BNP fundraiser alert

The British National Party’s nationwide “Battle of Britain” roadshow will roll up at an 18-bedroom country hotel in Gloucestershire on Sunday 8 March. Nick Griffin, the party leader, is touring the country with an “invited European mystery guest” to launch the BNP’s campaign for the European election.

The event, for which tickets are being sold at £30, promises an “exclusive preview of campaign film and broadcast, Champagne reception, entertainment and light supper”. Many of the party’s wealthier supporters live in the West Country and Griffin hopes the function will raise a large sum towards the campaign to get him a seat in the European Parliament.

As always with the BNP, the venue was supposed to be a well kept secret. People attending have to turn up a rendezvous point and only then are they told the actual location, which is usually quite close so that no one gets lost on the way.

But there are not many hotels that could host such a function near the RV point, the Huntsman pub off junction 14 on the M5 southbound. Three in fact.

A few phone calls quickly established that one had no functions booked for Sunday evening and another had a booking from a commercial wedding organising business. That left the Park Hotel in Falfield, a mile from the RV point.

Owner Lynda Jones told Searchlight that the hotel had a function on Sunday evening but it was definitely not the BNP, whom she would not want in her hotel. Even when we pointed out that the BNP often books venues under other names because many places will not entertain the racist party, she was adamant the booking was not the BNP. Too adamant. She sounded like she had been briefed.

Now the BNP has every right to book a hotel for a fundraising event. Equally, members of the public have a right to express their views, politely, to the owners, Mike and Lynda Jones, about them putting their hotel at the service of the BNP to raise money to promote racism and destroy British society. You can phone them on 01454 260550.

Hope not hate