elected mayor.

Coun Robert Finnigan, Morley Borough Independents leader, attacked the BNP for their support of a poll while Mike Mee, the BNP member who seconded the call for a parish poll, has hit back. Speaking at Morley Town Council's last full meeting, Coun Finnigan said: "This is not about democracy, it is personal. It is a vindictive attack on the Mayor of Morley, Coun Terry Grayshon, driven by homophobic elements that always have a home with the BNP."

He launched his attack after Coun Joanna Beverley (BNP, Elmfield) said she would not support a resolution proposed by Coun Tom Leadley (MBI, Scatcherd) saying the town council opposed a parish poll about a directly elected mayor. She said she was supporting democracy.

On June 30 a parish meeting was held where it was decided, on the votes of 14 people, a request would go to Leeds City Council asking for a poll into whether voters in the town wished to elect their mayor.

At the meeting of the town council on July 9 all the councillors except Coun Beverley voted to express the council's disapproval of spending £14,000 of town council money on a poll followed by £36,000 for a mayoral election, followed by a further £18,000 to hold an election every year. After the meeting, Mike Mee, who had at the parish meeting seconded the call for a parish poll, hit back at Robert Finnigan.

He said: "Robert Finnigan decided to launch a ridiculous attack on the BNP. He tried to claim the moves to deliver democracy by electing a mayor were simply a nasty BNP plot, aimed at getting rid of Terry Grayshon just because he is gay. This is a disgraceful and frankly pathetic line for Robert Finnigan to pursue."

He added: "Regarding the allegations of homophobia, neither myself nor anyone from the BNP in Morley or further afield has ever attacked Terry Grayshon for being gay. For Finnigan to bring this up smacks of utter desperation, and appears to be a rather blatant attempt to impose some kind of victim status on his party."

When contacted by the Observer and Advertiser, Coun Grayshon, who was on his way to a garden party at Buckingham Palace, said: "It hasn't been an issue since 2000 when the town council started but as soon as I become mayor it seems to be a big issue, so it is up to people to make their minds up about what is behind this."

Defending his attack on the BNP, Coun Finnigan said: "Don't judge the BNP by their words, judge them by what they do."

Morley Observer and Advertiser

Lancaster BNP's Chris Hill gets all over-excited at eviction

Eviction from Lancaster University student's SCAM forum, that is!

A couple of years ago, a bunch of Lancaster University students got together to form an online alternative to the worthy but dull Students' Union newspaper Scan, and eventually came up with a forum which they named SCAM. Everything you might expect to find on it is there - discussions on politics, courses, uni life, music, lust, gossip, booze and so on. All the things in fact, in which one would expect students to show an interest.

As expected before long, someone recently asked the question 'Should the BNP be allowed on Campus?' The usual arguments were aired - 'it's a legitimate political party', 'no platform', 'allow a platform then shoot their arguments down', 'they're not welcome on campus' and so on.

The NUS has a very clear 'no platform' policy regarding fascists, generally followed by the Uni and Lancaster University Students' Union (LUSU) except when corporate crooks want to use the facilities, and Scam appears to actively adhere to this policy. So when Lancaster BNP's Chris Hill, who is a grad student, posted in the 'Should the BNP be allowed on Campus?' thread, the forum administrator acted in a way that would make any anti-fascist (in the NUS or not) proud - immediate deletion of all Hill's posts followed by this unequivocal statement:

'As owner of this website I wish to inform Chris Hill that he is specifically not authorised to post messages on this forum, under his own name or otherwise, and that for him to cause this server to carry out the operations required to post a message will therefore be an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

I would further like to inform him that any such messages he posts will be deleted. Now being aware of this, should he continue to post he should take note that the actions he knows I will take will cause me annoyance and inconvenience. Therefore, posting in this knowledge and to this purpose would be an offence under Section 43 of the Telecommunications Act 1984.

Chris Hill may like to remember that it is not necessary for him to be prosecuted for any law breaking to affect him. The University will doubtless wish to avoid their systems being used for acts which are of questionable legality and may reconsider their provision of services to him in this event.

To everyone else: don’t encourage him, don’t debate him, don’t take actions that support him. Ultimately, this is a privately run site and I’ll not have my money going to spread the message of the BNP.'

