West Yorkshire Police race row tribunal is postponed

A West Yorkshire Police employee who is claiming unfair dismissal has had his tribunal postponed.

Gary Marsden I'Anson, 48, from Morley, was arrested and sacked over his alleged association with the British National Party and for using work time to compile right-wing CDs and DVDs. He was arrested at his home on suspicion of possession of written material with intent to incite racial hatred – which he vigorously denied. No charges were brought.

The singer-song writer, who has worked with the police for 23 years, is claiming unfair dismissal and discrimination or victimisation on grounds of religion and belief against West Yorkshire Police. The employment tribunal was halted on its third day because of technical difficulties.

[More on l'Anson and his links to the BNP here]

Yorkshire Evening Post

Sussex Police hit out at BNP over preferential treatment claims

Police bosses have hit out at BNP allegations that they give preferential treatment to “foreign religious centres”. Senior Sussex officers said the claims were a deliberate attempt to create tension between communities, the police and the public.

Statements placed on the right-wing party’s website said a Horsham and Crawley branch meeting had discovered that police had agreed “special measures” to respond to alarms at Broadfield Mosque and Ifield Sikh temple.

The site added that a senior officer is automatically assigned to any callout to either of the religious sites. It stated: “British people who may need the police are put behind the interests of the foreign religious centres and have to wait, even if they called first”.

Speaking to The Argus Chief Inspector Steve Curry dismissed the allegations as “without any foundation”. Chief Insp Curry said: "These allegations are clearly designed to undermine relations between communities and between the police and the public we serve. Sussex Police remain committed to serving all the people of Sussex fairly and impartially. There is no truth to the allegation that each response to the temple is supervised by a 'senior police officer'; the response to any alarm activation at the temple site will be supervised by the duty inspector as with any other call of that type."

The Argus

Bomb-maker jailed for three years

A former member of a far-right group has been jailed for three years for making explosives in his home, including a pipe bomb.

Darren Tinklin, 24, from Blackwood, Caerphilly county, had admitted two charges of making explosives and possessing a firearm. Tinklin had not wanted to injure and had not meant to create any risk, Newport Crown Court heard. He had kept right-wing paraphernalia, including items with Nazi SS symbols. He also had a t-shirt which said "100% fascist".

Cardiff Recorder Nicholas Cooke said he must send a "stern message to those who flirt with the manufacture of devices of this kind".

He said: "Ideas and political affiliations may come and go but there is a potential threat presented by someone who harbours an interest in explosives and extremist views. I cannot completely ignore that."

The court heard that Tinklin gave up his right-wing political interests in 2005, and although he had downloaded a bomb-making manual, he had never opened the files.

Mr Cooke referred to Tinklin's drug problem, saying it could lead to irresponsibility which coupled with an interest in explosives was a cause for concern. He added there was the risk of explosive materials falling into the wrong hands. However he gave him credit for his guilty plea but warned that people involved with explosives would face stern custodial sentences.

Tinklin was sentenced to three years, less the 119 days he has spent on remand.

BBC

Help for Heroes wristband row: investigation completed

Statement from ASDA

We’ve come to the end of our investigation at Asda Rochdale and can’t find any truth in the allegation that one of our colleagues refused to serve a customer for wearing a Help for Heroes wristband.

Our regional operations manager Paul Rowland said: “We’ve completed our investigation and it’s clear this exchange never happened. We’ve interviewed over 400 colleagues in the store, examined over three days worth of CCTV footage and talked to other customers and we can find absolutely no evidence that a colleague said what was alleged.”

The investigation has taken longer than some people expected because of the number of people we had to interview.

“We are disappointed and angry that right-wing groups are using this mythical incident to whip up racial hatred,” said Paul. “Thankfully the people of Rochdale will see straight through that. We remain big supporters of the work our troops do serving our country.”

Your ASDA

Scotland’s new counter-terrorism chief: neo-Nazis as much of a threat as al-Qaeda

Scotland's new terror tsar has warned that the threat from right-wing extremism is as damaging to community relations as the menace posed by al-Qaeda.

