Hope not Hate: The BNP and the ‘big lie’

A common tactic of the BNP is the promotion of the ‘big lie’. The issue might vary from place to place but the concept is the same.

The BNP will tap into a local issue or concern and give it a racial twist. They will repeatedly peddle this lie to portray the other parties as out of touch and to promote their own racist agenda.

• In Barking & Dagenham they tapped into concern over a lack of cheap affordable housing by claiming there was a secret ‘Africans for Essex’ scheme in which non-whites were given £50,000 grants to buy property in the area.
• In Sandwell the BNP claimed that a local library building was going to become a mosque.
• In Amber Valley they claimed that a local 15-year-old white girl had been sexually attacked by three asylum seekers.
• In Thurrock they claimed that Hackney council had struck a secret deal to ship over 3,000 asylum seekers.

On each occasion the BNP lied.

This BNP tactic might be no great surprise but how you deal with it can win or lose you an election. Ignore it and not only does the myth quickly become a fact but the BNP then portrays the other parties as running scared on the issue. Sometimes there might be an element of truth in the BNP claim. If there is, fine, admit it. Issuing a denial which can easily be disproved will only reinforce the BNP message.

However, the manner in which you reply to it can make or break your campaign. There is a danger that simply a denial from the council or the local MP will not be enough, especially if they themselves are not trusted. It is more important that you find local people, especially those not identified with party politics, to speak out.

Hope not Hate