Bravo to the site admin/s, whoever he, she or they may be. But Chris Hill has taken great exception to being denied a platform to spread his lies and the BNP's racist filth.

Over on his third-rate blog, he has descended into the usual barrage of abuse that the BNP always indulges itself in when denied a space to preach, throwing the word 'fascism' about with reckless abandon, droning on about his 'right to reply' and free speech (something the BNP denies on many of its own sites - the Chairman's own blog and that of the party's Press Officer to name but two).

This is what Hill had to say:

'Fascism (of the left wing sort that is) is alive and thriving on campus at Lancaster University. The National student union organisation has, for a long time now, had a far left slant to its ruling body. A policy called no platform, which basically allows it to deny free speech to anyone they disagree with, has been introduced by some student unions, although not yet by LUSU (Lancaster University's Student Union)...This is of course the only action these left wing fascist can take when faced with reasoned debate, because they know they would lose in a free and open discussion of policies. Today the local student internet discussion forum removed my right of reply to postings made on its site...The no platform policy is supposed to apply to fascists; the irony is they are the very people who impose it...Can I assure the people running Lancaster’s SCAM forum, your fascist censorship will not in any way stop, or hinder, the growth of the British National Party in Lancaster...'

Quite why Hill imagines the BNP is growing in Lancaster is beyond any rational human. As the graph here plainly shows, the BNP's presence in Lancaster is rapidly waning and, pending another Margaret Hodge stupidity, will continue to do so. However, that's all beside the point. As a commentor points out on Hill's blog; 'It's not just the left who hate the BNP. The right don't like them either...'[and the] student body at large regards a chunk of its manifesto to be gravely offensive...prospective students (be they black, white, purple, blue or green) would be put off Lancaster University if they knew that there was an active BNP group.'

Hill's response is atypically BNP. 'As for the activities of a group on campus putting potential students off coming to Lancaster to study, don’t you think that the potential students might be put off knowing they are not allowed free political association on campus, which by the way is guaranteed by the human rights act.'

Which, for what it's worth, the BNP doesn't and wouldn't under any circumstances subscribe to, although naturally they're prepared to make use of it when it suits them.

Hill then states his case on four sections of BNP policy; race, immigration, homosexual rights and Islam.

On race: 'We do not want to see the mongrelisation of any race...'
Which clearly means that he is opposed to mixed-race relationships, diversity and a multi-cultural society.

On immigration: '...along with the vast majority of British people I would stop all immigration tomorrow.'
Obviously not true or Nick Griffin would have his feet tucked under the table at 10 Downing Street right now.

On homosexual rights: 'My own view is that homosexuality is a mental illness.'
My own view is that Chris Hill is a homophobic idiot who needs to get out more.

On Islam: 'This is not a religion, it’s an evil cult.'
Clearly showing that he's spent more time listening to the insane rants of Nick Griffin instead of investigating Islam through one of Lancaster's friendly mosques.

Hill then makes this strange statement; 'I hold no commission to talk for the British National Party on any issues or policies...'

Er, yes you do. You're the local BNP candidate. If you don't have a commission to talk for the party, who the hell does?

All of which goes to show that fascists believe they have a right to go anywhere and spout their ridiculous opinions, no matter who they offend in the process, that anyone who opposes them is automatically either a raving red or a fascist themselves (or preferably both) and that Chris Hill has no idea of the role a candidate plays within a political party - indicating that for all the smart suits and weasel words the BNP is no nearer to being a political party than I am to being a duck.

Democracy dead In Russia - police and violent neo-Nazis attack Gay Pride march

"I'm not deterred one iota from coming back to protest in Moscow," Peter Tatchell told PinkNews.co.uk from Moscow, just hours after he was attacked by suspected neo-Nazis and then arrested by the Russian riot police the OMON. "

Gay Russians need overseas support to protect them against state and neo-Nazi violence." He was speaking after arrests and violent attacks marred today's attempted Moscow Gay Pride march. The organizer of Moscow Pride, Nikolai Alekseev, is still being detained at Moscow's Tverskoi district police station, together with two prominent members of Russia's Radical and Free Radical parties, Nikolai Khramov and Sergei Konstantinov.

