What the Royal British Legion thinks of the English Defence League

EDL News

Twisted BNP cashing in on my hero's funeral

Footage used to raise money

Grieving Jessica Deans has blasted the BNP for using a photo of her fiancé's coffin to plug their hateful policies. The picture - taken at the funeral of marine Liam Elms - appears in an online video to drum up election support for the far-right party. But Jessica branded it an outrage - and his family insist the fallen hero would have raged against the BNP's loathsome views.

Corporal Liam, 26, was killed by a roadside bomb while battling the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Jessica, a 22-year-old nurse, said: "I find it an outrage that an image of Liam's coffin on the day of his funeral is being used as propaganda for the BNP's personal gain."

And Liam's father Michael, 51, said: "We haven't give our permission for them to use any coverage of Liam's funeral on this video. It's out of order that the picture has been put in the public domain and for the BNP to use it for political gain is not on. It feels like an easy way for the BNP to get people involved in their party and to make money."

The video has been watched thousands of times since it was put on the BNP website and YouTube last week. Party leader Nick Griffin shamelessly uses it in a plea for cash to bolster his election fund. The photo shows Liam's coffin - draped in a Union Flag - being carried by three comrades.

Griffin, who was filmed in front of a portrait of Winston Churchill, describes the Afghan conflict as "a ludicrous no-win war" and pledges to end British involvement. And as Liam's coffin flashes on screen, he says: "We need our coffers filled so we can afford to fight every single seat we should be fighting up and down the country."

But Liam's dad - who also served in the forces - said: "I'm angry with the BNP because what they are saying is the complete opposite of what Liam wanted. Liam's last words to me were, 'I'm where I want to be, doing what I want to do with the people I want to be with. Don't worry'."

Michael added: "Any party that says the troops should be brought out without any power being in place to look after local Afghans is going against what our boys are fighting for."

Liam died on New Year's Eve 2008 on patrol in Helmand with 45 Commando and Afghan troops. The photo used by the BNP was taken at his funeral last January - when he was hailed a "true patriot". Hundreds of mourners packed St Joseph's church in his home town of Wrightington, Lancs, and more than 150 had to wait outside.

Liam's mum Maureen, 52, said: "I would love all the soldiers in Afghanistan to come home safe. But they have chosen to do a job out there and they will stay until the Afghans are safe."

Liam's family are asking people who want to help British troops to support legitimate charities such as Help For Heroes, the Royal Marine Benevolent Fund and the British Legion - not the BNP. His sister Rachael, 28, has raised £20,000 for Help For Heroes by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. And she plans to raise more in a 900-mile London-Geneva bike ride - www.justgiving.com/rachael-elms - this year.

The BNP tried to play down the row over Liam's coffin. An official said: "The picture was intended to be representative of a problem we're trying to give our view on - it is not homing in on an individual. No offence was intended to the family."

People

Note: The People made a donation to the British Legion at the Elms' request for their interviews.

Royal British Legion ban BNP meeting in Leighton - BNP fury at cancellation

Right-wing extremists have hit out at a move by Tory MP Andrew Selous to scrap a controversial meeting of the British National Party that was due to be held at Leighton's Royal British Legion Club tomorrow night. Mr Selous, MP for South West Beds, took action after being swamped by complaints from old soldiers who were horrified that their premises were to be used for a political rally.

The local branch of the BNP had hoodwinked the club's secretary Eileen Johnson by booking the West Street Hall under the name British Heritage. It wasn't until yesterday (Monday) that Mr Selous, a member of the club, discovered the real identity of the group, and stepped in to ask the charity to cancel the date.

Mrs Johnson said: "The hall was booked under a lady's name. I knew it was a political group but not that it was the BNP. As soon as I heard we cancelled them. We don't want those sort of people here. Our members wouldn't be at all happy."

In recent months the party has been actively campaigning and recruiting in Leighton-Linslade and the surrounding villages. The meeting on Wednesday night was to introduce three prospective parliamentary candidates to local people.

Mr Selous said: "The British Legion were tricked into taking the booking and I'm worried that people will still turn up thinking the meeting's on. I have had complaints from people who fought fascism in the Second World War and the British Legion isn't prepared to give fascism promotion in any way.

"I recognise that we live in a free society and we are entitled to free speech but the BNP is not a main stream party and they hold extreme views. A BNP meeting in the Royal British Legion Club is not something we want in this town."

Shelly Rose, who was organising the meeting, was furious at Mr Selous' intervention and said that a meeting would still be held. "It is absolutely outrageous. It is Andrew Selous who is acting like a fascist. He won't allow anyone else express their opinions. I'm really angry about this. Make no mistake we will have our meeting but we'll hold it elsewhere.

"This was going to be a low key meeting. There was nothing mysterious or sinister about it. We were going to be discussing the up and coming general election and have three prospective candidates address the meeting. It's Mr Selous who is being heavy-handed about this. It is perfectly fitting for us to hold a meeting in the British Legion. We are the only party opposed to the Iraqi/Afghanistan war and the only party that's patriotic and standing up for our soldiers."

A spokesman for the BNP's national headquarters, slammed the MP's intervention as "undemocratic".

He said: "We are a recognised political party with elected representatives but in some areas we are forced to book venues under an assumed name because of local reaction. In other areas we are completely open and up front about it and accepted. The reaction of certain people is not our fault. It's unfair and undemocratic to ban our meetings. Many of our members are ex-servicemen and the British Legion should be more patriotic and less political."

Leighton Buzzard Online

Midland hospital snubs BNP donation

Selly Oak Hospital: refusing to fall for the BNP's charity con-trick

Hospital snubs BNP donation for our heroes

A Midland hospital which treats hero soldiers wounded in Afghanistan has refused a donation from the British National Party. Bosses at Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham turned down money from the far-right party after its members made the collection, claiming it would be donated to build a burns unit for injured squaddies.

The BNP, whose leader Nick Griffin is MEP for the North West, say they were selling stickers calling for troops to withdraw from Afghanistan in a bid “to help our brave and wounded soldiers”.

