For Derek Godfrey, the 76-year old National Front district council candidate for Caddington, the week started well. His local NF branch managed to gather together a ragbag of 50 sick notes to shuffle through Hemel Hempstead on St George's Day, topped off by a "secret" social at The Packhorse pub, Markyate, known to local activists as "The Bunker".
After that ,however, it all started to go wrong. Local anti-fascists had been tracking Godfrey for the past two years, drawn by his wild letters to the local press that defended the NF, hailed the memory of Oswald Mosley and defended Prince Harry's right to wear a fancy dress swastika. It came as little surprise, therefore, to see him appear as the NF's local candidate for the May elections.
This prompted another search through the archives, revealing that Godfrey had been an active member of the nazi League of St George in the 1970s. A quick Google search shows him marching at a Diksmuide rally of European national socialists in the mid 1970s. Godfrey told the Luton News "when I saw what it was all about, I packed it in. I thought it was a bit extreme." A "bit nazi" then, ignoring the fact that membership of the League was by invitation only.
Worse still, Godfrey's own election meeting at a school in local school was cancelled when hapless local organiser Simon Deacon failed to show evidence of liability insurance by a Friday noon deadline. Local councillor and school governor Richard Stay said: "I gave them reasonable notice that we needed to have that evidence by midday today - they failed. It's my role to guarantee the protection of staff and children at the school. So, I called the meeting off."
Stop the BNP
Showing posts with label Mosley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mosley. Show all posts
May 02, 2007
April 05, 2007
BNP plans poll push
Far-right party the BNP launched its biggest election assault on Merseyside yesterday, fielding 20 candidates for the May vote. In Liverpool, they have submitted nine nominations – eight more than last year – including one in Norris Green, where they came in second in 2006.
In Sefton, five BNP candidates are standing, while Knowsley has two and St Helens four. None is being put up in Wirral.
Anti-racism campaigners last night branded the party “modern- day fascists” and urged people to vote against them on May 3. Alec McFadden said: “Even in Mosley’s era, there weren’t as many candidates as this. The views they are peddling are sickening and we are doing everything we can to stop them. In the run-up to Capital of Culture, it is a real slap in the face to the city that so many candidates have been put forward for this party.”
The BNP yesterday set out its pledges for the region if it was elected, which included stopping schools serving Halal meat and preventing mosques from being built. Its spokesman also explained the party believed Chinese people were “OK because they are hard-working” and “were not in the nefarious activities some ethnic groups are”.
Mr McFadden said “What is frightening is that they must have had 108 people backing them to get to this stage, as each nomination needs 12 signatures. The BNP has been targeting areas of deprivation and poverty across the city, picking places with problems and a lack of resources. We are urging candidates for parties that know they have got no hope of winning a seat to withdraw to ensure that they don’t split the vote in wards where the BNP is standing.
“We have also got 35,000 leaflets to send out to across the city informing people about the BNP. I would urge everyone to make sure they are registered to vote and to get out there on polling day.”
Cllr Steve Radford, Liberal group leader, said: “The BNP would have me gassed on three counts – I’m gay, I’m a Liberal and I’m a Methodist. But I would defend to the hilt their right to stand for election in a democracy and I look forward to beating them at the ballot boxes.”
icLiverpool
In Sefton, five BNP candidates are standing, while Knowsley has two and St Helens four. None is being put up in Wirral.
Anti-racism campaigners last night branded the party “modern- day fascists” and urged people to vote against them on May 3. Alec McFadden said: “Even in Mosley’s era, there weren’t as many candidates as this. The views they are peddling are sickening and we are doing everything we can to stop them. In the run-up to Capital of Culture, it is a real slap in the face to the city that so many candidates have been put forward for this party.”
The BNP yesterday set out its pledges for the region if it was elected, which included stopping schools serving Halal meat and preventing mosques from being built. Its spokesman also explained the party believed Chinese people were “OK because they are hard-working” and “were not in the nefarious activities some ethnic groups are”.
Mr McFadden said “What is frightening is that they must have had 108 people backing them to get to this stage, as each nomination needs 12 signatures. The BNP has been targeting areas of deprivation and poverty across the city, picking places with problems and a lack of resources. We are urging candidates for parties that know they have got no hope of winning a seat to withdraw to ensure that they don’t split the vote in wards where the BNP is standing.
“We have also got 35,000 leaflets to send out to across the city informing people about the BNP. I would urge everyone to make sure they are registered to vote and to get out there on polling day.”
Cllr Steve Radford, Liberal group leader, said: “The BNP would have me gassed on three counts – I’m gay, I’m a Liberal and I’m a Methodist. But I would defend to the hilt their right to stand for election in a democracy and I look forward to beating them at the ballot boxes.”
icLiverpool
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