Two people sought over Portsmouth Jami Mosque protest

Detectives released pictures of a man and a woman they wish to speak to

CCTV images have been released of two people sought by police over disorder outside a Portsmouth mosque.

A protest was held at the Jami Mosque on 13 November in response to the burning of poppies by Muslims Against Crusades in London on Armistice Day. Hampshire Constabulary released pictures of a man and woman they wish to speak to in connection with allegations of bottles being thrown.

One man has already been charged with affray and assaulting a police officer.

BBC

Midland hospital snubs BNP donation

Selly Oak Hospital: refusing to fall for the BNP's charity con-trick

Hospital snubs BNP donation for our heroes

A Midland hospital which treats hero soldiers wounded in Afghanistan has refused a donation from the British National Party. Bosses at Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham turned down money from the far-right party after its members made the collection, claiming it would be donated to build a burns unit for injured squaddies.

The BNP, whose leader Nick Griffin is MEP for the North West, say they were selling stickers calling for troops to withdraw from Afghanistan in a bid “to help our brave and wounded soldiers”.

But a spokesman for Selly Oak Hospital, which houses the army’s Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, said: “The British National Party is selling merchandise with the promise of donating the proceeds to the Selly Oak Hospital burns unit. Neither the University Hospitals of Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust nor its official charity, UHB Charities, have been contacted by the BNP about this venture, and the Trust does not accept money from any political party,” said the spokesman.

Labour MP for the area Dr Lynne Jones said: “I think the BNP is using the good name of the hospital to further its distasteful views.”

In October the hospital was at the centre of a political storm when Mr Griffin claimed injured soldiers on Selly Oak’s wards had to pay to watch television. Griffin was attempting to justify his wearing of a poppy on a televised debate against the wishes of the Royal British Legion. He said he would remove the poppy if the Legion would put pressure on the Government to stop “charging young British soldiers with no legs in Selly Oak Hospital” to watch TV. His claims were described as “absolute rubbish” by an Army spokesman who stressed military patients had free access to internet, television and phones.

Last night, John Walker, the BNP’s spokesman, said the party was disappointed by the hospital’s decision not to accept their donation.

“I am sure that it’s because it’s the BNP that they are doing this,” he claimed. “We have as much right to campaign on soldiers and these issues as any other party. If Selly Oak won’t take the money, we will find a soldiers’ charity that will.”

Earlier this year, a group of senior military commanders attacked the BNP for hijacking the sacrifices of soldiers in order to gain votes. After the BNP used images of Winston Churchill to fight their European election campaign, former heads of the British Army General Sir Mike Jackson and General Sir Richard Dannatt wrote an open letter saying the party was “fundamentally at odds” with the values of the British military.

“We call on all those who seek to hijack the good name of Britain’s military for their own advantage to cease and desist,” the generals said. “The values of these extremists – many of whom are essentially racist – are fundamentally at odds with the values of the modern British military, such as tolerance and fairness.”

Griffin, who was convicted of inciting racial hatred in 1998 for publishing material appearing to deny the Holocaust, responded by comparing the generals to Nazi war criminals.

Sunday Mercury

BNP leader joins soldiers' mourners

The family of Guardsman Jimmy Major break down as his coffin is driven past

Smug bastard Griffin grinning for the cameras

BNP leader Nick Griffin was present in Wootton Bassett today to see the bodies of six soldiers pass through the town after their repatriation from Afghanistan to British soil.

Mr Griffin stood on the high street where hearses carrying the soldiers' Union Flag-draped coffins were due to arrive. Wearing a black coat, adorned with a poppy, the controversial MEP stood with a minder opposite family and friends of the fallen soldiers.

Mr Griffin said: "I wanted to come here today because this is the second worst toll to be coming through and because tomorrow is Remembrance Day. So it's fitting that as many people as possible come here today. It's an absolutely tremendous and very moving display."

Mr Griffin said he had a "friendly" reaction from the public to his presence.

"It's been very low key, I've been talking to many people and it's been very friendly," he said.

When asked for his view on the conflict in Afghanistan after the loss of the five soldiers killed by a rogue Afghan police officer, Mr Griffin said: "This is not the time or the place for political statements - it's for remembrance. I have strong views on Afghanistan but I'm not prepared to discuss them here."

Standing yards from Mr Griffin was veteran Martyn Matthews, 61, a retired warrant officer who served for 27 years with the commando forces. Mr Matthews, from Corsham, Wiltshire, said: "We live in a democracy and everyone has a right to their own views. If people are going to give their lives for that freedom, Mr Griffin has as much right to his views as anyone else does. Although I do not stand by his views, I would encourage him to be here to see the impact extremism can have."

They were among hundreds of people who turned out to pay their respects to six soldiers killed in Afghanistan as their bodies returned to British soil today.

Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, 40, Sergeant Matthew Telford, 37, and Guardsman Jimmy Major, 18, from the Grenadier Guards, died alongside Corporal Steven Boote, 22, and Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, 24, from the Royal Military Police. They were shot dead by a "rogue" Afghan police officer at a secure checkpoint in Nad-e-Ali in Helmand Province on November 3 in an attack claimed by the Taliban. Two days later, Serjeant Phillip Scott, 30, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, was killed by an improvised explosive device near Sangin in Helmand.

After a private chapel ceremony for families at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, hearses carrying their Union flag-draped coffins were driven to the High Street of nearby Wootton Bassett for a memorial procession.