But a spokesman for Selly Oak Hospital, which houses the army’s Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, said: “The British National Party is selling merchandise with the promise of donating the proceeds to the Selly Oak Hospital burns unit. Neither the University Hospitals of Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust nor its official charity, UHB Charities, have been contacted by the BNP about this venture, and the Trust does not accept money from any political party,” said the spokesman.

Labour MP for the area Dr Lynne Jones said: “I think the BNP is using the good name of the hospital to further its distasteful views.”

In October the hospital was at the centre of a political storm when Mr Griffin claimed injured soldiers on Selly Oak’s wards had to pay to watch television. Griffin was attempting to justify his wearing of a poppy on a televised debate against the wishes of the Royal British Legion. He said he would remove the poppy if the Legion would put pressure on the Government to stop “charging young British soldiers with no legs in Selly Oak Hospital” to watch TV. His claims were described as “absolute rubbish” by an Army spokesman who stressed military patients had free access to internet, television and phones.

Last night, John Walker, the BNP’s spokesman, said the party was disappointed by the hospital’s decision not to accept their donation.

“I am sure that it’s because it’s the BNP that they are doing this,” he claimed. “We have as much right to campaign on soldiers and these issues as any other party. If Selly Oak won’t take the money, we will find a soldiers’ charity that will.”

Earlier this year, a group of senior military commanders attacked the BNP for hijacking the sacrifices of soldiers in order to gain votes. After the BNP used images of Winston Churchill to fight their European election campaign, former heads of the British Army General Sir Mike Jackson and General Sir Richard Dannatt wrote an open letter saying the party was “fundamentally at odds” with the values of the British military.

“We call on all those who seek to hijack the good name of Britain’s military for their own advantage to cease and desist,” the generals said. “The values of these extremists – many of whom are essentially racist – are fundamentally at odds with the values of the modern British military, such as tolerance and fairness.”

Griffin, who was convicted of inciting racial hatred in 1998 for publishing material appearing to deny the Holocaust, responded by comparing the generals to Nazi war criminals.

Sunday Mercury

BNP hijack Mitcham Remembrance Day

The photograph which appeared on the London Patriot website

The BNP hijacked Mitcham’s Remembrance Sunday event, parading a party banner in front of the War Memorial and duping residents to appear in a photograph. The propaganda shot has since appeared on London Patriot - an extreme right-wing website - sparking fury among those in the picture who believed it was a photocall for the local newspaper.

Witnesses to the event, which happened moments after Mitcham’s Remembrance service finished on November 8, said the BNP banner was deceitfully handed to a group of children at the front of the picture and quickly hidden away after the shot was taken.

Daphne Adkins, 64, was looking on the memorial for the name of her grandfather who died in World War One when the photocall was hastily assembled around her. She said: “I thought it was just disgraceful. We were completely oblivious to what was going on and I can’t imagine many of the other people knew either. I just thought this was something for the local paper organised by the British Legion. Remembrance Sunday has nothing to do with these people. It was sneaky and disrespectful.”

Her son Dean Adkins, 45, a civil servant in the Home Office said he feared his job would be put at risk by association with the BNP. He said: “There was just no way of telling. All I was trying to do was look for my great grandfather’s name on the monument and it wasn’t until afterwards that my wife told me they were holding up a BNP banner.”

A spokesman for the Royal British Legion, said: “The act of Remembrance must be kept above partisan political politics. These events are about recognising valour and sacrifice.”

Mitcham MP Siobhain McDonagh added: “You don’t go to a Remembrance service and expect to be hoodwinked into a photo for the BNP. This is about paying your respect for those who have lost their lives. It’s an invasion of someone’s privacy and a complete abuse of trust. It’s extremely crass that people would choose to use a Remembrance service to make a political point.”

But a spokesman for the BNP said: “We strongly suspect the motivation for some of the complaints received were themselves politically motivated. If any member of the public unwittingly joined the group photograph then we apologise for any misunderstanding. We do however find it a sad situation that people feel they may lose their jobs for merely standing with people who are BNP members.”

Your Local Guardian

Row erupts over BNP wreath note

A row has broken out over a note of remembrance left at Cleckheaton's Memorial Park on Sunday.

A wreath was laid by the BNP during the ceremony to mark Remembrance Sunday. An attached note read ‘Your sacrifice will never be forgotten!! But as you look down on today’s England you may wonder why you and your comrades bothered. Respect forever, The British National Party’.

A member of the public tore the note from the wreath shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony, with several onlookers angered by its political message. However David Exley, BNP organiser for Kirklees, said the note did not come from anyone in his party and claimed someone was trying to ‘stitch up’ the BNP on an important day.

“The wreath was presented by Richard Brown, in his capacity as a representative of the party and also as an ex-member of the parachute regiment who has seen active service. On that wreath, he wrote ‘you will never be forgotten, Kirklees BNP’,” Mr Exley said, adding that someone must have taken the original note and substituted it with a different one.

“All our representatives have been told that it’s a non-political event and should not be politicised in any way. We have always recognised this. In my view, someone has criminally damaged and stolen part of the wreath, which was a personal message to those who have given their lives in conflicts for this country.”

He added that the incident had been reported to the police and he believed someone was trying to cause trouble for the party.

Eddie Morton, chairman of the Spenborough branch of the Royal British Legion, agreed that the event should be non-political.

“As a political party with an elected representative in the area, they have a right to parade along with other political parties. The note that was left with the wreath could have been more sensitive to the dignity of the occasion and should not have tried to make political gains from a non-political event,” he said.

Spenborough Guardian

Fury after BNP poppy wreath laid among Sikh tributes at Birmingham ceremony

Sikhs spoke of their “disgust” today after a BNP poppy wreath was laid among Sikh tributes at a Birmingham Remembrance ceremony.

The BNP laurel appeared to have been deliberately placed in the middle of those left by members of the city’s Sikh community inside the Hall of Memory in Centenary Square.

