Homes attacked in Luton after racist EDL march

Windows broken, door sprayed with graffiti. One of two houses
attacked in Luton in the aftermath of the EDL's march on Saturday of last week.

Two homes in Luton were attacked late last night – their windows smashed and the word EDL painted on the front door – just hours after the English Defence League’s (EDL) racist protest through Luton town centre. The houses are on the edge of Bury Park – where many Asian people live.

Mr Iqbal lives with his mother, brother and sister in one of the houses. He told Socialist Worker, “It happened at around 11.40pm. I was awake but about to go to sleep. I heard a crash and ran to the front of the house to find a brick had been thrown through a window. When I opened the front door, I saw someone had painted EDL on it. I couldn’t sleep – I thought they may come back.”

Mr Iqbal is a Muslim. The other house that was attacked belonged to a neighbour a few doors away – who is a Christian. There is a crucifix on the front of the house, which the bigots of the EDL seemed to miss. The residents stayed up all night, fearful of further attacks.

It is not the first time that EDL supporters have been violent. In Stoke, Asian and white people faced EDL thugs on the rampage during an EDL protest last year.

Dave Barnes, a local Unite Against Fascism (UAF) organiser, said, "Everyone in Luton needs to unite with Muslims against racist attacks, and drive the EDL and racism out of the town. The attacks show why it was absolutely correct to protest against the EDL in Luton on Saturday."

Socialist Worker

BNP leaflet to black Christian voters branded 'obscene'

Far-right party mails 24,000 'black' electors in Barking and Dagenham urging them to vote against 'unchristian' Labour

A BNP leaflet designed to woo the black Christian vote in Barking and Dagenham has been branded "obscene" by one of its recipients.

The targeted leaflet, which accuses Labour of undermining Christian values and promoting "ungodly lifestyles", was sent to 24,000 people in the borough. It features a picture of Nick Griffin next to the Rev George Hargreaves, the leader of the Christian party, and was sent out last week after the BNP trawled the electoral register looking for people with "African names".

In it, Griffin says: "I am writing to you personally to set your mind at rest. A lot of rubbish is being written and talked about how the BNP is supposed to be some kind of 'threat' to black and ethnic minority groups in Barking … I want to reassure you that, as a Christian and a man who believes passionately in core British values including democracy and freedom, I am not standing in this election to persecute or hurt anybody, or any race and religion."

After berating the government for damaging Christian values and encouraging "the spread of Islam", he adds: "Surely, no believer can vote Labour and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ."

A BNP spokesman said: "Our campaigners trawled through the electoral register and identified 24,000 African names. They have each received a personal letter from Nick Griffin to counteract the alarmist claims being made by [Labour MP] Margaret Hodge that if the British National party are elected the borough will descend into chaos."

Hargreaves told the Guardian there was nothing his party could do about his image appearing on the leaflet.

"I haven't seen the leaflet, so I can't comment on it, but we're taking legal advice," he said. "[But] they haven't defamed us, so there's nothing we can do."

He said that although there was a "politics of fear stalking Barking", the Christian party was urging people to vote on principles rather than prejudice.

"Our message is faith, not fear," he said. "Our scriptures tell us that we should not go to the polls because we are frightened of anybody, but because we believe in the values of those people who are standing."

One Barking and Dagenham resident – a British citizen with Indian Caribbean heritage – described the BNP leaflet campaign as "obscene". The resident, who did not want to be identified, does not have an African first or second name and expressed surprise at receiving the leaflet.

"I was extremely concerned to receive direct mail from the BNP, particularly as it was sent to me on the basis of my ethnicity," said the resident. "I find it disturbing that a political party with far-right links and extreme views is keeping lists of people categorised by ethnicity. Ethnic profiling is not an acceptable means of polling and I am very scared."

The leaflet, the resident added, had stirred fears that the BNP would "consider repatriation of me and my mixed-heritage child to several countries that I no longer have links to … It is obscene."

The BNP did not respond to the Guardian's questions about how it had obtained data on Barking and Dagenham residents who do not have African names.

Although the party had predicted it would create a "political earthquake", claiming it was on course to win two parliamentary seats and take control of Barking and Dagenham council, its campaign has been beset by problems, and it is floundering in the polls.

Internal criticism over Nick Griffin's leadership came to a head last month when the publicity director, Mark Collett, was arrested on suspicion of threatening to kill him. In Stoke, the party's number two electoral target, Alby Walker, who led the BNP on the local council for four years, is standing as an independent.

