BNP activist and the false murder claims on YouTube

Richard Barnbrook admitted he broadcast inaccurate information

A prominent BNP councillor has escaped suspension after a disciplinary hearing was postponed at the 11th hour

Today's hearing had been set up by City Hall and Barking and Dagenham council after Richard Barnbrook falsely claimed on YouTube that three people were murdered in three weeks in the borough. But last night officials were forced to delay the hearing after the BNP member of the London Assembly presented a dossier of new evidence denying that he had brought the Greater London Authority and council into disrepute.

Mr Barnbrook, who was elected to Barking and Dagenham council in 2006 and is one of 12 BNP councillors in the borough, was due to face a hearing three weeks ago but claimed he was too stressed to attend.

In the YouTube clip he posted last September, he claimed the borough had seen three murders in as many weeks. There had been one killing in the neighbouring borough of Newham, and no evidence of two other attacks, despite Mr Barnbrook insisting two victims died after being placed on life support machines. He told investigators he knew he was making inaccurate statements, and has since apologised, but said he was right to raise concerns about knife crime.

His comments led to a complaint to the council and Greater London Authority that he had brought both authorities into disrepute. The GLA's standards committee was to decide today whether to uphold an independent investigation's finding that Mr Barnbrook, who earns £52,910 as an Assembly member and £10,006 as a councillor, showed “wilful disregard for the truth”. If found guilty, he could be suspended from both authorities for up to six months.

Val Rush, Labour councillor in Barking and Dagenham, who brought the complaint, said Mr Barnbrook had undermined confidence in local authorities. Murders have fallen in Barking and Dagenham, from six in 2006/07 to three in 2007/08 and one in 2008/09.

Mr Barnbrook claims he was a victim of a political campaign and his comments about the first murder “came out wrong”. Investigators noted he made no attempt to remedy this by re-recording the video.

Evening Standard

Updated: Tricky Dicky throws a sickie

BNP's Richard Barnbrook fails to appear at misconduct hearing

Meeting to consider whether Richard Barnbrook brought his office into disrepute is cancelled after he phones panel to tell them he has been signed off work for stress

A meeting to consider whether Richard Barnbrook, one of the most senior elected members of the British National party, had brought his office into disrepute was cut short today after he failed to turn up on stress grounds.

Barnbrook, who is both a London assembly member and sits on Barking and Dagenham council, could be suspended amid charges that he brought his office into disrepute by falsely claiming three murders had taken place over a three-week period in the Barking and Dagenham area.

But the meeting was cut short after Barnbrook telephoned just before his hearing was due to begin to say that he had been signed off for stress for two weeks by his GP. Barnbrook's failure to submit written evidence to the hearing resulted in the panel ruling it would be unfair to continue in his absence.

Today's meeting will be reconvened on either 12 August or 4 September...

Guardian

Barnbrook off for two weeks because of "stress"

Here is an interesting insight into the modus operandi of the BNP. For those of you who are aware of the BNP’s politics and their use of rumours and falsifications, this story should be of use to you.

Richard Barnbrook, the BNP’s London Assembly member, is off work for two weeks due to stress. Barnbrook was due to face a joint Barking and Dagenham Council and Greater London Authority disciplinary panel and risked a possible suspension because he stands accused of bringing his office into disrepute.

The Guardian reported this morning: “A joint investigation for the Greater London authority and Barking and Dagenham council concluded in May that Barnbrook brought his office and the respective authorities into disrepute after falsely claiming in an interview that three murders had taken place over a three week period in the Barking and Dagenham area.”

The panel was going to announce its decision today.

However, it is said that after consulting with his legal advisor, Lee Barnes, who is also legal director for the BNP, Barnbrook decided not to attend this morning’s hearing, which was due to start at 10.30am. Barnes, according to sources from Barking and Dagenham Council, told Barnbrook that the “make-up” of the panel would not guarantee him a fair hearing.