Guru Ram Dass Singh Gurdwara, in Balsall Heath, was one of the temples which had laid a decoration on the plinth inside the hall. Girval Singh, general secretary of the Moseley Road temple, claimed the British National Party, which restricts membership to white-only British citizens, had shown a lack of respect for Sikhs who had fought and died in the British Army.

“I’m absolutely disgusted,” he said. “Many Sikhs were born in this country and many fought for this country so we deserve respect. They should be ashamed of themselves and show more respect for that particular event and day. I’m very, very disappointed.”

The wreathes had been laid to honour British soldiers who lost their lives in conflicts past and present as the square hosted ceremonies for Remembrance Sunday and yesterday’s Armistice Day.

Kulwant Singh Purewal, a 41-year-old electronics engineer from Edgbaston, attended the Armistice Day service in Centenary Square to mark the bravery of his father and uncle who both served in the British Armed Forces.

He said: “I’m a Sikh who was born in England and is proud to be a member of the British Empire. It gives me pride to remember the men who gave their lives to defend unity, democracy and freedom. Many Sikhs were born here and should not be subjected to this kind of insensitivity. What message is this sending out?“You are born in England and fight for England but then we have to kick you out. Members of my family spent 35 years in the British Army. They served proudly and this is a disgrace to their memory.”

Simon Darby, deputy leader of the BNP, said the party had every right to place wreathes wherever they wanted. He said: “We have as much right to lay a wreath as anyone else. If we don’t lay a wreath we get criticised so we can’t win. Some of our policies are very popular with Sikhs. We don’t regard them as a threat - they are welcome to stay should they wish.”

Earlier this week BNP leader Nick Griffin MEP was accused of whipping up patriotism and support for his party when he joined mourners as the coffins of six British servicemen were presented through Wootton Bassett.

The Royal British Legion, which oversees the collection of wreathes for public remembrance services, said the BNP decoration had not been received by its staff and had been laid independently.

Mike Morris, county manager of the RBL in Birmingham, said: “As far as I’m aware they did not go through our secretary. We are not political animals, of course. Anybody is entitled to place a wreath - we do not police it.”

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council, which helped organise the ceremony, said: “Every member of the public is well within their right to lay a wreath as long as there is no offensive message. We would not want to turn it into politics - it distracts from the importance of the day.”

Birmingham Mail

BNP leader joins soldiers' mourners

The family of Guardsman Jimmy Major break down as his coffin is driven past

Smug bastard Griffin grinning for the cameras

BNP leader Nick Griffin was present in Wootton Bassett today to see the bodies of six soldiers pass through the town after their repatriation from Afghanistan to British soil.

Mr Griffin stood on the high street where hearses carrying the soldiers' Union Flag-draped coffins were due to arrive. Wearing a black coat, adorned with a poppy, the controversial MEP stood with a minder opposite family and friends of the fallen soldiers.

Mr Griffin said: "I wanted to come here today because this is the second worst toll to be coming through and because tomorrow is Remembrance Day. So it's fitting that as many people as possible come here today. It's an absolutely tremendous and very moving display."

Mr Griffin said he had a "friendly" reaction from the public to his presence.

"It's been very low key, I've been talking to many people and it's been very friendly," he said.

When asked for his view on the conflict in Afghanistan after the loss of the five soldiers killed by a rogue Afghan police officer, Mr Griffin said: "This is not the time or the place for political statements - it's for remembrance. I have strong views on Afghanistan but I'm not prepared to discuss them here."

Standing yards from Mr Griffin was veteran Martyn Matthews, 61, a retired warrant officer who served for 27 years with the commando forces. Mr Matthews, from Corsham, Wiltshire, said: "We live in a democracy and everyone has a right to their own views. If people are going to give their lives for that freedom, Mr Griffin has as much right to his views as anyone else does. Although I do not stand by his views, I would encourage him to be here to see the impact extremism can have."

They were among hundreds of people who turned out to pay their respects to six soldiers killed in Afghanistan as their bodies returned to British soil today.

Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, 40, Sergeant Matthew Telford, 37, and Guardsman Jimmy Major, 18, from the Grenadier Guards, died alongside Corporal Steven Boote, 22, and Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, 24, from the Royal Military Police. They were shot dead by a "rogue" Afghan police officer at a secure checkpoint in Nad-e-Ali in Helmand Province on November 3 in an attack claimed by the Taliban. Two days later, Serjeant Phillip Scott, 30, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, was killed by an improvised explosive device near Sangin in Helmand.

After a private chapel ceremony for families at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, hearses carrying their Union flag-draped coffins were driven to the High Street of nearby Wootton Bassett for a memorial procession.

Under cloudy skies and drizzling rain, soldiers lined the streets of the town alongside Royal British Legion veterans, shopkeepers and residents to pay tribute to the fallen men. As the cortege passed along the High Street, silence fell, broken only by the chiming bells of St Bartholomew and All Saints Church. Standard-bearers from the Royal British Legion lowered their flags as the coffins passed by.

As the procession paused by the war memorial, which was covered in floral tributes, roses and wreaths were placed on the hearses by relatives and friends. Tearful family members wept as the coffins drove by - some wearing T-shirts bearing the name of their fallen loved one.

The procession then continued to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, where post-mortem examinations are completed.

Independent

War heroes' fury over nazi insult

Furious veterans have accused a British Army surplus store of "insulting" the dead by stocking Nazi memorabilia – just yards from the Hull war memorial

Combat Clothing Company, in Paragon Street, city centre, is selling various items of replica memorabilia just 200 metres from the memorial, where hundreds turned out for the annual Remembrance Sunday parade. The memorabilia includes:

• Flags displaying the Swastika
• Swastika armbands, as worn by Waffen-SS soldiers
• Replica Iron Cross medals, complete with a Swastika in the centre

Second World War veteran Perris Coupland, chairman of both the Hull branch of the Royal British Legion and Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women, said he is outraged.

The 84-year-old said: "This is an insult to the 700 Hull people who lost their lives in the 83 air raids. The Nazis machine-gunned the centre of this city centre. It is disgusting and insulting to exhibit these items almost within sight of the war memorial, which is dedicated to the memory of those who died fighting these people."

