Stoke-on-Trent BNP councillor in Nazi salute row

Steve Batkin (pictured above on the far-right, so to speak)

A BNP councillor has appeared on an anti-BNP website holding a Union Jack flag – standing next to three men doing a Nazi salute on a War Memorial in Stone. Cllr Steve Batkin, who has served the Bentilee ward since 2003, has said he was attending a funeral and he has not had contact with the men since.

Maurice Cousins is the Deputy Editor of ‘Nothing British’, where the image is currently appearing: “We thought this was disgraceful considering the British National Party dresses itself up in the flag and in the honour of those who have given their lives in this country. This man was elected in 2003, what is this man still doing there?”

Cllr Batkin defended his actions – saying it was down to the other men’s “drunken youth”. “You’ve got a few seconds to think and when someone just puts their hands up in a few seconds and a fascist salute, basically you’re trapped. We’ve all said things in the past, including Nick Griffin himself, where we regret some of the things we’ve said and some of the situations we’ve been in. Nevertheless I do not condone right wing people doing right wing salutes and dressing in a cult. It’s counter-productive and it doesn’t help the BNP one bit. That’s how drunken youth react at times when they’re rebellious, they might do silly things.”

Stoke BNP leader Michael Coleman does not condone Batkin’s actions and doubts that the matter will be taken further within the party. “I’d like to denounce it, it’s not part of the BNPs philosophy. I don’t want to represent those ideas, but it was 8 years ago and it was a different world back then.”

Ex-BNP councillor Alby Walker, who left the BNP to stand as Independent, said that Cllr Batkin is not an exception and this is why he left the BNP: “I shall make it my job now to expose to the public what the true face of the BNP is, what’s behind the scenes rather than the public persona they’re putting on at the moment. The true face of the BNP behind closed doors is quite different to what you will see publicly and that’s coming from the horses mouth. These are some of the reasons I had to move away from the BNP. I did try to change the image but obviously it’s still lurking in the background.”

Staffs Live

BNP leader Nick Griffin calls for his Weaver Vale candidate Colin Marsh to quit over displaying Nazi insignia on Facebook

BNP leader Nick Griffin has called for the party’s Weaver Vale candidate Colin Marsh to be sacked for displaying SS and neo-Nazi group Combat 18 insignia on a social networking site.

With just days to go until the General Election, Griffin, appearing on BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show today (Friday, April 30), said: “If that’s genuine and he’s put those on, he’s going to be thrown out because those organisations are proscribed to members of the British National Party.”

Nothing British About the BNP, an anti-BNP campaign group, also say the election candidate’s Facebook friends include a number of violent neo-Nazis. The group’s deputy editor Maurice Cousins said: “Colin Marsh is a vile neo-Nazi sympathiser with values inimical to Britain’s liberal democratic way of life.”

The Chronicle contacted the BNP about the claims. Spokesman John Walker, who is himself a candidate in Alyn and Deeside, Flintshire, said there were no plans for Marsh to step down but confirmed there will be an investigation.

Chester Chronicle

BNP under fire as veterans challenge claims made by 85-year-old ‘war hero’ supporter

Bob Head, far right, on a BNP poster. Look closely at those medals.

The BNP are facing embarrassing questions over the authenticity of a D-Day veteran featured on their website pledging his support and acting as a ­recruiting sergeant

Bob Head, 85, who describes himself as a hero and Normandy veteran, issued a statement last week calling on his “fellow patriots” to “fight against the destruction of our beloved Britain”. But since then apparent inaccuracies in Mr Head’s account of his involvement in the Second World War have come to light.

Last night the BNP were accused by anti-fascism campaigners and Second World War veterans’ associations of using the British armed forces to promote their own extremist politics, and of duping the public in advance of the General Election. Despite repeated requests, the far-right party refused to answer any questions about Mr Head’s wartime career, or to allow him to be interviewed.

The Sunday Herald repeatedly asked BNP communications officers to put us in touch with Mr Head. However, the party – despite promoting him online and putting him on posters as part of their election campaign – refused to put us in contact. Nick Griffin, the party’s leader, also refused to answer any questions about Mr Head’s military claims.

The questions are about:

Mr Head’s service

In his message of support to the BNP, Mr Head says he was “attached to the 51st Highland Division” and that “at just 20 years old I was involved in the Normandy invasion”. But there is confusion over the precise nature of Mr Head’s role in D-Day, and whether he took part in the initial invasion or arrived in France some time later. The 51st Highland Division only landed in France in the second wave of fighting in Normandy, after D-Day.

