Len Heather, candidate for Norwich South

From BNP Eastern Region Information:

My name is Leonard Alfred Heather, I am aged 71. I left school in 1953 and because of my family connections with the London docks and the river Thames, I was apprenticed as a Lighterman working on the river Thames on tugs and barges in and out of all the various docks carrying all sorts of different cargoes to the various wharfs the length of the Thames, which I did for 42 years.

I was young when the war started, three of my close relations went to war. My father and my mother's brother having been solders in their earlier lives were immediately sent to war and my father's brother 'William' was a seaman on the Atlantic run. In Oct 1942 uncle William left his Laindon home, his wife and three children the oldest one just starting school, it would be the last time he would see them, his ship got sunk and there were no survivors,

I wonder what was going through his mind when he was cluching the side of a burning tanker waiting to die. My father and uncle Jim were with the 51st Highland division who's order's was to hold the German forces back while the Dunkirk evacuation took place and then surrender. Uncle Jim lost a leg in that campaign and they spent the remainder of the war in a prisoner of war camp.

Previous generations have paid a terrible price for us to remain free - keeping our great history and culture going, and what's happened !!

You cannot even call yourself English anymore in this country, people have been fined.

I believe our relations paid this terrible price believing they were doing it to save our country's identity for future generations' and would not have done so if they could have looked ahead and been able to see the rot and decay our treacherous post war politicians have done to their once great country. All of this is down to allowing large numbers of third world immigrants to pour into our country bringing their backwards way of life and large amount of children.

Whole areas of our green and pleasant land are now no longer British, and these area's are getting bigger by the day, within 30 years this country will no longer be Britain because by that time the indigenous population will be the minority, when that happens then, goodbye Britain, goodbye England - it's history and culture, we will have given our country away without even firering a shot.

By Len Heather, exactly as written on the website introducing him as a parliamentary candidate for the BNP

__________________________________________________________

Mr Heather, it is good to meet you, and you have indeed had a long life with a lot of experiences.

I see from other sources that you have been active with the BNP for some time in London, but not in Norfolk, let alone in Norwich.

With respect, what is your connection to Norwich South? What do you know of the problems and concerns of the people of Norwich South?

You have made some assertions in your introduction. For example, you claim that "people have been fined" for calling themselves English. This is a statement of fact, but who are these people, and under what circumstances were they fined?

You have told us about yourself and your concerns at some length, but you have not once referred to Norwich. What is your reason for standing in Norwich South? What do you have to offer the people here? Why do you want them to vote for you? What will you promise to do for the people of Norwich South?

You seem to be interested in English culture and history, but in a very pessimistic way as you state it is about to be given away "without even firering a shot". Perhaps do not realised how the Arts thrive in Norwich, and how the City is bidding to be a European Capital of Culture?

There are no plans for Norwich to fossilise into one version of culture and history, especially not the stunted BNP version.

You do not mention jobs, local taxes, rates, local business, schools, police and healthcare. Why not?

I do not want to be unkind, Mr Heather, but what on earth are you doing standing for a seat in Westminster representing the people of Norwich South?

It is obvious that nobody in the BNP has bothered to edit your typos, nobody has advised you on how to present yourself, and nobody has briefed you on local issues.

Why would the BNP seek to humiliate you in this way?

BNP Election Leaflets Go AWOL in Anglia

From 1 Million United:

According to the BNP, some 45,000 British National Party leaflets for the Chelmsford constituency have “vanished” in the Post Office in a possible instance of electoral fraud so massive that the party’s national elections officer, Clive Jefferson, has called for the election in that region to be postponed.

"The Post Office have confirmed that they have a despatch note confirming receipt of the six palettes and more than 50 boxes of leaflets,” said Mr Jefferson. The leaflets were delivered on time and were due to go out on the 23 April, timed to coincide with the arrival of the postal vote applications.

Mr Jefferson said:

This outrage is the single largest such case so far. We have had reports from all over the country about individual postmen throwing away small bundles of leaflets, but it is remarkable that an entire constituency’s leaflets have vanished.

We have been to the police and have made a direct application to the returning officer, Steven Packham, to have the election postponed. Mr Packham initially denied that he has the ability to postpone the election. He does, of course. The last we heard from him was that he was taking further advice from the Electoral Commission.

Clive Jefferson has lost 45,000 leaflets 

Mr Jefferson said the BNP had now had enough of this continuing subversion of democracy and was going to make a stand over Chelmsford.

“How can a free and fair election be run when our leaflets mysteriously vanish in such quantities?” he asked.

BNP News spoke to Graham Elson, the Post Office’s regional electoral manager for Anglia, who confirmed that an EL1 despatch note for the leaflets existed which “indicates that we have received them.”

Mr Elson added that the Post Office had offered to pay for a full reprint of the leaflets. Mr Jefferson said:

This is unacceptable because the time frames involved will mean that possibly as many as 8,000 people will have already cast their postal ballots before our leaflets are even reprinted. Time and time again we have seen blatant examples of electoral fraud being committed, and the elections still carry on as if nothing has happened. This has to stop.

Eastern regional organiser Paul Morris has been tasked with liaising with the local Post Office depot to sort the problem out, which appears to be far more widespread than just one constituency.

BNP’s East Anglian clowns rise to new lows

From Norfolk Unity:

Second rate and stupid –

Poring over the list of BNP candidates hoping to become MPs in East Anglia it’s difficult not to come to the conclusion that at some point in what ever selection process the would-be parliamentarians underwent utter desperation set in, and the requirement that the hopefulls should at a minimum demonstrate an ability to walk and talk at the same time was dropped as an unattainable objective.