In an exclusive interview on his first day as the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland's counter terrorism co-ordinator, Allan Burnett said forces should not ignore the latent neo-Nazi presence across the UK. Fife's assistant chief constable said the public is at risk because racism is being used to unite people into violent causes. He said this also undermines police work to reassure the Muslim community following the attack on Glasgow Airport last year.

Burnett said: "We've had a number of right-wing issues recently in the UK that again have raised their head in Scotland. There have been serious cases down south that have been really well dealt with by the police down there, but we shouldn't be complacent about it. There's no point promoting positive race relations if, in claiming to be everyone's co-ordinator of counter terrorism, you take your eye off the right-wing."

Burnett's comments are a reminder of the threats facing communities, following the arrest of an alleged neo-Nazi in Dundee last November. Martyn Gilleard of Goole, Humberside, will soon stand trial at the Old Bailey, charged with making four nail-bombs and possessing bomb making manuals. Prosecutors will allege he had a right wing "terrorist agenda".

Burnett, a former race relations officer and director of intelligence at Strathclyde Police, is responsible for co-ordinating the country's response to the modern threat of global terrorism. He will also work with UK and international counter terrorism officers.

Burnett plans to combat the threat by developing closer links with communities. This follows his well-praised efforts in the Sighthill area of the city after the murder of Turkish asylum seeker Firsat Dag seven years ago. The murder sparked rival demonstrations by asylum seekers claiming they were receiving preferential treatment by the authorities.

Burnett said: "I learned that you don't just focus on the minority ethnic community. The solution to those pressing problems involved all the community."

Burnett, 50, who began his police work in Maryhill in 1979, started fighting terrorism at an early stage of his career. As a young Special Branch officer, he was involved in the 1985 operation to arrest Brighton bomber Patrick Magee and several other IRA suspects involved in the attack on Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet at the Grand Hotel the previous year. They were found at a flat containing a guns' cache in the southside of Glasgow.

He urged communities to be "self-policing" and said the police need to further develop their "preventative strategy", which includes the idea of parents tipping off the police if they suspect their children or other relatives and friends are being "brainwashed" into terrorism via the internet or other activities.

"It's really about making sure young people are not persuaded by terrorist brainwashing, and end up going down a line they, their families, their victims, and relatives, will regret," he said.

"Very quickly, people label communities and say that everybody was guilty or that everybody must have known what was going on after a terrorist incident. There's an awful lot of cases where people genuinely don't know what's going on. It's like educating parents about drugs and what signs to look for. We don't get it right if parents don't know what their kids are getting up to behind their backs. We must get ourselves into a position where the parents are concerned, even at the lowest levels; that we have something set up where they feel free to come to the authorities. We need surveillance - not on communities, but on individuals who are actively involved or supporting terrorist organisations. We have some excellent relations with the community, but they can always be better and deeper."

The security services recently revealed 2000 people are being monitored in the UK, with an unspecified number of others also under surveillance. Burnett, who took over the post from Strathclyde assistant chief constable John Corrigan, said: "I am going to rely on an awful lot of people, understand the fears of their communities, their concerns and get the right balance between human rights and the laws that enable action against terrorist activity to take place."

Sunday Herald

BNP brothers in school web row

Two BNP-supporting brothers have fallen foul of education chiefs after accessing right-wing websites while teaching in schools.

Adam Walker, 38, quit his job as a technology teacher after being suspended and told he faced disciplinary action. He used a computer at Houghton Kepier, a foundation school in Houghton-le- Spring, Tyne and Wear, during working hours to view politically extreme sites.

His brother Mark, 36, a former RAF weapons technician, was suspended from Sunnydale Comprehensive, in Shildon, County Durham, pending an internal probe. Mark, also a technology teacher, was found to have accessed the BNP's website during school hours. The pair stood as BNP candidates in Tony Blair's nearby Sedgefield constituency last month.

Married Mark, who served in the first Gulf War, admitted he had viewed the website.