Those who attacked Mr Tatchell are believed to be free, while Mr Alekseev, who took part in a peaceful protest remains in police custodyMr Tatchell told PinkNews.co.uk: "I urge people to protest to the Russian Ambassador and to ask their local MP to send a letter of protest to the Russian embassy.

"He added: "We also need a strong statement of condemnation from the Foreign Office, who have so far been silent. I am a British citizen violently attacked when mounting a lawful protests whilst the Russian police allowed violence to be perpetrated against me.

"A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We condemn violence in any form, but in this particular case we need to ascertain the full facts before making any further comment."Mr Tatchell told PinkNews.co.uk: "There is no rule of law in Moscow. The right to protest does not exist. This is not a democracy."

"Today's protest was about much more than gay rights. We were defending the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest for all Russians, gay and straight. The ban on Moscow Gay Pride is one aspect of a much wider attack on civil society and human rights. It is evidence of a failed transition from communism to democracy and of a rising trend towards autocracy and authoritarianism," he added.

The arrests and assaults took place in front of and opposite Moscow City Hall, as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) campaigners assembled to hold Moscow's Gay Pride march. The first people arrested were Mr Alekseev and German Green Party Member of Parliament Volker Beck. They were seized as they attempted to deliver a letter to Moscow Mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, at City Hall."

After they were driven away in a police bus, marauding gangs of right-wing extremists infiltrated the Gay Pride crowd and began indiscriminately attacking participants. The Moscow police looked on and did nothing," recounted Mr Tatchell.

After unfurling a characteristic placard declaring "GayRights" in both English and Russian, he was attacked by people he suspects of being right-wing extremists. Mr Tatchell said that Moscow riot police, the OMON, stood by while as these people punched Mr Tatchell in the face, throttled him then dragged him to the ground, and kicked him all over his body. Clutching a bloody eye, he was arrested by the riot police. "They arrested me, but let my attackers walk free."

"The Moscow police gave right-wing extremists a more or less free hand to attack Gay Pride marchers. Despite many of us being battered left, right and centre, the police only arrested a handful of the assailants.

"Instead of protecting us from the violence, some officers seemed to be colluding with the neo-Nazis and ultra-nationalists. I saw them freely talking to each other. It has even been suggested that some of the attackers were, in fact, plain clothes police officers," Mr Tatchell reported.

Following his arrest, Mr Tatchell says he was violently dragged to a police bus, where he was put in the intimidating situation of being detained with three anti-gay demonstrators, who had been arrested for other assaults.

"They forced me to sit together with the neo-Nazis, it was clearly an intimidation tactic by the OMON, riot police, they are the ones who detained me in their bus." Mr Tatchell told PinkNews.co.uk. While in the bus, Mr Tatchell was taunted by members of the riot police. They interrogated him as to whether he was gay. When he answered yes, he says that one of the OMON officers said, "Wait until we get you to the police station. Then we will have some fun with you."

Later Mr Tatchell was transferred to an ambulance and taken to hospital where he was treated for injuries to his right eye. "My face is very sore where I was punched. My right eye is badly bruised, swollen and bloodied." Speaking to PinkNews.co.uk 10 hours after the attack, he said: "it hurts. It happens to be the same eye that was I was punched in by Robert Mugabe's violent henchmen in Brussels six years ago."

Mr Tatchell still suffers from sight and pain problems from the Brussels attack. He was discharged at approximately 3:30 pm, and then detained at the Tverskoi district police station in Moscow. Mr Tatchell filed a complaint with the Moscow police about the assault on him, requesting that officers investigate and arrest the assailants." Despite the appalling behaviour of the riot squad and Moscow police, the officer investigating my complaint was diligent, fair and professional."

At 4:30 pm Mr Tatchell was allowed to leave the police station on the condition that he report back to the Tverskoi district station at 2 pm on Monday, 28 May. At this stage, Mr Tatchell believes he is being treated as a witness to the attack on him, rather than as a suspect.