Bill Feller, president of the Hull branch of the Normandy Veterans' Association, said: "It is disgusting. "Stores should be banned from selling this stuff."

Mr Feller, who took part in last weekend's parade at the Paragon Square war memorial, doctored his birth certificate and joined the Army aged 16. He fought in Algiers aged 17.

The 84-year-old added: "The Nazis were known for their cruelty. We had nothing against the ordinary German soldier – they were just like us. But the Nazis were in another league altogether."

Several different designs of Nazi flags hang on a hook next to modern, desert-coloured British Army uniforms in the store. Lapel badges, also featuring the Swastika, are displayed in the same glass cabinet as replica wartime medals issued to British soldiers.

Pat Arksey, organiser of Hull's Poppy Appeal, said: "This store should have more sensitivity, especially at this time of the year when we are remembering those from Hull who died at the hands of the Nazis."

It comes just weeks after four former generals complained about "extremists" who hijack British Army symbols. The four put their names to a letter stating the forces' reputation is being tarnished by right-wing groups. The British National Party (BNP) has been using military symbols, including a picture of a Spitfire alongside the words 'Battle for Britain', in the party's recent European election campaign.

Mike May, owner of Combat Clothing Company, defended his decision to sell the items. He told the Mail: "We have always sold these items. No-one has ever complained. If they were illegal we would obviously not be selling them. It's part of history. Should be stop reenactments at Fort Paull? There are a lot of re-enactors who buy our flags. They can't afford genuine German flags, which cost hundreds of pounds each. Some people might object to us selling British Army camouflage gear, but we stock that."

However, Jeff Baker, manager of Military Wear House, in Hessle Road, west Hull, said: "We do not sell Nazi items. It would be disrespectful to those who lost their lives fighting for this country."

Criminal Robert Cockerline was criticised after appearing before Hull Crown Court last week wearing an enamel badge, which featured the words "Heil Hitler" around a Swastika. Cockerline, 42, who has a record for harassment and criminal damage, appeared for breaching court orders but was allowed to walk free. He is on probation as an alternative to prison.

This is Hull and East Riding

National Front lays wreaths at Cenotaph

The National Front has laid wreaths at the Cenotaph in a move which the Royal British Legion said "desecrated" the monument to Britain's war dead

Hundreds of members of the far Right party marched through the streets of Westminster to the London memorial on Remembrance Sunday. It emerged last night that they placed four poppy wreaths following the official ceremony attended by the Queen.

The Royal British Legion last night condemned the act saying that they had not been given permission to place the tributes, which were laid alongside those presented by Gordon Brown, the prime minister, and David Cameron, the Tory leader.

Robert Lee, the legion's spokesman said: "This is a terrible and unfortunate desecration of one of the nation's most important and treasured monuments. There was no official formation representing the National Front at the ceremony in any shape or form. Someone must have come there afterwards and placed these wreaths on the official pile."

A news item on the party's website reported that more than 200 members had marched from Victoria in London to the historic site on Sunday. It said that the event "passed off with dignity and peacefully" despite threats of disruption. It said the group observed a two minute silence at the Cenotaph before members laid the wreaths on behalf of the main, ex-servicemen's, youth, and Yorkshire branches of the party. It concludes saying the march was a "sure sign of a revitalised and resurgent NF".

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which organises the official ceremony at the Cenotaph, said the National Front had not been allocated an official place for wreaths but had not broken any rules by leaving them later. Only political parties with six or more seats in the Commons are allowed a space, however there is nothing to stop individuals or organisations from placing tributes after the service, a spokesman said.

Telegraph

Couple's poppy protest against BNP

There will be no Remembrance Day poppies in the Custance household this year. Jenefer Custance, 57, and her husband Terry, 59, say they will not be donating when a Royal British Legion collector calls at their home in Western Avenue, Henley. They are protesting at the legion’s decision to accept a donation from the British National Party.

Mrs Custance, a shop assistant in Henley, said: "I was so shocked and angry when I read that the British Legion had accepted a donation from the BNP. It is dirty money. The BNP is a racist organisation and accepting money from it is disrespectful to all the men and women, whatever colour or creed, who have served, or are serving, or have died fighting for their country. We have always supported the Poppy Appeal but this year we will not be buying any. All charities are desperate for money but I cannot understand what the Legion is thinking in allowing this to happen."

The British Legion accepted a donation from a member of the BNP after earlier this year distancing itself from the party. The cash was raised by Rachel Firth, who spent 24 hours in a cardboard box collecting donations to draw attention to former soldiers who are forced to sleep rough. The sum she raised has not been disclosed but she donated half to the party and half to the Legion.

Mr Custance, a print industry salesman, said: "It beggar’s belief they have done this. I am sure the vast majority of the British people and members of the British Legion will be appalled when they learn of this donation." He added: "Although we won’t be buying poppies, we will be giving a donation to Help for Heroes."

In June, the legion took out a full-page advert in a national paper, accusing BNP leader Nick Griffin of politicising the poppy and asked him to stop wearing it. The party has also been accused of exploiting the donation by publicising it on its website.

Brigadier Malcolm Page, chairman of Henley branch of the Royal British Legion, said the issue had been dealt with by the legion’s head office. He added: "I think that by donating this couple will not be hurting the BNP but will not be helping veterans. I hope for their sake that Mrs Custance reconsiders.

Henley Standard

Questions over former BNP member's help for ex-soldiers

A former BNP member is facing questions about his political past after setting up an organisation to help homeless ex-soldiers.

Soldiers Off The Street (SOTS) was founded earlier this year by the BNP's former Welsh secretary Bill Murray and his wife Marie. Despite the couple's previous political involvement there is no mention of the party on the SOTS website. SOTS operates out of an office in Wrexham which is owned by the mother of the BNP's lead candidate in the recent European elections.

Ennys Hughes, the BNP member whose mother owns the building, says that the property was applied for in the normal manner through an estate agent, and that SOTS is 'just like any other tenant, anyone could have applied and got it... the building has been in our family for 25 years, I think at one point Plaid Cymru were in there.'