Yesterday, a new row erupted when the BNP's website was closed down and replaced with a posting from the webmaster Simon Bennett, stating he had been "in dispute with some elements of the management of the party" and claiming there had been "several attempts to steal" his work. The website was later reinstated but on his own blog Bennett added that there had been a number of "highly questionable shenanigans going on at BNP HQ" with which he was unhappy.

The letter can be read here.

Guardian

US 'Christian militants' charged after FBI raids

Nine alleged members of a radical US Christian militia group have been charged with conspiring to kill police officers and wage war against the US. The suspects were detained in a series of FBI raids across the Mid-West, while one remains at large.

Prosecutors say the eight men and one woman belonged to the Hutaree group. It is alleged they planned to kill a police officer in Michigan and then stage a second attack on the funeral, using landmines and roadside bombs.

The FBI raided properties in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana over the weekend in the belief that the group was planning a reconnaissance exercise.

"The indictment... outlines an insidious plan by anti-government extremists to murder a law enforcement officer in order to lure police from across the nation to the funeral where they would be attacked with explosive devices," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "Thankfully, this alleged plot has been thwarted and a severe blow has been dealt to a dangerous organisation that today stands accused of conspiring to levy war against the United States."

A website in the name of the group shows video footage of military-style training exercises and describes Hutaree as "Christian warriors". It is edited to a backing track of rock music. A statement on the website says the group are preparing to defend themselves upon the arrival of the Antichrist. The website says Hutaree is "preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive".

In the indictment, Hutaree is described as an "anti-government extremist organisation" advocating violence against the police.

BBC

Black churches not welcome in white areas, says BNP leader

Black churches would not be welcome or receive grants from a BNP local or national government if their ministry and place of worship were to be in a “historically white area”, BNP leader Nick Griffin admitted on live TV last night.

Mr Griffin aired his views in a controversial live debate with the leader of the Christian Party and British-born, black pastor Rev George Hargreaves on Revelation and Genesis TV. Both men are standing against Labour Minister Margaret Hodge for the Barking constituency in the up-coming general election. The two were debating the motion: “That the election of any BNP MP or leader of a Local Authority will be detrimental to Black and ethnic minority Christians in particular and the wider church in general in Britain."

Mr Griffin revealed that his understanding of Christian heritage was one of "national pride and history", rather than a personal and corporate dedication to Jesus Christ. When asked about his own relationship with God, he stated his relationship was not so much with Jesus, but rather with an ideal of what the Anglican church as the 'state church' should be. When asked if the BNP would allow black churches to purchase building in certain areas of London, Mr Griffin made it clear that any church composed primarily of ethnic groups would be disallowed in historically white majority areas, and forced to conduct their worship in areas deemed suitable by a white political leadership.

Rev Hargreaves said: “BNP policy is to oppose the community cohesion that would allow non-Christians to hear the Gospel at, say, Christian school assemblies. Most alarming for Christians and churches, is their policy on ‘eliminating multiculturalism spending’. Their policy is to overhaul the Charity Commission and debar from having charitable status any organisation that promotes multiculturalism, multi-racism and foreign religions, in fact, only ‘indigenous groups’ are welcome and would receive funding."

The current BNP Mission Statement states: "The British National Party exists to secure a future for the indigenous peoples of these islands in the North Atlantic which have been our homeland for a millennia."

Revd Hargreaves added: “This statement means that the BNP does not exist for my future any other Black or ethnic minority Christian. And since in Christ racial division are demolished – “for there is neither Greek nor Jew, but all are one in Christ Jesus”– the BNP does not exist for the wider church. Last night’s debate clearly shows that the election of any BNP MP or leader of a local authority will be detrimental to black and ethnic minority Christians in particular and the wider church in general in Britain’."

Christian Today

BNP are caught lying through their teeth

A smiling white family pictured on a BNP election leaflet are actually American models

The good-looking group were ­portrayed in the pamphlet as Brits who voted for the right-wing party. The BNP is distributing thousands of the leaflets to homes across Britain in the run-up to the general election. The leaflets show the smiling family under the slogan “Why People Like You Voted BNP”.

But a simple internet search has ­revealed the wholesome-looking group are models. The same picture has also been used to promote an orthodontic practice in Missouri.