"As I left the police station with several other released Gay Pride marchers, we were pelted with eggs. Some of us were violently attacked by a man dressed as a Russian Orthodox priest and by several neo-Nazis. The Moscow police initially did nothing, and only arrested two of the assailants under pressure from the Gay Pride marchers and journalists, who had photos and film footage of the attack. "Long after the Moscow Gay Pride protest at City Hall was over, groups of far right nationalists and neo-Nazis roamed the streets, calling each other on cell phones, apparently to organize additional attacks on people they suspected of participating in Moscow's Gay Pride".

Only a handful of far-right extremists were detained. Despite being arrested on charges of assault, most of them were released very quickly—long before the gay marchers were allowed to leave the police station.

"Mr Tatchell had travelled to Moscow at the request of the Moscow GayPride organizers to support the event and the campaign for gay rights in Russia. He was the keynote speaker at the opening session of the Moscow Gay Pride conference on Saturday morning, 26 May 2007 at the Swissotel".

PinkNews.co.uk

Hatewatch - for the week of May 9th 2007

KKK Witness Granted Immunity for Testimony in 1964 Murders
Reputed Ku Klux Klansmen Charles Marcus Edwards agreed to testify in the upcoming trial of his cousin, James Ford Seale, for the murders of two black teenagers in 1964...

White Supremacist Sentenced to Eight Years on Firearms Charges
Keith Gilbert, who once shot at a black motorist and swerved his 'Nazi-mobile' at a black teenager, was sentenced to eight years in prison for illegally possessing 74 firearms, including several machine guns...

Three Men Arrested for White Power Graffiti, Arson
Julian Adler, Robert Polk, Jr. and Daniel Walsh allegedly spray-painted swastikas and threats against African-Americans, Chinese and homosexuals, then set fire to a high school weight room...

KKK Plots Return to Gettysburg Battlefield
The Four State Knights of the Ku Klux Klan announced plans to hold a May 19 rally targeting illegal immigrants at Gettysburg National Military Park...

Gay Activists Focus On Stopping The BNP

OutRage!, the gay rights action group, has urged LGBT people and their friends to vote in the elections on 3rd May to defeat the BNP. Elections will be held for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and for various councils across England.

The BNP is openly homophobic, racist and Islamophobic, but claim they merely represent the views of British working-class white people.

Regarded as no more than a extreme minority group a decade ago, the BNP took their first three seats on Burnley council in 2002. They went on to play on working class resentments about immigration and lack of social housing to win 52 seats on 13 councils in 2006. In Barking and Dagenham, east London, the party is the official opposition with 12 councillors. They are fielding 665 candidates in the 2007 elections.

“Recent election results indicate the BNP could make an electoral breakthrough,” said Brett Lock of OutRage!

“Under the proportional representation voting system for the Scottish and Welsh elections minor parties like the BNP can win seats.

“There is a possibility that the BNP may, for the first time, secure representation in the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly.”

OutRage! says gay voters should be aware that a high turnout will reduce the BNP’s share of the vote and lessen its chances of winning seats.

Nick Griffin, the party leader, is standing for election to the Welsh Assembly. He is credited with turning the fortunes of the BNP round by "softening" the party's image and creating a more media-friendly party organisation.

The BNP has in recent times emphasised the issues that concern voters and played down its extreme racist and homophobia. They recently tried to align themselves with Christians who object to new laws protecting gay people from discrimination.

The BNP fought previous general elections on a pledge to outlaw homosexuality and has described AIDS as “nature taking revenge” on gay men.

Soon after the neo-Nazi bombing of a gay bar in Soho, London, in 1999, which killed three people and maimed dozens more, party leader Nick Griffin attacked lesbian and gay people for “flaunting their perversion” and said this showed why “so many ordinary people find these creatures so repulsive.”

He claims the BNP speaks for “the majority of the population” who, he says, believe “homosexuality is wrong” and that it “needs to be pushed humanely but firmly back into the closet”.

Mr Griffin warns that if gays continue to “press their aims further” there will be an “almighty backlash” which will result in the imprisonment of all homosexuals.

“Lesbians and gay men can help block the election of candidates from the racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim and homophobic British National Party (BNP). Make sure you and your straight friends vote on 3 May,” said Peter Tatchell of OutRage!

Pink News.co.uk