Despite this, local campaigners have expressed concern over the possibility of links between the organisation and the BNP and have raised questions about how money contributed by the public is to be used.

Dan Roberts, a spokesman for the campaign group Wrexham Against Racism and Fascism, said: "There is no mention on the website that this organisation was set up by key BNP personnel. We're concerned that money that's given in good faith by the general public could be used to fund the BNP's own hateful campaigning."

Campaigners from the nothingbritish.com have written to the Charities Commission expressing their concern that SOTS could be the 'latest and possibly most troublesome example of astroturfing'. Astroturfing is the establishment of an artificial grass-roots campaign which claims to be spontaneous but is actually formally planned and disguises its origins.

In response to the allegations Murray says that he left the BNP around a month before the charity was founded. He stated: "I left because I wanted to set this up (SOTS) because I think it's scandalous the way ex-service personnel are treated."

He denies any existing links with the BNP claiming he resigned from the party on the 15th of August this year because 'politics is all dirty' and he'd 'had enough of policies and wanted to help people'.

Murray states that the claim the organisation is a front for the BNP is "rubbish" saying "let them go to the police if they believe that's the case". He also says that on setting up the organisation he was offered support from the BNP but turned it down because "I don't believe any political organisation should be involved with a charity".

Murray says that though no one involved with SOTS is currently a member of the BNP, he would have no objection to party members being involved. The SOTS website contains a prominent advertisement on its front page for FEBA, or Forward Edge of Battle Area, a Scottish organisation that has received support from the BNP. Nick Griffin originally claimed on the BNP website that the party gave £25,000 worth of help to the Scottish charity. It was later discovered that the donation amounted only to £3000.

Tommy Moffat, founder of FEBA said: "If the BNP want to make a difference the door is open. I have been assured by BNP sources that we will not be politically involved with them, it is only a donation."

The BNP is facing continued criticism for promoting members' donations to charities including the Royal British Legion and Help For Heroes.

Independent

Thanks to Wrexham Against Racism and Fascism for the heads-up.

Commission urged to tackle BNP fake charities

The Charity Commission has been urged to clamp down on “BNP organisations masquerading as veterans charities” by a group of former senior army generals.

The call came in a letter signed by General Sir Mike Jackson and General Sir Richard Dannatt, former heads of the army; Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, former chief of defence staff, and Major-General Patrick Cordingley, commander of the Desert Rats in the Gulf War. The letter, widely reported in the national press, warns that the armed forces are in danger of being hijacked by far-right extremists “for their own dubious ends”.

It is the start of a campaign launched this week to highlight the British National Party’s strategy of cloaking itself in the military.

Earlier this month The Times reported that the BNP has made a point of targeting veteran charities with offers of support. It has also highlighted on its website, individual donations by its members to organisations including the Royal British Legion and the Gurkha Welfare Trust.

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: "The Charity Commission is aware of the press coverage regarding Nothing British about the BNP's report, Stolen Valour, in which the Commission is mentioned. We have obtained a copy of the report and will be responding directly to Nothing British on the points that they have raised.

"Charities should usually seek to maximise their income. However, in some circumstances trustees may decide that it would not be in the best interests of their charity to accept a donation, if this would damage the charity’s reputation or its ability to do its good work would be compromised. Trustees should be able to demonstrate how and why they have made any such decision and the Commission is happy to advise in such cases.

"There is nothing in charity law that prohibits members of a political party from establishing and/or being the trustee of a charity. However, no charity can have political purposes or support a political party. All trustees must act only in the charity’s best interests and must not represent the interests of any outside organisation or their own personal interests. To do otherwise would be a breach of trust.

"‘Soldiers off the Street’ is not a registered charity, and must not claim to be a registered charity. We have not received any application to register from an organisation by that name. Any application to register as a charity would be considered in line with the registration criteria as set out on our website. In order to register, charities must be established for exclusively charitable purposes for the public benefit and must not have any political purpose."

Charity Finance

BNP exploits plight of former soldiers

The decorated SAS veteran Andy McNab has condemned the British National Party after it tried to associate itself with his heroism by auctioning two signed copies of his books to raise money for Help for Heroes, a charity that helps wounded soldiers.

“I was sick to the stomach,” stated McNab, whose works include Bravo Two Zero, when he was told about the BNP stunt. “I served with men of all colours and from many nationalities. They were all equal to me. That’s what the army teaches you. Nick Griffin thinks differently…I’ve asked for my books back. Because I don’t want anything to help the BNP promote their poisonous politics of segregation and hatred.”

This is not the BNP’s only attempt recently to link itself to armed forces charities. The Huddersfield branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL) recently accepted money raised by a BNP supporter, seemingly in contravention of its own strictly non-political stance.

The RBL had originally refused to accept the money from Rachel Firth, who spent 24 hours in a cardboard box to highlight the plight of ex-service personnel forced to sleep rough after leaving the Armed Forces. Firth said she would divide the money equally between the RBL and the BNP.
The rejection angered Robert Walker, a BNP member who organises the Poppy Appeal for the charity in Golcar. He tried to pile on the pressure by stating that he had already agreed to accept the money and that the Golcar branch was happy with this.

The laudably robust stance of the RBL soon softened, however, and within days of the row hitting the pages of the Huddersfield Examiner the RBL had agreed to accept the cash on the grounds that the donation was not made on a political basis and that Firth “is an individual raising funds for her favoured causes and wants to split those funds between the causes. We have no problem with this.”

The BNP has also targeted FEBA – a military term meaning “Forward Edge of Battle Area” – a financially hard-up veterans’ charity based in Lanarkshire.

FEBA, which does not receive government funding and relies on donations, was approached by BNP activists in Glasgow, who offered to raise £50,000 to help keep a drop-in centre open. Tommy Moffat, FEBA’s founder and a former Queen’s Own Highlander, said he rejected the offer but told the press that he may now have no alternative but to accept the money if the charity is to continue operating, after a number of grants allegedly promised by the Ministry of Defence failed to materialise. The MOD denied his claim, saying it had only offered FEBA a team of experts to help the charity obtain grants.

