BNP use POLISH plane in campaign poster despite plans to ban East European migrants

British National Party chairman Nick Griffin speaks at a fundraiser with the
campaign poster featuring the Polish squadron plane in the background

The British National Party was ridiculed last night for fronting its anti-immigration campaign with a picture of a Polish Spitfire.

Its poster for the European elections, for which its manifesto includes a ban on Eastern European migrant workers, shows the Second World War plane above the slogan ‘Battle for Britain’. But Air Force history experts have identified that the aircraft was actually flown by the RAF’s 303 Squadron – made up of expatriate Poles rescued from France shortly before Nazi occupation.

BNP party chiefs defended their use of the image and insisted they knew all about
the background. But John Hemming, MP for Yardley, Birmingham, ridiculed this claim. He also condemned the far-Right party for using the image of Polish heroism in a campaign that includes stemming immigration from Poland.

He said: ‘The BNP often get confused and this happens because they haven’t done their research. This is just another example of them getting it wrong. They have a policy to send Polish people back to Poland – yet they are fronting their latest campaign using this plane. It is absurd to make claims about Englishness and Britishness fronted by this image. It’s obvious they just picked an image at random and they are really clutching at straws if they say this was deliberate.’

The 303 Squadron was the most effective Polish squadron during the Second World War. During the Battle of Britain Polish pilots shot down 203 Luftwaffe aircraft which stood for 12 per cent of total German losses in the battle.

A Royal Air Force museum spokesman said: ‘The Spitfire in the poster can be identified as belonging to 303 Squadron of the Polish Air Force by the code letters ‘RF’ painted in front of the RAF roundel. 303 Squadron operated Spitfires from Northolt, Kirton- in-Lindsey, Coltishall and other RAF stations in the UK between 1941 and 1945 after flying Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain.’

BNP spokesman Simon Darby said: ‘The 2009 election campaign poster features a spitfire plane and represents the Battle of Britain. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Polish squadron plane at all. It’s a symbol of Britain’s struggle at the moment. Using that plane doesn’t go against our policies. It’s not a question of disliking the Polish people – it’s just a question of economics.’

The poster is being used by the BNP to promote its election campaign in general and specifically a series of black tie dinner events with leader Nick Griffin as the speaker. In 1998 he was found guilty of inciting race hatred at Harrow Crown Court for denying that the Holocaust took place.

The campaign has already seen the threat of legal action from Dame Vera Lynn over their use of her song White Cliffs of Dover on a BNP album of Second World War songs.

Daily Mail

Birmingham clashes feared at demo over BNP teacher hearing

Adam Walker talking rubbish through a megaphone

Labour and Liberal Democrat city councillors are backing a demonstration being held in Birmingham against a teacher who faces the sack for allegedly contributing to a British National Party website discussion on asylum seekers and homosexuality while conducting a lesson.

Adam Walker, a BNP member from Sunderland, is appearing this week before the General Teaching Council in Birmingham. The GTC will decide what action to take against Mr Walker, 39, who is being defended by the BNP’s general secretary.

Paul Tilsley, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, became the most senior figure to promote Wednesday's rally, which is due to get under way at 12.30pm in Victoria Square, yards from the General Teaching Council headquarters. Coun Tilsley (Lib Dem Sheldon) said: “I am happy to support the anti-BNP demonstration, as they have no part to play in a modern multi-party democracy. Their platform is divisive and supports the Nazi policies that caused death and destruction and the deaths of 30 million people.”

Sparkbrook Respect councillor Salma Yaqoob added: “The BNP is a racist, fascist organisation. It is not a legitimate political party. Their policies are openly racist and would be a catastrophe for the people of Birmingham. We can discuss and argue with parties we disagree with but there can be no discussion with people who want to remove us from the country.”

Organisers of the protest fear that the BNP is planning its own demonstration in support of Mr Walker – raising fears of a clash between left and far-right groups.

Yardley Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming accused the BNP of being the “heirs of Hitler parading in Victoria Square”. Mr Hemming said: “We call on the people of Birmingham to express peaceful opposition to the politics of racial and religious hatred and to make it clear there is no place in Birmingham for organisations which wish to expel religious and racial minorities.”

In a statement, also signed by Ladywood Labour MP Clare Short, the councillors said: “Birmingham is famous as a vibrant multicultural city composed of people from many parts of the world. The BNP wants an exclusively white Britain and is led by a person who has denied the Holocaust and who now blames Muslims for Britain’s problems.”

BNP West Midlands spokesman Simon Darby accused the councillors of “meddling in matters that are not their concern”. Mr Darby added: “They are basically trying to get someone the sack because he does not support their political views, and that has got to be wrong.”

Birmingham Post