He said: "I looked at the BNP site but I've no idea why that should be an offence. Teachers often look at sites when they are at school. I am being persecuted because of what I believe in. This wouldn't be an issue if I was standing for Labour or the Tories. I love teaching kids and I'm a very good teacher. I've worked at the school almost eight years and the governors know I'm dedicated and a very hard worker. I've taken the children away on trips and my political beliefs are no way in conflict with my professional role. I don't preach politics at work. I was stunned when I was hauled in before the head teacher.

"She said she'd seen someone with my name standing for the BNP and asked if it was me. When I said it was, they went through my computer records. My suspension is an infringement of my human rights and on my right to freedom of speech. I shouldn't be persecuted for having a certain political view. However, I am prepared to sacrifice my career for what I believe in. I would stand up to machine gun fire to stand for the BNP. I believe in the party."

Mark, from Spennymoor, County Durham, who claims he and his brother are close friends of BNP leader Nick Griffin, was hauled before school bosses a week ago. Meanwhile Adam, a former soldier and karate expert, left his job in February after admitting accessing three right- wing sites and a discussion forum about the BNP.

Adam, also from Spennymoor, claimed: "I got a letter from the school which said I was unfit to teach because of my political views. I admit I did look at a number of sites which could be seen to be right-wing during school time. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. I also spent a lot of time on computers while teaching kids but it was only when they were working on their own computers and I was free to do my own stuff. I spoke to advisers who said the school had a right to get rid of me so I left without a fight. I jumped before I was pushed."

Sunderland City Council refused to comment on Adam Walker's resignation. A spokesman for the council said: "It's inappropriate to comment on internal matters at Houghton Kepier School."

Sue Byrne, head teacher at Sunnydale, said: "I can confirm that a member of staff has been suspended, without prejudice, by the school governing body pending inquiries into allegations of misuse of school equipment."

Sunday Sun (Tyne and Wear)

Inquiry into claim that police joined BNP event

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is to investigate allegations that some off-duty officers attended a British National party event to mark St George's Day in Manchester last month.

Supporters of the extreme right-wing party had gathered outside a pub in Manchester city centre and police were called after complaints that they had turned rowdy.

At the time, Chief Superintendent Terry Sweeney, head of the GMP's professional standards branch, said: "There is absolutely no evidence at this time to suggest that any GMP employees took part in the disturbance ... The officer [who submitted the report] did not see any GMP employees involved in the disturbance himself, but has rightly brought to our attention the information he received from other people. We will investigate this thoroughly to establish if any off-duty officers or staff were involved."

Yesterday it emerged that Greater Manchester Police has referred the matter to the IPCC, which is investigating the allegations. Naseem Malik, IPCC commissioner for the north-west, said the incident could "undermine public confidence in the force".

He added: "I have decided that we will manage Greater Manchester police's investigation which means we will be in charge of the direction and control of the investigation. The investigation will focus on establishing firstly whether any off-duty officers or staff members were present and secondly, if they were, whether they were innocent bystanders or associating with the BNP supporters."

The allegations are especially embarrassing for GMP as it was one of the forces whose trainee officers were caught making racist remarks by an undercover television programme. Following revelations in the BBC Secret Policeman documentary, the force vowed to stamp out racism in the ranks.

Earlier this week the force said it had seized CCTV footage and that its detectives will scour it frame by frame for evidence. The force added that any officer found to be a BNP member could be sacked.

The incident happened at 4.30pm on April 23.

Around 120 BNP supporters were reported to be milling around Sinclair's Oyster Bar, and were said to be chanting abuse at passers by. Some were wearing T-shirts saying "Love Britain or fuck off" and shouting BNP slogans. One officer present claims he saw a fellow officer wearing a BNP badge. Bar managers feared trouble and called police to help them clear away the BNP supporters.

Yesterday Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, was barred from speaking at Bath University amid fears the event would bring chaos to the campus.

Guardian

Greater Manchester police investigates claim it has BNP members in ranks

· Off-duty colleagues said to have been at pub event
· Force seizes CCTV footage of St George's Day incident

One of Britain's biggest police forces is investigating allegations that it has British National party members among its frontline officers, the Guardian has learned. Greater Manchester police launched the investigation after complaints from its own officers, who say they saw colleagues at a BNP event to mark St George's Day.