The pamphlet ruse was exposed by eagle-eyed political bloggers who became ­suspicious about the models’ pearly white teeth and sun tans. Above the American “family”, the leaflet says: “The BNP proudly put British people first.” It adds: “We have children and we want them to be brought up in a Christian country and taught about our religion, tradition and culture in school.”

On the website for RIES Orthodontics the same three generations of models appear beneath the words “Embrace your Smile”.

Weyman Bennett, joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, said: “This is a big lie. It shows the BNP can’t get British families to openly show their support for the party. The majority of people object to the politics of the BNP so even when they produce their propaganda it’s based on lies.”

A spokesman for Searchlight, an anti-right-wing campaign group, said: “Nick Griffin is always banging on about British jobs for British workers but his real priority seems to be American jobs for American models.”

The leaflet slip-up follows a similar one in BNP promotional material distributed in May last year. Party pamphlets featured testimonies from five “typical Britons”, giving their reasons for voting BNP. An elderly couple pictured on the leaflet endorsing the party’s anti-immigration views were exposed as Italian models.

Daily Star

Fake BNP “reverend” doesn’t speak for us, say churches

The FIEC (Fellowship of Independent Churches) issued the folowing statement concerning the British National Party on 23 December 2009.

To all FIEC churches

We would wish you to be aware of a statement being made on a website in the public domain by the Rev Robert West, a parliamentary candidate representing the British National Party (BNP).

Mr West states the following: “I doubt very much that the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches oppose my views or the views of any genuine Christian and patriot, backed-up as they are by the holy Scriptures”.

Mr West has not contacted the FIEC office to find out what the views of the FIEC might be about this issue, and the FIEC regrets that Mr West has seen fit to make public reference to the supposed views of the FIEC without getting in touch with the office.

In fact, the FIEC strongly believes that the churches that make up the Fellowship would repudiate any idea that the Scriptures support the published policies of the BNP. There are elements within the policies of all political parties which are contrary to the Scriptures. In the case of the BNP, it appears to us that its policies seek to create an attitude of racial hierarchy which values people of some ethnic origins more than others. The Scriptures do not support any such policies, and we greatly regret that Mr West has asserted that they do, and in so doing, that he has linked the name of The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches with his own erroneous views. Mr West is not in any way accredited by or associated with the FIEC.

Richard Underwood General Secretary The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches

See also BNP Rev Robert West “Doubts” Fellowship of Independent Churches “Would Oppose My Views”

Norfolk Unity

The BNP, migration and the misuse of Christianity

It is now a week since the infamous edition of BBC TV’s Question Time in which Nick Griffin pitted himself against 'mainstream' politicians. Now, the BBC Director General Mark Thompson has indicated that the BNP may appear annually on the programme.

The whole saga was more of a watershed for Question Time than for the BNP’s fortunes. The BBC had a good argument for the invitation and no doubt a less honourable intention bound up with the increasing 'tabloidisation' of news coverage. In this case, the news vendor was the story far more were than the news makers. That said, democracy is democracy and unsavoury views have the right to be aired. On balance, my own view is that they were probably wrong, but it is a balance. So what do we make of it all now?

On the election front, we have to take into account the fact that there may be some limited success for the BNP but this will not be of any significance in the manner of other European countries' experience of the Far Right. The danger is that it has 'taken the eye off the ball' of the isolationist, anti-immigrant yet smooth-talking UKIP.

However, there were two revelations in the programme which continue to play on the mind. The first was the incoherence of the three mainstream politicians on the issue of immigration. Chris Huhne was the most disappointing. He was clearly caught up in the moment in cloaking the best of all the party positions on immigration into the schoolyard “we are tougher than you” debate.

Jack Straw was unable to convince anyone that the Labour government’s tough approach had any impact. It is deeply ironic that Labour is seen as the party of immigration when its United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) is bringing the kind of fear which the BNP would love to be able to spread, directly into our communities.

Baroness Warsi was the most disingenuous. Having told us that we need honesty, she then proceeded to trot out a line which would have us believe that a future Conservative government would cap immigration. That is only possible if we withdraw from the Geneva Convention, Human Rights conventions and the European Union.

Anyone who wants to have a mature debate about the highly complex and extremely nuanced issues of migration in a world of cheap travel, unequal economies, huge investment in arms, persistent and irresolvable conflicts and climate change, needs to worry far more about the three main parties than about the BNP.