Gary Raikes, the BNP’s Scotland organiser, met Moffat at the charity’s Glasgow drop-in centre and immediately posted photographs of the two men shaking hands on the BNP website to boast about how the BNP was coming to the aid of veterans. Moffat conceded he had already accepted £3,000 to help with the rent as well as a delivery of radiators from the Scottish BNP activist Walter Hamilton, though he denied he knew Hamilton was a BNP activist at the time.

“It was only later that he told us he worked for the BNP,” Moffat said, “What were we supposed to do? We had nothing. We were sitting with no heating and it was freezing.” The story on the BNP website appeared to imply that it was Moffat who contacted the BNP for assistance, however.

Trying to recruit serving soldiers and ex-servicemen has played a growing part in BNP strategy in recent years, signalled by the heavy promotion in 2007 and early 2008 of its front group the Association of British Ex-Service Personnel (ABEX), now defunct again. Of greater importance has been its use of the predicament of ex-servicemen for political purposes that has seen the party target areas such as Catterick for its propaganda drives. More recently BNP activists in Wales have tried to gain mileage out of the plight of vulnerable veterans by campaigning under the name “Soldiers Off Our Streets”.

Griffin’s public attitude to Britain’s armed forces has changed since a few years ago. During the 1990s an article appeared in The Rune, an antisemitic magazine Griffin edited, praising the Waffen-SS as “no worse” than any other army. The Waffen-SS were of course condemned as part of a “criminal organisation” at the Nuremberg Trials. Griffin, however, believed the Waffen-SS was praiseworthy for its “courage and sacrifices”.

Hope not hate

RBL dithers while BNP donations con-trick is exposed

For a so-called political party that constantly appears to be teetering on the edge of financial collapse, the BNP seems to have become astoundingly generous to charities in the past couple of months - or that's what it would like us to believe.

In fact, it has done very little for charities except to make hollow promises that are exploited for its own purposes on the BNP's website, giving the visitor the impression that the party is acting responsibly by supporting its chosen causes while actually doing nothing except taking the kudos for its unperformed acts of generosity.

A week or two ago, we reprinted an article in which the Institute of Fundraising Scotland, a leading fund-raising body, warned charities to beware of undeclared donations from the British National Party after a number of good causes claimed they were duped into accepting money from the far-right group. In several cases, the BNP claimed credit for donations to charities who have never knowingly accepted money from the party and in several cases would refuse it if it were ever to be openly offered.

Colonel William Shuttlewood, a director of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, one of the charities the BNP claims to have made donations to, said it would never knowingly accept money from the BNP. Al Sutton, chairman of Troop Aid, another unknowing possible recipient, said: 'We are not associated with any political party, especially the BNP', while the Down’s Syndrome Association vehemently denied a claim on the BNP website that it had asked the party to help it raise funds.

Another more dramatic (and consequently more exploited) donation has been that which the BNP claims it is negotiating with FEBA, a charity which is negotiating £50,000 a year from the BNP to keep open its veterans' drop-in centre in Lanarkshire. A lot of fuss was made about FEBA a few weeks back, with the BNP taking full credit for keeping it open, yet 'negotiations' between Nick Griffin and Tommy Moffat, the charity's administrator, seem to have stalled. No great surprise, as Griffin has already got what he wanted from the announcement - the publicity.

FEBA did receive a donation of sorts from the BNP - or rather the wealthy BNP supporter Walter (or William, depending on which story you read about him) Hamilton - a consignment of radiators allegedly worth £3000 (which may well have fallen off the back of the Lie Lorry). Radiators notwithstanding, FEBA still needs £50,000 a year to run - if the BNP is near-bankrupt, where is that money going to come from?

The truth is, naturally, that it isn't coming from anywhere and there was never any intention of donating such a large sum to anyone (except possibly King Nick himself), only to reap the rewards of the very rare positive publicity that the story generated.

There's a short aside to this story which is worth mentioning. The BNP survives on donations from its gullible members, thanks to the never-ending stream of increasing desperate begging letters from Welshpool. Even though most of the money raised goes directly to non-member Jim Dowson, the organiser of the begging campaign and owner of the Lie Lorry, and a hefty percentage goes to Nick Griffin and various acolytes and hangers-on (including would-be schoolie-bonker and all-round shit Mark Collett, who is allegedly paid £50,000 per year for designing the BNP's propaganda), that leaves little to be used for the BNP for its 'political' work. So who decided to spend substantial chunks of that money by donating it to various charities and were the members asked if that was the way they wanted their donations to be spent?

But now we come to the latest twist in the BNP/charities mess, the bit that is currently (and rightly) causing great embarrassment to the Royal British Legion.

Back in October 2008, one of our contributors Eric the Fish wrote about the BNP's attempted hijack of the Poppy Appeal, the RBL's long-term and popular fundraser. Eric reported;

Neil Griffiths, of the Royal British Legion Scotland, said: "We abhor any association with the BNP. I worked most of my military career with Gurkhas and feel angry by any level of racism when I encounter it. The BNP seem to have forgotten that the Indian Army in the Second World War had two million members. It was the biggest volunteer army in military history and it played a huge role in the war."

and

Jim Panton, chief executive of Poppyscotland, said: "I had no idea the BNP have tried to get involved in the Poppy Appeal. It's outrageous for any organisation or group to try to hijack the poppy for their own benefit or gain. It is a misuse and misrepresentation of the sentiment of the appeal and we would take a strong line against that. We are apolitical and have not asked any party to back us."

So strongly did the RBL feel that it demanded that Nick Griffin stop wearing the Poppy during the European Election campaign and also that he stop using the armed forces to further the BNP's agenda. To no effect, because Griffin continued to do both.

Having seen that the BNP doesn't give a toss for the armed forces except where they can be used for political and financial gain, one would have expected the RBL to respond vigorously to any attempt by the BNP to directly make capital from any contact. Thus, when BNP member Rachel Firth announced that she would pledge half of the funds she raised by spending twenty-four hours in a cardboard box in the street to the legion and the other half to the BNP, it was no great surprise when the legion refused the donation.