The supporters of the extreme right-wing party had gathered outside a pub in Manchester city centre and police were called after complaints that they had turned rowdy.

The allegations are especially embarrassing for Greater Manchester Police, (GMP) which was one of the forces whose trainee officers were caught making racist remarks by an undercover television programme. After the revelations in the BBC Secret Policeman documentary the force vowed to stamp out racism in the ranks.

The force says it has seized CCTV footage and its detectives will scour it frame by frame for evidence. The force vowed that any officer found to be a BNP member could be sacked. But the BNP claimed it has members among the force's ranks.

The incident happened at 4.30pm on April 23. Around 120 BNP supporters were reported to be milling around Sinclair's Oyster Bar, and were reported to be chanting abuse at passers by. Some were wearing T-shirts saying "Love Britain or Fuck off" and shouting BNP slogans. One officer present claims he saw a fellow officer wearing a BNP badge. Bar managers feared trouble and called police to help them clear away the BNP supporters.

The report that sparked the investigation came from an inspector sent to the scene to help quell the disturbance.

Police sources say the inspector does not claim he saw officers whom he recognised as part of the BNP group. His report relays allegations from other officers that they recognised some of the crowd as off duty policemen.

Senior GMP officers are sceptical of the claims of BNP members in their ranks. The force's initial reaction to the undercover footage obtained by the BBC of their trainee officers being racist, was to arrest the undercover reporter who obtained it.

Police officers are not allowed to be members of the BNP, which is widely seen as being racist and which has members with convictions for violence. The policy was passed by police chiefs three years ago. They say membership of the party is incompatible with officers' duties under race equality laws.

Ali Dizaei of the National Black Police Association, who is a chief superintendent in the Metropolitan police, called for an independent investigation: "It beggars belief that in today's police service we appear to have serving police officers who are members of the BNP."

He added: "These allegations must be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Police should now carry out an investigation of all police forces to find the extent of the problem which, if not addressed, will have significant impact on legitimacy of policing in the UK."

Chief Superintendent Terry Sweeney, head of the GMP's professional standards branch, said: "There is absolutely no evidence at this time to suggest that any GMP employees took part in the disturbance. GMP's professional standards branch received a report on May 2 from an officer who was present on April 23 and was concerned there may have been off-duty police employees in the vicinity.

"The officer did not see any GMP employees involved in the disturbance himself, but has rightly brought to our attention the information he received from other people. We will investigate this thoroughly to establish if any off-duty officers or staff were involved. If it emerges that any staff were part of the disturbance, we will take the strongest possible action. As part of the investigation, we have taken CCTV from the city centre and will be looking at it frame by frame.

"The chief constable has made it clear that BNP members are not welcome in the GMP. No police officer or member of police staff may be in the BNP and anyone found to be a member is likely to be dismissed."

Asked if there were serving police officers who were also BNP members, Phil Edwards, a spokesman for the extremist organisation, said: "I believe there are."

Guardian

Is 'Christian nation' rhetoric aiding the far-right?

Christian denominations and church groups have been falling over themselves to denounce the British National Party (BNP) in the last few weeks, ahead of the impending local elections.

During the last European elections, I was taking part in a BBC phone-in on political extremism when the BNP's press officer called the programme. Not only was the BNP a Christian party, he claimed, but the institutional church had let the country down. His party would defend British culture because churches had failed to do so.

Since then there have been two noticeable changes. First, the BNP has stepped up its religious rhetoric. In recent local elections, the party's literature included copies of the controversial Mohammed cartoons. It also helped establish a 'Christian Council of Britain'. The goal is apparently to appeal to those in the population who identify with Christianity, but feel panicked both by 'liberal secularism' and the growth of Islam.

At the same time, leading figures within the Church of England have also become far more vocal in their calls to stem the tide of secularism, and to defend the predominant 'Christian culture' of Britain. The uncomfortable fact is that this puts the Church into the position of arguing the same political point about national identity as the BNP.