The second issue playing on the mind is Nick Griffin’s insistence that the BNP is defending ‘Christian Britain’. It seemed that he was using the word Christian to mean not-Muslim and not-Jewish. His one good word for Islam was that it opposed usury, in this case coded fascist language meaning that Muslims opposed Jews. Like everything that comes out of Nick Griffin’s mouth, this was very chilling, not least for those of us who hold our Christian commitment as something very precious.

So what divides Nick Griffin’s Christianity from mainstream Christianity? It is interesting that it is the more right wing of the Christian church which has leapt to its defence. What differs seems to be the fruit, not the ideology. History tells us that no Christian could sleep safely in a fascist state. However, many Christians, like the BNP, still seem to hold ‘Christian Britain’ as the ideal. They still believe our faith makes us superior to others.

How often are we told that Islam’s problem is that it did not have a reformation or was by-passed by the enlightenment? Christian amnesia fails to remember how many died in the Reformation and how it rent the church apart. It fails to recall that the Enlightenment has weakened our capacity to sense the transcendent. When statehood and faith are inextricably aligned, we cease to tell the narrative of the faith but tell instead the story of the state’s interest cloaked in virtuous language.

Bishop Michael Nazir Ali, writing in the Guardian, argues that Christian missionaries challenged difficult and enslaving cultural practices in many countries and were often, though by no means always, a force for good. That is what happens when one culture meets another. It is possible to see more clearly what is wrong with your own. It is one of the great pay-offs of migration.

The real irony is that as people of other faiths come to the UK, we will experience the same cultural challenges as those posed by previous generations of Christian missionaries. As a simple example, in my own church there is a fear that the children will be bored if they have to spend 10 minutes in the church service before their own activities. God forbid that they should hear the Bible read beautifully or learn to be quiet when they pray. Their Muslim playmates at school will be patiently undergoing the discipline of learning the Qur’an word for word and growing up better for it.

The truth is that in London, at least, the church is an immigrant church. The thousands upon thousands of Christians attending Mass, delighting in Orthodox liturgy and singing praise and worship songs with their well-thumbed Bibles in hand, are migrants. While this is happening, our church leaders are desperate not to defend them from the potential violence and hatred of the BNP, but to defend a privileged place in British society for themslves. Indeed, Lord Carey seems to want to deny their presence in defence of ‘Christian Britain’.

As Christians in Britain (we are not the whole of it!) we have to be faithful to the narrative of our faith. This is a narrative, within the Bible itself, in which the constant struggle between the nomad and the settler is played out. It is a history which tells us that the fruits of faith are indeed totally rotten when it is aligned to power and wealth. It is also one which tells us that the faith is powerful on a world stage when it defends the persecuted and the poor. A little humility is in order.

Christians who are housing undocumented migrants; buying their supermarket vouchers so the UKBA cannot determine what and how people spend their pittances; shouting loud that no civilised state would imprison children, as Britain does, for just being the children of deportees, and yes – “singing the Lord’s song in a foreign land” (as it says in the Psalms) - they, are the answer to Nick Griffin’s crude appropriation of the name ‘Christian’.

By our fruits will we all be known.

Ekklesia

Cheshire clergyman says BNP vote opposes Christian values

A rector has accused the British National Party of positioning itself as the Christian party of the country.

As reported in the Guardian last week, the BNP held a secret meeting in Winsford Lifestyle Centre. It was booked under the name of the Christian Council of Britain, although the BNP admitted there was no affiliation between the two groups.

The Rev Ian Bishop, of St Michael and All Angels Church, in Hightown, Middlewich, says many churches are opposed to the BNP manifesto. He said: “In my opinion to vote BNP is to oppose Christian values and the Christian Church. I have made it abundantly clear that I cannot see how it is possible to call yourself Christian and vote BNP. The Archbishop of York was recently quoted saying: ‘A vote for the BNP is like spitting in the face of God’.”

Northwich Guardian

Church leaders to sign public statement opposing BNP

Church leaders from around West Yorkshire will meet on Wednesday to unite in opposition to the racist British National Party (BNP) ahead of the European elections in June. They are expected to approve a statement on political extremism which will be critical of the BNP and will urge voters to ‘use their cross’ for the main democratic parties.

In a symbolic move the meeting will take place at the Moravian settlement at Fulneck, Pudsey. The Moravian church there provided hospitality for children and families fleeing the Nazis. The name Moravian derives from the refugees from Moravia. The original church also suffered persecution during the counter-Reformation and survived in an underground fellowship over the next hundred years.