When Firth then clearly stated that the donation would not be used for partisan political activity, the RBL naively accepted her assurance and announced that it would accept the donation, at which point the news of the donation and the RBL's acceptance of it appeared on the BNP's website (August 30th: see image below).

Rachel Firth - where's the RBL's donation?

As it happens, even though Firth's little stunt took place way back in August, the RBL still hasn't had its donation and according to Third Sector (the UK’s leading publication for everyone who needs to know what’s going on in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector), the RBL is now seriously considering whether to reject it even if it is (finally) offered, on the grounds that the party has used it to make political capital.

The dithering of the Royal British Legion over this matter is shameful. The offer of a donation should have been refused outright because of the ridiculous proviso that half the money raised from the stunt was going to the BNP. Under its own rules, that was grounds for the RBL to say thanks but no thanks. Instead, it took the party at its word, was taken in and now has to make the choice again, assuming the offer is ever forthcoming.

The whole issue of charities taking money from political parties is difficult, particularly when the charity appears to be in dire straits and feels that it needs that money simply in order to carry on. FEBA hasn't got any cash of its own and, let's face it, is unlikely to be getting £50,000 per annum from the BNP - but should it even have entered negotiations with such a party anyway? Personally I would say no unless the charity also supports the party's racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-Muslim rhetoric and the BNP leader's constantly recurring bouts of anti-Semitism. Easy for me to say, I know, as I do not run a charity that is unable to continue through lack of cash. Nevertheless, there are principles at stake here and there are times when, no matter how painful it might be, it is right and proper to stand up for them.

The BNP as a party has NO real interest in supporting charities unless it can make some political gain from so doing. At the moment, it sees a lot of interest in armed forces personnel and is exploiting that to the full. A couple of months ago, it was a small bird sanctuary that was the focus of the party's attention for as long as it got a little publicity out of it and the the Poppy Appeal - next month it could be sanctuaries for disabled donkeys or depressed circus clowns. As long as there is something to exploit, the BNP will attempt to exploit it because it is a party without ethics whose only great ability is the skill of jumping on the next available bandwagon. Anyone who believes otherwise is doomed to disappointment.

Royal British Legion defends BNP donation

The Royal British Legion last night stood by its decision to accept cash from a British National Party (BNP) member.

A spokesman said the Legion had been assured by BNP member Rachel Firth, of Huddersfield, who raised money by spending 24 hours in a cardboard box, that the donation would not be used for partisan political activity. And he accused the party of taking advantage of Ms Firth’s generosity by publicising it on the BNP website, and stressed the Legion’s political impartiality.

“The Royal British Legion is strictly non-political and for nearly 90 years we have scrupulously remained above the party fray,” the spokesman said. “We have never endorsed any political party nor do we accept party donations made for partisan purposes. We do not accept donations made for political PR purposes, or donations made on behalf of the BNP or any other political party.”

Single mum Ms Firth, 36, spent 24 hours inside a cardboard box to highlight the plight of ex-service personnel who are forced to sleep rough. The Skelmanthorpe mum-of-two was raising cash for the Legion and for the BNP. The Legion originally refused to accept the donation from Ms Firth last month because she was also raising funds for the BNP by sleeping rough. That decision was overturned after Ms Firth gave assurances that the two would not be connected.

“It is unfortunate that the Legion once again finds itself defending its reputation from being identified with political interests,” the spokesman said. “Our only interest is safeguarding the welfare, interests and memory of the British Armed Forces past and present, and their families.”

The Legion did not feel that it had made a mistake in accepting the donation, he said, but would “take another look at it”. People wishing to donate money were not routinely asked whether they supported any political party, he added.

BNP spokesman Simon Darby denied that the party had exploited the donation. “If it was the Liberal Democrats it would be described as campaigning, but because it’s the BNP it’s exploitation,” he said.

Earlier this year, the Legion took out a newspaper advert pleading with BNP party leader Nick Griffin not to use the poppy or other symbols of remembrance for political purposes. That came after Mr Griffin continued to wear a poppy pin despite requests to all parties not to use the symbol during the European election campaign.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner

British Legion accepts BNP gift

The Royal British Legion has accepted a donation from a member of the British National Party, after earlier this year seeking to distance itself from the party with a full-page advert in the national press.

The donation illustrates a dilemma faced by a number of ex-servicemen's charities which have been approached by the BNP.

The money was raised by a BNP member called Rachel Firth, who spent 24 hours on the street in a cardboard box to raise it. The problem was that she donated half of her funds to the BNP, and half to the Legion. The Legion says Rachel assured them the donation would not be exploited politically. But it was then splashed on the BNP website. Simon Darby, the BNP spokesman, denies exploiting the story.

"It's funny how when we're involved, campaigning on an issue turns to cynically exploiting. But that's the spin we have to endure, said Mr Darby. "I don't mind being accused of cynically exploiting the issue as long as the issue gets some coverage."

But this is also embarrassing for the Legion, which initially rejected the donation and then had a change of heart. Furthermore, in June it posted a full-page advert in a national newspaper, accusing BNP leader Nick Griffin of politicising the poppy and asking him to stop wearing it. The Legion declined to make anyone available for interview about the donation. But it has said it will not return the money.

The case illustrates a dilemma faced by other service charities approached by the BNP. Tommy Moffat runs FEBA, a charity which is negotiating £50,000 a year from the BNP to keep open its veterans' drop-in centre in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.

'We're at the bottom of the darkest pit, where we could close the doors within the next two to three weeks, and it would be a tragedy for our ex-service personnel. We're desperate," he says.

Mr Moffat will discuss the matter further with Nick Griffin, next week. But he is clearly anxious about taking money from the party. "They're a legitimate party. We don't agree with a lot of what they say. But let me put it this way. It's either risking our reputation or risking that there are ex-servicemen wandering the streets wondering where help is coming from."