But before the panel could decide as to whether they should go ahead and make a decision on the case, news came in that Barnbrook was given sick leave due to “stress”. The panel believed that they did not want to add to his medical state and have set aside two dates, August 14th and September 4th 2009, and will announce when they will hold the next panel meeting in due course.

It is not the first time that the BNP have been accused of making up stories to fit their political agenda. In 2001, the BNP came under fire in the BBC documentary “Under the Skin”for Panorama. As a part of the documentary, the BBC investigated an “important part of the British National Party's "community politics" strategy … FAIR - Families Against Immigrant Racism.” (Now disbanded)

The group advertised itself as assisting “white victims of racist violence and harassment and offered legal and counselling advice.”

Dave Hill, the BNP's former East London organiser, was FAIR’s co-ordinator for the capital. To the BBC he said, "There is no mystery, there is no controversy to FAIR, it's just a white rights organisation. We're targeting race hate that is not targeted by other victim support groups."

However, after an undercover investigation it became clear that Hill was encouraging “victims” to exaggerate and lie to the police about “attacks” and “racism”. He also encouraged people to lie to doctors. Hill is caught saying: "This is very important, ...go to your doctor and tell your doctor that you're suffering extreme stress... What he'll do, he'll put you on anti-depressants. You don't have to take them, you can wash them down the toilet. But once you're on medication and you're also suffering racial abuse at your address then you're a priority case..."

Barnbrook’s fabricated tale only proves how despite the cosmetic enhancements to the BNP’s image, what lies beneath is a very ugly and discredited rabble of amateurs dressed up as politicians.

There is nothing British about the BNP

BNP member faces Assembly suspension

Richard Barnbrook faces grilling over comments on knife crime made in YouTube video

One of the most senior elected members of the British National party today faces suspension from the London assembly as a panel decides whether he has brought his office into disrepute. Richard Barnbrook, who is the BNP's only member on the 25 strong assembly as well as a councillor in Barking and Dagenham, faces a grilling over comments he made last year on a video posted on the internet.

A joint investigation for the Greater London authority and Barking and Dagenham council concluded in May that Barnbrook brought his office and the respective authorities into disrepute after falsely claiming in an interview that three murders had taken place over a three week period in the Barking and Dagenham area.

Barnbrook will face a full hearing in Dagenham before the standard committees of both the Greater London authority and the council to explain his position and take questions. If found in breach of the code, Barnbrook faces a range of possible sanctions, including up to six months' suspension from elected office.

The complaint against Barnbrook was first lodged last September after he claimed in an interview posted on YouTube and his own website that a girl had been murdered within the borough within the past three weeks. "We don't know who's done it. Her girlfriend was attacked inside an educational institute," Barnbrook said in the prerecorded interview, in which he sought to highlight failings in tackling knife crime. He also said that two weeks previously "there was another attack by knives on the streets of Barking and Dagenham where two people were murdered".

Valerie Rush, a Labour cabinet member at the local authority, accused Barnbrook of "openly and outrageously" lying to "whip up fears in the London community".

In her complaint to the GLA and the council, Rush said Barnbrook had acted in a way that brought his honesty and integrity as a councillor into disrepute.

Barnbrook, who is one of 12 BNP councillors in Barking and Dagenham, said that he knew at the time that he made the statements that "there had been no fatalities in Barking and Dagenham", according to a report documenting the investigation into the complaint. Barnbrook nevertheless refused to apologise for the statements "until knife crime is over".

This meant that the interview – filmed by Simon Darby, the BNP's deputy leader, who works part-time for Barnbrook in the London assembly – was posted on the internet despite Barnbrook knowing the statements were incorrect, the report noted.

The Metropolitan police confirmed that there had been no murders or incidents resulting in critical injuries requiring intensive care in the time period cited, and that murders in the area were actually decreasing.

By the time the draft investigation report was published, Barnbrook said he did not accept that "the inaccuracy of my statement was deliberate". He also stated: "I did not know that the data in the recording was incorrect. I would not have posted the recording if I had known that it was incorrect."