Tomorrow’s statement follows a tradition of West Yorkshire church leaders uniting to speak out against the BNP, going back to the last European elections in 2004. It also follows increased efforts by the BNP to recruit Christians using the rhetoric of defending ‘Christian Britain’.

Pastor Gloria Hanley, Chair of West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council said: “racism is a sin, as all people are created in God’s image; the British National Party does not speak for Christians“.

As well as Pastor Hanley, others affirming the statement are likely to include Angican bishops, the Catholic bishop of Leeds, and representatives from the Quakers, Salvation Army, the Moravians, the Lutherans, the Methodist Church, the Baptist church and the United Reformed Church.

West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council has taken a lead in 2009 in mobilising Christians to vote for parties other than the BNP. It has issued specimen church magazine material entitled ‘Use Your Cross’ and a set of resource notes for local churches.

The full text of the statement is as follows:

"Seventy years ago, the Fulneck Moravian Settlement became home for Jewish children and families fleeing from the terror of the far right in Europe. As leaders of different churches in West Yorkshire, meeting at Fulneck, we affirm the values of unity, tolerance, hospitality and mutual respect, which have always helped people from different backgrounds to live together.

• "We are deeply concerned at the views and activities of British National Party which is using people’s fears to stir up racial and religious hate.
• "We assert that all human beings are created equally in the image of God, that racism is a sin, and that such extremist groups do not speak for Christians.
• "In particular, we are called to love our neighbours as ourselves; and so we abhor any rejection of our neighbours of other faiths as an affront to all our beliefs and a danger to the unity of the whole community.

"On 4 June, the people of Yorkshire and the Humber will choose our representatives in the European Parliament. The regional voting system means that every vote counts. A high turnout will enhance democracy and prevent candidates on extremist platforms from winning seats. We urge all Christian people to use their cross on 4 June, and, by exercising their right to vote, to defeat the advocates of extremism and hatred."

West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council resources are available here.

Ekklesia

Radio Four documentary on the BNP - Turning right

Radio 4 documentary on the BNP - Turning right

As the dust settles on May's local elections, Gerry Northam traces the rise of the far right and investigates its claims to Christian roots and respectability. Andy why, in a recent nationwide poll, did a high percentage say they would "consider" voting BNP in the next general election?

A wide range of people were interviewed for this programme including Nick Griffin and specialists from Searchlight Information Services.

BBC Radio 4, Tuesday 8 May 8pm, repeated on Sunday 13 May at 5pm

Is 'Christian nation' rhetoric aiding the far-right?

Christian denominations and church groups have been falling over themselves to denounce the British National Party (BNP) in the last few weeks, ahead of the impending local elections.

During the last European elections, I was taking part in a BBC phone-in on political extremism when the BNP's press officer called the programme. Not only was the BNP a Christian party, he claimed, but the institutional church had let the country down. His party would defend British culture because churches had failed to do so.

Since then there have been two noticeable changes. First, the BNP has stepped up its religious rhetoric. In recent local elections, the party's literature included copies of the controversial Mohammed cartoons. It also helped establish a 'Christian Council of Britain'. The goal is apparently to appeal to those in the population who identify with Christianity, but feel panicked both by 'liberal secularism' and the growth of Islam.

At the same time, leading figures within the Church of England have also become far more vocal in their calls to stem the tide of secularism, and to defend the predominant 'Christian culture' of Britain. The uncomfortable fact is that this puts the Church into the position of arguing the same political point about national identity as the BNP.

Of course the rationales of these messages are very different. The agenda behind the BNP's claims is essentially a cultural one - partly in opposition to an alleged liberal elite, and partly in an attempt to whip up fear of minority faiths. In contrast, few would question the commitment of the Church of England to combating racism. But the time has come to face the fact that when it uses 'Christian nation' rhetoric, it risks encouraging support for right-wing extremists.

It may be no coincidence that it has been the Church's two most senior black leaders, Archbishop Sentamu and Bishop Nazir Ali, who have made the most prominent pronouncements against 'the secular tide'. The Church must surely be aware of the dangers of its arguments. But it is doubtful that this will limit the damage, with the BNP also now claiming (no doubt disingenuously) some non-white members.

These problems look likely to get more uncomfortable. The BNP now has 47 councillors in the UK, and church schools could face BNP representatives appointed to their governing bodies. Local authorities, after all, have a duty to nominate some governors from different local political parties. If this happens, they may find these representatives wholeheartedly endorsing the admissions policies that many church schools run, favouring Christians over others in local communities, as a strategy for encouraging social division.