Mr Head also claims his division took part in Operation Market Garden, which included the attempt to take the Rhine bridges at Arnhem. But this was not the case: the 51st division was not involved.

George Batts, the national secretary of the Normandy Veterans Association, said the BNP should be “treated with the contempt they deserve” if untruths had been told about Mr Head’s role.

Mr Batts, 89, said: “A few of my fellow veterans had seen Mr Head on the BNP website and asked me if I knew of him, as they had never heard of him. There are thousands of veterans but it is odd that not one person remembers him or knows who he is. If he does exist, he is an idiot and he will not get much support from any Normandy veterans I know. I really would rather not see this kind of thing from one of our own. We could all now be tarred with the same brush.”

Mr Batts served with the Royal Engineers and landed in France on D-Day in June 1944. He said no “decent, legitimate party” would knowingly deceive the public over such an important event. “The best thing we can do is ignore both Mr Head and the BNP,” he added.

Mr Head’s medals

A photograph of Mr Head on the BNP website, which is also being used on billboard posters, shows him wearing nine medals. However, doubts have been raised about the way they are being worn. Military historians claim the top three medals are recognised as from the Second World War. However, there is confusion about the provenance of the lower set and how he is wearing them.

Maurice Cousins, a researcher for the campaign group Nothing British, which opposes the BNP, was one of a number of critics of the party who raised concern about the medals. James Bethell, director of Nothing British, added his voice to the concerns. “Time and time again the BNP seeks to hijack the memory of our military values and fallen heroes to promote their racist and extremist agenda,” he said. “Veterans up and down the country are revolted by the BNP’s tactics.

“No self-respecting soldier who fought the Nazis would lend their name to a party which promotes racism, homophobia, misogyny and anti-semitism. Griffin should sack any BNP member who masquerades with medals they do not deserve.”

Mr Head’s commander

Mr Head’s online message of support says he was “under the command of the legendary General Bernard Montgomery, or Monty as he was affectionately known”. However, General Montgomery was the overall British commander of the 21st Army Group. The 51st Highland Division was commanded firstly by Major-General Charles Bullen-Smith and then by Maj-Gen Tom Rennie.

Referring to concerns about Mr Head, Diana M Henderson, research director of the Scots At War Trust, said: “To be honest, the whole thing is just a bit sad. Many veterans are still here today and will no doubt be disappointed by this. But most will just shake their heads – after all, they were actually there.”

The source of Mr Head’s words

Last week, another Second World War veteran, Kenneth Riley, appealed for people to sign up to the Hope Not Hate campaign, which fights against the BNP and their policies. Hope Not Hate claim that, within hours, some of Mr Riley’s words were put into the mouth of Mr Head.

Such phrases as “Today, the war isn’t being fought on the battlefield – but in the ballot box” and “If I had my health I would be out there with them. But I can’t – so I’m writing to ask you to volunteer for me” appear in both of the men’s statements.

A statement on the Hope Not Hate website said Mr Riley was “furious when he was told that the BNP had taken his own words … and used them in a fundraising email”. It continued: “Ken fought the Nazis … He continues to fight the Nazis, in the guise of the BNP, today.”

After refusing to offer any information about Mr Head’s record and refusing the Sunday Herald the right to interview him, Paul Golding, communications officer for the BNP, said: “Unfortunately Mr Head is approaching 90 years old and I think it would be unfair on him to pester him with media interviews.”

Sunday Herald

BNP’s ugly lies about NHS staff

Screen grab taken from Easington BNP Facebook on 13th April 2010

Easington BNP have spread vicious lies about Muslim NHS staff in order to whip up racial hatred and anti-Muslim sentiments.

The BNP’s propaganda appears to have got its inspiration from a story that appeared in the Daily Mail relating to Muslim doctors and nurses being allowed to cover themselves up while at work. The article raises reasonable concerns about religious equality in the NHS. However, it does not say that Muslim NHS staff are no longer required to wash themselves before attending patients.

The original article explicitly says:

“The new guidance says staff can wear uniforms with long sleeves as long as they roll them up securely above their elbows to wash and when they are on wards.”

A Department of Health spokeswoman told Nothing British:

“The revised workwear guidance gives further clarity to front line staff about the need for staff to have good hand hygiene when in direct patient care. It does not change previous policy.

The guidance is intended to provide direction to services in how they can balance infection control measures with cultural beliefs without compromising patient safety.”