Under cloudy skies and drizzling rain, soldiers lined the streets of the town alongside Royal British Legion veterans, shopkeepers and residents to pay tribute to the fallen men. As the cortege passed along the High Street, silence fell, broken only by the chiming bells of St Bartholomew and All Saints Church. Standard-bearers from the Royal British Legion lowered their flags as the coffins passed by.

As the procession paused by the war memorial, which was covered in floral tributes, roses and wreaths were placed on the hearses by relatives and friends. Tearful family members wept as the coffins drove by - some wearing T-shirts bearing the name of their fallen loved one.

The procession then continued to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, where post-mortem examinations are completed.

Independent

Royal British Legion defends BNP donation

The Royal British Legion last night stood by its decision to accept cash from a British National Party (BNP) member.

A spokesman said the Legion had been assured by BNP member Rachel Firth, of Huddersfield, who raised money by spending 24 hours in a cardboard box, that the donation would not be used for partisan political activity. And he accused the party of taking advantage of Ms Firth’s generosity by publicising it on the BNP website, and stressed the Legion’s political impartiality.

“The Royal British Legion is strictly non-political and for nearly 90 years we have scrupulously remained above the party fray,” the spokesman said. “We have never endorsed any political party nor do we accept party donations made for partisan purposes. We do not accept donations made for political PR purposes, or donations made on behalf of the BNP or any other political party.”

Single mum Ms Firth, 36, spent 24 hours inside a cardboard box to highlight the plight of ex-service personnel who are forced to sleep rough. The Skelmanthorpe mum-of-two was raising cash for the Legion and for the BNP. The Legion originally refused to accept the donation from Ms Firth last month because she was also raising funds for the BNP by sleeping rough. That decision was overturned after Ms Firth gave assurances that the two would not be connected.

“It is unfortunate that the Legion once again finds itself defending its reputation from being identified with political interests,” the spokesman said. “Our only interest is safeguarding the welfare, interests and memory of the British Armed Forces past and present, and their families.”

The Legion did not feel that it had made a mistake in accepting the donation, he said, but would “take another look at it”. People wishing to donate money were not routinely asked whether they supported any political party, he added.

BNP spokesman Simon Darby denied that the party had exploited the donation. “If it was the Liberal Democrats it would be described as campaigning, but because it’s the BNP it’s exploitation,” he said.

Earlier this year, the Legion took out a newspaper advert pleading with BNP party leader Nick Griffin not to use the poppy or other symbols of remembrance for political purposes. That came after Mr Griffin continued to wear a poppy pin despite requests to all parties not to use the symbol during the European election campaign.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner

BNP Patch tribute angers Legion

The Royal British Legion in Somerset says it is appalled that a tribute to Harry Patch has been posted on the British National Party website.

Robin White, chairman of the Wells branch, believes the tribute implies that the BNP stands for the same things Harry Patch stood for. "Knowing Harry as I did, he would have no truck with the BNP," he said.

A spokesman for the BNP criticised the Royal British Legion for making the matter a political issue. "I think it's a shame that these organisations are coming out to have a pop at the BNP when we've always supported the troops," said John Walker.

Mr Patch, the last surviving tommy from the trenches of World War One, died last month at the age of 111.

"Harry's whole ethos was about peace and reconciliation," added Mr White. "My understanding of what the BNP does is in no way related to peace and reconciliation."

It is not the first time that the Royal British Legion have been critical of the BNP. In May, they wrote a private letter to BNP leader, Nick Griffin, asking him not to wear a poppy badge. They accused Mr Griffin of trying to politicise "one of the nation's most treasured and beloved symbols".

BBC

Royal British Legion tell Nick Griffin to stop wearing poppy badge

The Royal British Legion has accused Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, of trying to politicise "one of the nation's most treasured and beloved symbols" after he repeatedly wore a poppy badge during the European parliament election campaign.

In an open letter in tomorrow's Guardian the armed forces charity said it had written privately to Griffin last month "appealing to his sense of honour" and asking him not to wear the badge or any other emblem associated with the legion. Griffin, one of two BNP candidates elected to the European parliament last week, ignored the request and wore the badge at campaign events including the party's televised election broadcast.

Yesterday the British Legion demanded that Griffin stop using the armed forces to further the BNP's agenda.

"The poppy is the symbol of sacrifices made by British armed forces in conflicts both past and present and it has been paid for with blood and valour," the letter says. "True valour deserves respect regardless of a person's ethnic origin, and everyone who serves or has served their country deserves nothing less … [our national chairman] appealed to your sense of honour. But you have responded by continuing to wear the poppy. So now we're no longer asking you privately. Stop it, Mr Griffin. Just stop it."

The legion's demand follows criticism of the BNP from Winston Churchill's family after the party used his image and quotes from one of his speeches in its campaign. Churchill's grandson, Nicholas Soames, described the BNP as "monstrous" and said its use of Churchill was "offensive and disgusting".

The BNP was also caught up in a dispute with 1940s singer Vera Lynn after she objected to the party selling copies of her White Cliffs of Dover CD on its website to fund its European election campaign.

Today's letter states the poppy emblem is the trademark of The Royal British Legion and adds that the charity has remained "scrupulously above the party political fray" for more than 90 years.

"It is vital that everyone - the media, the public and our beneficiaries - know that we will not allow our independence to be undermined or our reputation impaired by being closely associated with any one political party. This is more important now than ever."

Griffin said he had worn the badge in solidarity with injured British soldiers returning from Afghanistan. He added that he would stop wearing it if troops recovering in hospitals in the UK were not charged to watch television.

Guardian