But the terrain is changing. A recent Tearfund survey found that just 53% of the population identified in some way with Christianity. That is a colossal drop compared to the last national census, when 72% did so.

This is tough news for a Church that wants to rely on 'cultural capital'. But there is another way. Instead of adopting a defensive stance which pleases those seeking to make political capital out of civic 'de-Christianization', the Church has an opportunity to refocus on the vocation of Jesus - which means costly discipleship, not cultural dominance.

It is easy to make a claim to speak for the sentiments of an, albeit dwindling, majority of the population. It is far harder to mount a practical stand for justice, and base one's political authority on the quality of one's actions in the here and now. But in an increasingly religiously plural society, it will be the quality of contemporary political witness, not appeals to a bygone age, which will sort the sheep from the old goats.

Ekklesia

Christians told to vote against ‘racist BNP’

Christian leaders are advising people to use their vote to defeat British National Party (BNP) candidates in next week’s elections, the Evangelical Alliance has told Christian Today.

Christian leaders are advising people to use their vote to defeat British National Party (BNP) candidates in next week’s elections, the Evangelical Alliance has told Christian Today. They are encouraging people to use their vote so that other candidates are elected, and the BNP does not get seats through voter apathy.

“The BNP is trying to present itself as a respectable and non-racist party,” an Evangelical Alliance statement comments.

Party leader Nick Griffin said in a speech last November that he wants this country to be “free, Christian and British.”

But Christian leaders are urging voters not to be fooled by the BNP’s attempts to make itself presentable. Justin Thacker, Head of Public Theology at the Evangelical Alliance, said: “I don’t see how any Christian could ever support the BNP – its principles are entirely at odds with those of Jesus Christ. The BNP is a racist party, which doesn’t seem to realise the contradiction of using St George's day – which celebrates a Christian saint – to peddle its racist propaganda. This demonstrates just what a sham the party’s appeal to Christian values is. Other parties are just as concerned about the needs of the nation, and they do not use issues of community cohesion for racist ends.”

Rev Katei Kirby, Chief Executive of the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, said: “The BNP may present its election message as ‘Christian’, but as it is based on the divisive and racist agenda inherent to that party, it is clearly out of step with the message of freedom and belonging that is central to the Christian faith. To halt the progress of these misleading messages and the parties that purport them, I urge Christians and those in wider society to exercise their right and vote against such parties in their local elections.”

Neil Jameson, of London Citizens, said: “London Citizens fully supports the position taken by the Evangelical Alliance. It is our experience of 10 years of organising in East London that it’s quite possible to work together for the common good across diversity without ever having to appeal to the racist card, which is played so obviously by the BNP in some of our most disadvantaged communities.”

Christian Today

Backlash against BNP

Church leaders have come together to condemn the BNP over the far-right party’s latest attempts to claw their way into the town hall. Eight candidates are standing in next month’s local elections, the largest contingent ever in Tameside.

The Rev John Holland, of Christ Church, Ashton, said: "I cannot support anything that breeds division and resentment between people of different cultural backgrounds. It is disappointing to see Waterloo as one of the wards chosen to field a candidate. We enjoy a very good relationship with people of other faiths. In fact, the church is being used this weekend for a Hindu funeral. The BNP are a divisive element. We are all God’s creation and although we may know him by different names, humanity is about wholeness. The BNP want to destroy that."

Waheed Ahmed, Imam at the Katherine Street mosque, Ashton, said: "In my time here, racial aggravation has never reared its ugly head. Certainly not on the scale of nearby towns such as Oldham and Burnley. People should support political parties which are working for the good of all people, be it in relation to race, colour and class or trying to create harmony and peace among all. I’d urge everyone not to vote for the BNP or anyone else who advocates hate and violence."

The Rev Philip Burrows, of Mottram Church, said: "I am not shocked by the amount of candidates standing. I have spoken out about this in the past. I don’t think membership of the BNP is compatible with a loving Christian faith."

Dr Phil Edwards, BNP national press spokesman, said: "The church seems to have forgotten that they’re here to preach the gospel, not to interfere in the democratic process. There is nothing un-Christian about being a member of the BNP. It is a shame the Muslim leaders in this country are expanding their religion while Christian leaders are allowing our religion to wither away."

Tameside Advertiser