The BNP is also offering support to Help for Heroes. Nick Griffin said last weekend the party was planning to auction two books signed by Andy McNab, the former SAS member, and donate the proceeds to the charity.

''Help for Heroes is a strictly non-political charity, we are only concerned with providing direct, practical support for our wounded servicemen and women,'' the charity said in a statement. ''We accept donations from all who wish to join us in providing that support and we make grants that will benefit all who are injured in the service of our country, regardless of colour or creed.''

Mr McNab has since said he does not want his books to be used by the BNP.

Other charities feel donations by the party are simply inappropriate. Ron Smith, who is head of Veterans Scotland, an umbrella group for ex-servicemen's charities north of the border, said he did not think his members would welcome donations from the BNP as "many of our veterans fought in a major world war against a fascist regime".

He added: "Look at the armed forces and you have multi-ethnicity. What would you do with BNP money - not spend it on soldiers of Afro-Caribbean descent? It's a complete nonsense. We're very saddened they (other charities) feel they have to take this money, and they obviously have to clear their own consciences."

Of course the BNP is a completely legal party with elected representatives. But its efforts to make donations to charities dealing with the welfare of former servicemen are clearly raising difficult questions.

BBC

BNP Patch tribute angers Legion

The Royal British Legion in Somerset says it is appalled that a tribute to Harry Patch has been posted on the British National Party website.

Robin White, chairman of the Wells branch, believes the tribute implies that the BNP stands for the same things Harry Patch stood for. "Knowing Harry as I did, he would have no truck with the BNP," he said.

A spokesman for the BNP criticised the Royal British Legion for making the matter a political issue. "I think it's a shame that these organisations are coming out to have a pop at the BNP when we've always supported the troops," said John Walker.

Mr Patch, the last surviving tommy from the trenches of World War One, died last month at the age of 111.

"Harry's whole ethos was about peace and reconciliation," added Mr White. "My understanding of what the BNP does is in no way related to peace and reconciliation."

It is not the first time that the Royal British Legion have been critical of the BNP. In May, they wrote a private letter to BNP leader, Nick Griffin, asking him not to wear a poppy badge. They accused Mr Griffin of trying to politicise "one of the nation's most treasured and beloved symbols".

BBC

Royal British Legion rejects Huddersfield BNP member’s money

The Royal British Legion has rejected a British National Party member’s charity fund-raiser. But the decision has caused a row with one of the charity’s campaigners in Huddersfield.

Single mum Rachel Firth planned to spend 24 hours inside a cardboard box to highlight the plight of ex-service personnel who are forced to sleep rough. The Skelmanthorpe mum-of-two, 36, planned to raise money for the Royal British Legion, the charity for ex-servicemen and women. But she also intended to give half the cash to the far-right British National Party, of which she is a member.

She claimed the government failed to do enough for ex-servicemen and women.

“It’s a crying shame ex-servicemen and women are having to sleep rough because they don’t get enough support from the Government. I think the Royal British Legion do an excellent job. They provide welfare services, and are custodians of remembrance, and I believe a stay in a cardboard box for 24 hours is nothing compared to the dedication of the service men and women and the commitment of the Royal British Legion.”

But the British Legion’s central office says the charity does not want her money. A spokeswoman said: “The Royal British Legion has remained scrupulously above the party political fray for its entire existence and does not accept donations from either Government or any political party. This allows us to maintain the independence necessary to campaign effectively on behalf of the entire armed forces family, past and present, and their families. As a result, we do not participate in joint fundraisers with political parties. We have not authorised this particular fundraising event, nor will we be accepting funds raised as a result.”

The statement has put the British Legion on a collision course with one of its campaigners in Huddersfield. BNP member Robert Walker, who organises the Poppy Appeal for the charity’s Golcar branch, had already said he would accept Rachel’s donation.

Mr Walker said: “I will be talking to senior people about it. I had already discussed this with the Golcar branch and they were happy with it and we had told Rachel we would be happy to accept her money. She is very upset.”

He said he would still be accepting the money raised from the event.

Rachel said she was disappointed by the response.

“It’s political correctness gone mad,” she said.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Royal British Legion tell Nick Griffin to stop wearing poppy badge

The Royal British Legion has accused Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, of trying to politicise "one of the nation's most treasured and beloved symbols" after he repeatedly wore a poppy badge during the European parliament election campaign.

In an open letter in tomorrow's Guardian the armed forces charity said it had written privately to Griffin last month "appealing to his sense of honour" and asking him not to wear the badge or any other emblem associated with the legion. Griffin, one of two BNP candidates elected to the European parliament last week, ignored the request and wore the badge at campaign events including the party's televised election broadcast.

Yesterday the British Legion demanded that Griffin stop using the armed forces to further the BNP's agenda.

"The poppy is the symbol of sacrifices made by British armed forces in conflicts both past and present and it has been paid for with blood and valour," the letter says. "True valour deserves respect regardless of a person's ethnic origin, and everyone who serves or has served their country deserves nothing less … [our national chairman] appealed to your sense of honour. But you have responded by continuing to wear the poppy. So now we're no longer asking you privately. Stop it, Mr Griffin. Just stop it."

The legion's demand follows criticism of the BNP from Winston Churchill's family after the party used his image and quotes from one of his speeches in its campaign. Churchill's grandson, Nicholas Soames, described the BNP as "monstrous" and said its use of Churchill was "offensive and disgusting".

The BNP was also caught up in a dispute with 1940s singer Vera Lynn after she objected to the party selling copies of her White Cliffs of Dover CD on its website to fund its European election campaign.

Today's letter states the poppy emblem is the trademark of The Royal British Legion and adds that the charity has remained "scrupulously above the party political fray" for more than 90 years.

"It is vital that everyone - the media, the public and our beneficiaries - know that we will not allow our independence to be undermined or our reputation impaired by being closely associated with any one political party. This is more important now than ever."

Griffin said he had worn the badge in solidarity with injured British soldiers returning from Afghanistan. He added that he would stop wearing it if troops recovering in hospitals in the UK were not charged to watch television.

Guardian