Scaremongering stories about Muslims in order to create the perception of “Islamic colonisation” is an essential and classic part of the BNP’s electoral strategy. It is deliberately designed to conflate Islamic extremism with Islam and exploits voters legitimate fears about extremism. The consequences are plain to see: hysterical racial hatred towards ordinary Muslims.

By spreading these revolting lies the BNP should realise they are playing directly into the hands of Islamic extremists, who can then reasonably claim that the press is responsible for the rise in “Islamaphobia”. It also makes the real fight against Islamism all the more difficult as anti-extremism campaigners become fearful of being labelled racist and Islamaphobic.

The issue of religious dress codes in the work place is a question of suitability and equality; not a conspiracy about Muslims attempting to kill non-Muslims through the spread of infection.

There is nothing patriotic about spreading malicious lies about those who work extremely hard to save British lives on a daily basis.

Nothing British

SOTS and the BNP need to be more transparent about their links

Bill Murray, director of the Soldiers off the Street, claims that his veterans organisation has “no connection” with the British National Party. He claims it is misleading to suggest he has substantial links with the extremist party. In a recent email to Garry Bushell, the well-known TV journalist and who recently suspended his patronage with SOTS, Murray wrote:

“We have NO conection with the BNP. I was a member and resigned there is a hate campaign going on with Tim Montgomerie, James Bethell and Maurice Cousins with their site Nothing British ”

Specifically, Murray claims he left the BNP in August 2009. But strong links between Murray and the BNP remain well established. For example, in November 2009 Nick Griffin said it was “politically beneficial” to be linked with SOTS. He told Scottish media:

“It’s politically beneficial for us to be seen with these organisations. We are also involved in other veteran organisations such as Help for Heroes and Soldiers off the Street. It definitely doesn’t hurt the party to be connected to these groups.”

On the Soldiers off the Street’s links page, there is posted the crest and a link to a company called Easy Security Services Ltd (company number 06706626). ESS is a security firm which, according to its Companies House records, has Daniel McDonald listed as one of its directors. McDonald is also a BNP PPC for Horsham.

According to the BNP supporting blog TITVS ADVXAS, in August 2009 Roger Phillips, deputy West Wales BNP organiser, sent a message out to party supporters saying:

“… a new charity has launched in the UK that we support and if any of you can offer any kind of help or assistance could you please contact them on the link below. An article can be found here on The Green Arrow website and the Soldiers off the Street website.”

And Murray’s Facebook “friends” (all screen grabs were taken on 25th March 2010)?

Bob Bailey – leader of Barking BNP, councillor and Romford PPC.

Chris Beverley – BNP councillor, PPC for Morley and Outwood and Chief of Staff to Andrew Brons MEP.

Clive Jefferson – BNP PPC for Copeland and Campaign Co-ordinator to Nick Griffin MEP. Jefferson is also listed as being on the EU pay roll.

Mark Collett – Head of publicity and BNP PPC for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough.

Peter Mullins – BNP Defence spokesman.

Is it not time SOTS was more transparent about its links and associations with the BNP?

For more information on Soldiers off the Street please read our briefing by clicking here.

There is Nothing British about the BNP

Stop the BNP from shamelessly exploiting injured British soldiers

Letter from the BNP's Simon Bennett, with useful notes

Last Friday we received an email from the BNP purporting to be from an ordinary member of the public. It asked for people to send in birthday cards to a BNP collection centre in the West Midlands so that they can be delivered to Fusilier Tom James, a badly injured Afghanistan veteran.

Our concern has been that the BNP will attempt to use these birthday cards for political advantage. (Please read our campaign Advisory Notice here explaining our evidence).

Last October we organised a campaign which highlighted the BNP’s distasteful attempts to exploit veterans, supported by Generals Sir Richard Dannatt, Sir Mike Jackson, Lord Guthrie and Major-General Patrick Cordingley. The campaign was also supported by brave veterans such as Andy McNab, Simon Weston and Iraq War commander Colonel Tim Collins.

The lack of transparency on the BNP’s part for this particular campaign is shameful. According to the owner of the picture, Picture It Now, Simon Bennett did not obtain a valid licence to use this picture in this email. In short this nothing more than obtaining good will by deception.

The BNP’s “Fusilier Tom James campaign” has been slammed by members of the veterans community and those who are closely associated with the military.

