April Fools

This article was submitted by one of our readers, Iliacus. We welcome any contributions from our supporters (as long as those contributions conform to the law and are in reasonably good taste). Please send your articles to us via email.

March was a worrying month for anti-fascists. The BNP was gaining an unfortunate amount of publicity, and a worrying degree of support. They still weren't terribly good at actually fielding candidates - contesting just eight out of twenty one contests. But where they did stand they polled disturbing percentages. In seven seats contested for the first time they averaged 15.97%, with three around the 20% figure and only one (just) below 10%. More encouraging was the result in the only ward that they'd previously contested (in St Helens) where they fell from a poor 8.9% to a dismal 6.3%.

As the song almost said :

To know, know, know them
Is to hate, hate, hate them

April has been less positive for the BNP. They managed to contest four of the seven by-elections on the 2nd, and came worryingly close to snatching the Temple Newsam ward in Leeds (which the Tories gained from Labour, and in which the Lib Dems achieved the biggest swing!). However, even here their vote share only increased marginally, from 22.2% to 23.6%. The moral seems to be that where several of the major parties compete energetically the BNP's chances to advance are limited.

In the Dormanstown ward of Redcar Labour again lost the seat, this time to the Lib Dems, and the BNP (standing for the first time) polled 16.6%. They also polled 13.6% in an Arun Council by-election in rural West Sussex - geographically and demographically a long, long way from Dormanstown!! But in the Skircoat ward of Calderdale, in an area of West Yorkshire once considered a BNP stronghold, they polled just 6.5%. Their failure to field a candidate in Camden on that date might be a reflection of how badly they have done in some recent Inner London contests, but is also part of a pattern of failing to contest byelections in areas one might regard as quite important to their wider strategy (on the last Thursday in February they failed to nominate in seats in Newham, Redditch (2), Oxford and Wolverhampton).

Mid-April was quiet, with no byelections on the 9th and just one on the 16th (in Somerset - no BNP candidate).

On the 23rd though there were six contests, and three BNP nominees (giving a total so far for the month of 7/14 = 50%). In Wanstead (Redbridge London Borough), in their supposedly fertile East London/Essex belt, they managed a thoroughly miserable 4.9%. In Erewash, in their showpiece East Midlands region, they took a poor 11.5% as Labour took the seat off the Conservatives. And then they showed that they are truly the British Nationalist Party (and not just a bunch of English racists) by contesting the Aboyne ward of Aberdeenshire Council. And they got 44 votes - that's a magical 1.2%! It was a result that provoked a lively 'exchange of views' among the keyboard warriors of Stormfront. 'Jacob Cobain' had a ready explanation of the poor result - the ballot boxes had clearly been tampered with!! And every anti-fascist will laugh along as a claim that this was a "worst ever" BNP result was rebutted by a list of results where the deluded fools had managed to plumb the depths of less than 1%. Where but in the BNP would supporters defend a terrible result by listing even worse examples?

"Yeah, we didn't do very well - but it's better than 0.7%. Innit!"

June's Euro-elections are still a worry, with the distinct possibility of one or more of our regions suffering the shame of being represented in the European Parliament by racists, but for the moment just enjoy the thought of taunting your local fascist with their April Fool question:

Which was your worse result BNPer - 4.9% in East London, or 1.2% in Scotland?

Lessons from Wanstead

The excellent and hard-hitting 'Wanstead Matters' leaflet

The British National Party’s decision to fight a Redbridge Council by-election in Wanstead threw a huge rock into the local political pool. John Evans, who is also on the BNP’s list for the European election in London, came a poor fifth out of six candidates, with only 4.9% of the vote. There are important lessons to be learned from the campaign in this east London borough, where the BNP has one councillor.

Two issues caused controversy even among anti-fascists. The first was whether it was right to oppose the BNP’s participation in a local hustings meeting, where the other five candidates would have had to share a platform with the BNP. The second was how tough anti-BNP leaflets should be.