Of course the rationales of these messages are very different. The agenda behind the BNP's claims is essentially a cultural one - partly in opposition to an alleged liberal elite, and partly in an attempt to whip up fear of minority faiths. In contrast, few would question the commitment of the Church of England to combating racism. But the time has come to face the fact that when it uses 'Christian nation' rhetoric, it risks encouraging support for right-wing extremists.

It may be no coincidence that it has been the Church's two most senior black leaders, Archbishop Sentamu and Bishop Nazir Ali, who have made the most prominent pronouncements against 'the secular tide'. The Church must surely be aware of the dangers of its arguments. But it is doubtful that this will limit the damage, with the BNP also now claiming (no doubt disingenuously) some non-white members.

These problems look likely to get more uncomfortable. The BNP now has 47 councillors in the UK, and church schools could face BNP representatives appointed to their governing bodies. Local authorities, after all, have a duty to nominate some governors from different local political parties. If this happens, they may find these representatives wholeheartedly endorsing the admissions policies that many church schools run, favouring Christians over others in local communities, as a strategy for encouraging social division.

But the terrain is changing. A recent Tearfund survey found that just 53% of the population identified in some way with Christianity. That is a colossal drop compared to the last national census, when 72% did so.

This is tough news for a Church that wants to rely on 'cultural capital'. But there is another way. Instead of adopting a defensive stance which pleases those seeking to make political capital out of civic 'de-Christianization', the Church has an opportunity to refocus on the vocation of Jesus - which means costly discipleship, not cultural dominance.

It is easy to make a claim to speak for the sentiments of an, albeit dwindling, majority of the population. It is far harder to mount a practical stand for justice, and base one's political authority on the quality of one's actions in the here and now. But in an increasingly religiously plural society, it will be the quality of contemporary political witness, not appeals to a bygone age, which will sort the sheep from the old goats.

Ekklesia

Far right to fight record number of council seats

Alarm for anti-fascist groups as BNP targets voters in countryside areas

The British National Party is to field a record 655 candidates at next month's local elections, double the number who stood for it last time around.

The revelation has alarmed anti-fascist groups, which had predicted the party would field around only 500. They warn that the BNP is attempting to take its message out of the cities and into rural areas which have seen an influx of in eastern European immigrants.

The party, which fielded 365 candidates at the last local elections, now holds 49 council seats. It appears to be gathering support in the run-up to polling day on 3 May as its chairman, Nick Griffin, takes personal responsibility for the campaign, touring remoter areas in an attempt to spread its message. The anti-fascist group Searchlight has identified 92 wards which could fall to the BNP and says the party believes it could win as many as 100 seats.

Last night the BNP said it had seen a surge in supporters in recent weeks and that the total number of candidates it intends to field could rise above 700. 'We have more than doubled the number of candidates standing,' said Phil Edwards, its spokesman. 'We just want to give people the chance to vote for us. Many of our new candidates have joined the party quite recently. This shows we are becoming a mainstream political party and are gaining support.'

But the organisation Unite Against Fascism said people needed to see through the BNP's increasingly slick messages. 'It is a fascist party,' said Denis Fernando of UAF. 'It has a history of criminal convictions, violence and Holocaust denial. These are not the politics of a normal political party, but a fascist group, utilising the democratic system to gain a foothold in mainstream politics.'

The BNP has been buoyed by its performance last month in a by-election in the Bede ward of Bedworth in Warwickshire. The town has previously shown little inclination for right-wing politics, but in Bede, the BNP came second behind Labour with 31 per cent of the vote, taking more votes than the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats combined. In contrast, the party picked up just 9 per cent of the vote at the 2004 European elections.

Key areas identified by BNP strategists for the local elections include rural areas in the south west and eastern England as well as Wales, where the party is putting up a record 20 candidates in the National Assembly election.

The message boards of Vote Freedom, the BNP website which is co-ordinating the party's local election campaign, carry an increasing number of comments from sympathisers disillusioned with the three main political parties.

One supporter in Melton in Lincolnshire, who identifies his main concerns as crime, health and a 'fair deal' for agriculture, said: 'I don't think the three main parties are capable of providing the solutions. When I went to my first BNP meeting I didn't find any jackbooted skinheads. I found ordinary men and women like myself.'

Observer