Major General Patrick Cordingley attacked the BNP’s lack of transparency. He told Nothing British

“It is just so regrettable that they are being anything less than transparent.”

Simon Darby has already said on his blog that the British National Party intends to use our veterans and the military throughout its election campaign as party political propaganda. But the purpose of this is not to stop the BNP from shamelessly exploiting our veterans, but to remind the public that a party mired in corruption, violence, criminality and un-British behaviour are using shadowy tactics to exploit the heroism of those who are prepared to die for this country. As very senior former member of the Armed Forces told Nothing British this week, “One of the number one rules in the British forces is that you don’t exploits our boys and girls in the forces.” We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

Simon Weston, a former veteran of the Falklands War, has said that “deplored the subterfuge and underhand politics” of the email and the BNP. Mr Weston said that he had no problem with people wanting to send birthday cards to veterans so long as they were “open and honest” but he said it should not be used as a “political ploy”, as with this campaign. He then added that these sorts of shadowy tactics and the BNP’s attempts to play on the “insecurities of ordinary people” was “anti-British”.

Adam Holloway MP, a former Grenadier Guardsman and member of the Defence Select Committee, exclusively told Nothing British:

“I was with a British Asian Paratroop Regiment mate of mine who has served in Afghanistan and has won loads of medals for this country. A few weeks ago he met some supporters from the BNP in a pub and asked them what have they ever done for this country. They couldn’t answer him. To me that says it all.”

Liam Fox MP, Conservative Shadow Defence, told NB:

“This is a shameless and disgraceful exploitation of our injured service personnel to promote what is a hateful political organisation.”

Veterans Scotland, an organisation that represents all the veterans charities in Scotland, told us they were sending out our memo to all veterans charities in Scotland. COBSEO, the umbrella organisation for UK veterans charities, have also been informed.

Nothing British

New charity Soldiers off the Street is a front for BNP, campaign group claims

Nothing British urges Charity Commission to take action

The Charity Commission has been urged to take action against a voluntary organisation that has been accused of being a front for the British National Party.

Soldiers off the Street was set up last year by the BNP's former Welsh secretary Bill Murray to help homeless former service personnel. Nothing British, an anti-extremist group set up by Conservative supporters, claims the group is one of a growing number of forces groups being established or supported by the BNP as a way of gaining popularity.

Maurice Cousins, a researcher at Nothing British, said: "Soldiers off the Street presents itself as a legitimate organisation but doesn't tell people about its BNP links."

Cousins' complaints to the commission have been rejected because Soldiers off the Street is not a registered charity. But it describes itself as a 'charitable organisation' on its Facebook page, which has more than 4,300 friends. "Unless the commission clamps down, it undermines the work of reputable groups," said Cousins.

Murray said his organisation would apply to become a charity when it reached the £5,000 registration threshold. He said he had never denied his BNP past but now had no political affiliations. "We just genuinely want to help," he said.

A commission spokeswoman said it was reasonable for organisations with incomes of less than £5,000 to say they were charitable provided they did not say they were registered charities. She said people with political affiliations could establish charities provided the organisations did not have political purposes. The commission would treat Soldiers off the Street's application "in line with the registration criteria", she said.

Third Sector

BNP: Give Gibraltar back

Wave goodbye to Gibraltar if Nick Griffin gets his way

The BNP would hand the key outpost of Gibraltar to Spain in an astonishing betrayal of its 30,000 British citizens. The move would also deprive the UK of a naval base - defended bitterly for more than 300 years - of huge strategic importance.

Party leader Nick Griffin, elected as an MEP in June, made the offer at a fascist rally in Madrid last week to suck up to European extremists. His bizarre reasoning is that it would help the Spanish combat radicals in nearby northern Africa.

Deceitful Griffin told fellow fanatics: "Taking into account the geographical situation of Gibraltar and the Muslim threat on its door, I would prefer to see a Spanish flag fly in Gibraltar before an Islamic one." He added: "It would be much easier to sort it out if we had nationalist governments in Britain and Spain because it would then be an agreement between equals."

The gaffe was exposed by James Bethell, founder of anti-BNP pressure group Nothing British. Mr Bethell - favourite to be selected by the Tories to fight for the seat of Gosport, Hants - said: "Nick Griffin talks about protecting our national interest but he would surrender our sovereignty to Spanish fascists in a heartbeat. The only flag that should be flying over the Rock is the Union Jack."

A recent referendum on the island, off the southern tip of Spain, saw 99.64 per cent vote to remain British.

The Sun