There is a well established principle that goes beyond the anti-fascist movement that decent people do not share platforms or debate with fascists, racists and nazis, whether at universities, during elections or elsewhere. The main reasons are that one cannot debate with people of such abhorrent views, and one cannot have a sensible debate with liars. Most of the democratic parties would not be seen dead with the BNP.

Labour has been largely solid on the issue. The Conservatives have been less certain but in recent years leading Conservatives, including members of the Shadow Cabinet, have taken a firm and very public anti-BNP line. Lib Dem views vary and some people in the Green Party seem to have difficulty making up their minds.

The Churches have taken a more vigorous line against the BNP and thrown them out of hustings held in church buildings. Recently church officers had the BNP removed from church property in Brentwood and the Cathedral grounds in Lichfield.

Three local organisations – the Wanstead Society, Counties Residents’ Association and Counties Neighbourhood Watch – had organised a hustings for the week before polling day. All six candidates were invited.

Searchlight contacted people in the local political parties to establish that they would refuse to share a platform with the BNP. The young Labour candidate, Ross Hatfull, responded quickly by calling for the other candidates to join him in stopping the BNP from taking part.

The Liberal Democrat told us that she was reluctant to share a platform with the BNP, especially after she had personally seen the BNP’s aggressive behaviour while out leafleting, The Conservative candidate stated he was prepared to sit down with the BNP and, perhaps most shockingly, the Green candidate who has been active in local anti-racist politics took the view that he could win any debate against Evans, which is not the point.

Ross’s brave stance caused the hustings to collapse, as the organisers were unwilling to exclude the BNP. Even within the Labour Party opinions were divided. One member I spoke to appeared to be more concerned about finding himself in an embarrassing position when he next attended a Wanstead Society meeting. Others were worried that there might be far-right infiltration in the society.

As all this was going on, BNP activists clashed with a local black resident, who wanted to hand back a BNP leaflet pushed through her door. In front of the resident’s five-year-old son, the BNP leafleter told her to “come to me because I don’t come to niggers” and other racist abuse.

The abusive fascist was arrested and interviewed, but no charges have been brought as the only witnesses were the victim and three BNP members.

Within hours the victim was being abused on BNP and other far-right websites, which also posted a photo and her details. Among other things she was called a benefits cheat, when in fact she works as a nurse at a local maternity unit. The police are back on the case.

The Wanstead and Woodford Guardian reported the attack and published a letter vigorously attacking the BNP bullies. But Chris Carter, the editor of the Ilford Recorder, disgracefully attacked Ross Hatfull and the Labour Party. He also set up an online poll on whether Labour was right to refuse to attend the hustings, apparently unaware of the BNP’s policy of rigging such polls by getting members all over the country to vote.

Carter knows well what a bunch of yobs the BNP are. Last year Councillor Bob Bailey, BNP group leader in Barking and Dagenham, launched a foul-mouthed verbal assault on the Recorder’s news editor. After a phone call, peppered with four-letter words in which Bailey called her a “jobsworth” and a Nazi, he turned up at the newspaper’s offices with a group of party colleagues. After spending 20 minutes shouting abuse through a megaphone, they were moved on by the police.

The other issue is how to pitch anti-BNP leaflets. Local anti-BNP activists distributed a leaflet with a very strong message headed “Don’t vote for scum”, which told the full and unpleasant truth about the BNP. It highlighted a BNP organiser’s statement that there was little point in keeping disabled people alive.

It may go some way to explain why the BNP candidate polled so badly, falling far short of the percentage the BNP would need to gain a London MEP on 4 June.

Evans’s final leaflet, distributed just before polling day, was partly about law and order. Perhaps he should remember the person who encouraged him to join the BNP in the first place, a man with a criminal record for his part in BNP-inspired rioting in the North West a few years ago. It is likely the electorate in London will be hearing more about that in the course of the European election campaign.

The “don’t vote for scum” leaflet can be read here.

Hope not hate

Police launch probe over new BNP threat

Redbridge Police have launched an investigation after an apparently pro-British National Party (BNP) website published threats against a woman who was allegedly the victim of a racist attack.
The news comes after officers arrested a BNP by-election campaigner in Wanstead on Tuesday after she allegedly called the woman a "n****r." The police have not commented on whether the BNP canvasser has been charged.