Barnbrook also insisted that "once I realised that the data was incorrect, the recording was removed from the internet on my instruction within 24 hours".

The investigation ruled that Barnbrook's original claim that he knew what he was saying was untrue "seems at odds" with the principles of honesty and integrity. "If the public were aware that Mr Barnbrook was in fact putting out statements that he knew were false, we consider that his could reasonably be regarded as undermining public confidence in both members and the authorities as a whole in being able to fulfil their function."

The report's findings prepare the way for one of a range of sanctions today, including suspension from office for up to six months. But this can be challenged on appeal to the president of the Adjudication Panel for England. If an appeal is accepted, the body can overturn the finding or vary the sanction.

Guardian

BNP politician could be suspended from Assembly after inventing three murders

Labour councillor accuses Richard Barnbrook of 'openly and outrageously' lying to 'whip up fears in the London community'

The most senior elected member of the British National party could face suspension from the London assembly for up to six months after he admitted inventing three murders to highlight knife crime, it emerged today.

A joint investigation by the Greater London authority and Barking and Dagenham council has concluded that Richard Barnbrook brought his office and the respective authorities into disrepute after falsely claiming in an interview that three murders had taken place over a three week period in the Barking and Dagenham area.

Barnbrook was elected to the London assembly last year and is also a councillor in Barking and Dagenham.

The findings relating to the BNP's highest profile member in elected office will be a blow to the party just a day after it used its European and local government election launch to attempt to present itself to the electorate as a credible alternative to mainstream parties following the debacle over MPs' expenses.

The complaint against Barnbrook was first lodged last September after he claimed in an interview posted on YouTube and his own website that a girl had been murdered within the borough within the past three weeks. "We don't know who's done it. Her girlfriend was attacked inside an educational institute," Barnbrook said in the prerecorded interview in which he sought to highlight failings in tackling knife crime.

He also said that two weeks previously "there was another attack by knives on the streets of Barking and Dagenham where two people were murdered".

Valerie Rush, a Labour cabinet member at the local authority, accused Barnbrook of "openly and outrageously" lying to "whip up fears in the London community". In her complaint to the GLA and the council, Rush said Barnbrook had acted in a way which brought his honesty and integrity as a councillor into disrepute.

Barnbrook, who is one of twelve BNP councillors in Barking and Dagenham, said that he knew at the time that he made the statements that "there had been no fatalities in Barking and Dagenham", according to a report documenting the investigation into the complaint (pdf).

Barnbrook nevertheless refused to apologise for the statements "until knife crime is over".

This meant that the interview – filmed by Simon Darby, the BNP's deputy leader, who works part-time for Barnbrook in the London assembly – was posted on the internet despite Barnbrook knowing the statements were incorrect, the report noted.

The Metropolitan police confirmed that there had been no murders or incidents resulting in critical injuries requiring intensive care in the time period cited, and that murders in the area were actually decreasing.

By the time the draft investigation report was published, Barnbrook had changed his position and claimed that he did not accept that "the inaccuracy of my statement was deliberate". He also stated: "I did not know that the data in the recording was incorrect. I would not have posted the recording if I had known that it was incorrect."

Barnbrook also insisted that "once I realised that the data was incorrect, the recording was removed from the internet on my instruction within 24 hours".

The investigation ruled that Barnbrook's original claim that he knew what he was saying was untrue "seems at odds" with the principles of honesty and integrity. "If the public were aware that Mr Barnbrook was in fact putting out statements that he knew were false, we consider that his could reasonably be regarded as undermining public confidence in both members and the authorities as a whole in being able to fulfil their function."

Barnbrook now faces a full hearing after the respective committees at the GLA and the London borough considered the investigation's report two weeks ago.

The report's findings prepare the way for one of a range of sanctions, including suspension from office for up to six months.

Guardian