The website, which claims to be written by an unnamed "proud BNP member", has published full details of the woman and photographs of her Wanstead home along with the threats. The website has been taken down within the past hour.

It said: "I intend to publicise your details on as many web sites as possible. You will wish you had never lied about the BNP; and that's not a lie, that's a promise."

Despite the police action, Wanstead BNP candidate John Evans said he thought the website was a fake. He said: "I think it's an absolute fake. I haven't heard of it. We don't need to resort to this rubbish. I hope they find who did it. If we can take legal action against the person that did this then we may well do so."

Waltham Forest Guardian

BNP by-election campaigner arrested over 'racist attack'

Shirlene Tobin with one of the BNP leaflets

A frightened mum-of-two has been left too scared to leave her home after she was allegedly called a ‘nigger’ by a British National Party (BNP) canvasser during a racist tirade in front of her five year old son.

Charleen Tobin, of St Margaret’s Road, Wanstead, has refused to leave her house since the incident - on Tuesday evening - during which she alleges the female BNP activist told her to ‘come to me because I don’t come to niggers’ when she tried to hand back a political leaflet that was posted through her front door.

The 43 year-old - who works as a nurse at Whipps Cross University Hospital - called the police immediately after the alleged attack at about 7.30pm - which she said has left her fearing for her family’s safety.

She said: “I couldn’t believe what this woman said to me in the middle of the street in front of my son. I walked after her to try and give the leaflet back but got a load of racist abuse. She told me to run to her because ‘niggers should be used to running.’ “This is the first time I’ve suffered racist abuse like this. I moved to Wanstead from Stratford because it has a special village community character, and then this happens.

“My neighbour has been brilliant and supported me, but I have been unable to leave the house since this happened. I’m worried about what might happen to me and my children. My husband is Irish, and black and Irish people in our parents generation suffered abuse like this, but I didn’t think this would happen to me today, in a place like Wanstead. My son is on his Easter holidays from school, and we were going to go out and look at the bluebells in the park, but I don’t feel safe to do that now.”

John Evans - who is standing as the BNP candidate in the upcoming Wanstead ward by-election - played down Mrs Tobin’s claims. He said: “I am aware of this incident but knowing the BNP members in this area as I do I am sure none of them would have done this. As our leader Nick Griffin has made clear - anyone found bringing the name of the British National Party into disrepute will be expelled with immediate effect.”

This is Local London

Today's cancelled BNP meetings

Tonight's by-election hustings cancelled

A debate between the candidates in the upcoming Wanstead by-election has been cancelled. The news comes in the wake of the police arresting a British National Party (BNP) canvasser last night for allegedly launching a racist tirade against a black woman.

However the hustings was called off before the news of the attack became public, due to fears that there "might be trouble" if it went ahead.

According to a list of BNP members that was leaked last year, only two people are registered supporters of the party in Wanstead out of a population of over 20,000. But organisers and speakers at the planned debate feared other BNP members from across the country may have turned up at the meeting to "hijack" it.

Tory nominee Alex Wilson said: "It's a great shame it has been cancelled, I was really looking forward to it. But the event has appeared on a number of unsavoury websites and many are worried the meeting could have turned nasty."

Labour candidate Ross Hatfull said: "The party line of the Labour group is not to share a platform with the BNP, but also there are a lot of people concerned there could be trouble if it went ahead."

Liberal Democrat nominee Kate Garrett said: "I think it's quite unfortunate it was cancelled. But if it had gone ahead there was a risk it might go the wrong way and end up being counter-productive."

Hope not hate

BNP meeting cancelled

A meeting of the BNP in Winsford has been cancelled. The controversial political party was due to meet at Winsford United FC tonight, Wednesday, but police confirmed this has now been cancelled.

Club secretary Bob Astles said: "One of our members asked if he could bring a few friends in for a meeting but we didn't know what it was. We are not a political club, we never have been. It's certainly not going ahead."

It is likely the meeting will now be moved to another location.

Winsford Guardian