Star BNP clown is Dave Strickson. Dave, who hails from Grays in Essex, is one of those stalwart BNP bloggers who believes that a good BNP blog should be full of huge images and lots of music, perhaps to detract from the lack of any intelligent, or, indeed, discernible content. But it keeps Dave happy, and we’re all in favour of that.

Dave had been selected to stand for Peterborough, presumably because the local BNP had nobody else available who was the equal of his intellect, and Dave set about gathering the ten nominations required to put his name on the ballot paper.

Now we all know that to nominate a candidate each of the ten assentors signing the nomination papers must be on the electoral register. And it helps – because the law is very tetchy on the point – that they actually live in the constituency where the candidate intends to stand.

Unfortunately, Dave and Peterborough BNP seem to have had no idea of where the Peterborough constituency was, and somehow managed – as they say – to cock it up right royally by collecting eight of the required ten signatures from beyond the constituency boundaries, thus rendering his nomination invalid

The onus is on a prospective candidate to check that his or her nomination forms are valid before handing them in. Returning officers generally expect that anybody running for election is intelligent enough to know where they are standing, but in this case clearly reckoned without Dave and the BNP..

As usual when the BNP finds itself in a pickle of its own making, it blames somebody else, blissfully unaware that – as when in a hole you stop digging – when you’ve landed yourself in a pickle jar it’s a good idea to stop pouring on the vinegar.

Poor Dave, clutching his returned £500 deposit, whined to the local press: “Despite a last minute effort, we could not complete the re-signing of the forms within that time frame. We are extremely disappointed that the council left it to the last minute to inform us of this.”

Standing in Ipswich is Dennis Boater, who claims to study current affairs and promises that he will “ensure that Ipswich remains a British town” – which we are sure it will, unless some foreign power has fixed itself to annex eastern Suffolk or the place is in danger of being carted off to some distant shore.

“There will be no giant Mosque in Ipswich,” says Dennis, quickly adding that he will not lie to his electorate – and, strictly speaking, he didn’t, since there are no plans for a “giant Mosque” in Ipswich. Only those which exist in Dennis’s imagination.

The hopeful in South West Norfolk is another Dennis, Dennis Pearce. Dennis claims that among the “obvious” problems afflicting us are “shortages of energy, water and food”. We may be missing something, but it’s been quite a while since we last saw thirsting, starving people wandering the blacked out streets of Norfolk. In fact, water and food are pretty difficult to avoid in south west Norfolk, and somebody always seems to find a two-bob piece to feed the electric meter.

“The present Regime are only interested in grandstanding on the Global stage and continuing selling us down the river,” says Dennis, adding: “Our Policies are sustainable and put local people first,” without Telling us what those Policies are, or If he is having Treatment for his Random capitalisation Syndrome.

Quickly passing over Ramon Johns, standing in West Suffolk, who tells us that he has been married for over fifty five years “to the same wife”, we’ll continue on to Norwich North, scene of last summer’s disastrous BNP by-election performance, when the party’s bogus vicar of the parish of nowhere in particular, the “Reverend” Robert West, was abandoned by his Maker (and the BNP), and thoroughly trounced, taking only 2.7% of the vote.

Trying his luck in Norwich North this time is Tom Richardson, who appears to believe that such things as “burglary, violence, graffiti etc.,” are “local events”. Norwich is an odd sort of place, so it is just possible that “burglary, violence, graffiti etc.,” appear on the Friday listings page of the Evening News – “Burglary, Thorpe Hamlet, 8pm. £5 on the door. Come early to avoid disappointment.”

Bordering Norwich North is the new constituency of Broadland, a very large and sprawling constituency – as it has to be, to contain the large and sprawling idiocy of its BNP candidate.

We’ve met Edith Crowther on many occasions at this website, usually as a result of her inability to keep her dafter thoughts to herself. Railing against food imports she tells us: “Small farms are vital and ought to be fairly prosperous if Right Livelihood was our goal.”

“Right Livelihood”?

You’d better Google that. We’re none the wiser, and Edith doesn’t expand on it. Perhaps its better that way.

“Norfolk people say scornfully ‘The gannets are gathering’,” says Edith, who is a newcomer to Norfolk, “as council after council gets into bed with developers.”

Well, I’m Norfolk born and bred, and I’ve never heard anybody use that expression, scornfully or otherwise – but never mind, let’s press on:

“Leaving aside the global picture, all over England in both towns and villages, sprawling housing development has created hundreds of thousands of people totally dependent on their cars, and on not getting too old to drive.”

Erm… yes.

Experienced, as I am, in negotiating my way along the twisted and tortured by-ways of BNP grammar, I must confess that has flummoxed even me. Now if I’m reading this correctly, Edith appears to be saying that people should be dependent on getting too old to drive, rather than remaining dependent on their cars.

Or something like that.

Perhaps it’s something to do with Right Livelihood.

Anyway, at this point Edith’s musings take a sinister turn. Read this carefully:

But it is worse than that: the smallest break in the supply chain will bring the whole lot down like a pack of cards, because multiple dependencies are being created including a total dependency on cheap migrant labour. Only the BNP is even contemplating how to deal with this – we make no promises, and certainly no empty promises, but at least we will be ready to step in if the worst comes to the worst. Don’t forget – the troops will all be back home, when we are in charge.

Did you read what I just read?

Let’s go over that again, so that we can be quite certain: “… we will be ready to step in if the worst comes to the worst. Don’t forget – the troops will all be back home, when we are in charge.”

There isn’t much doubt at all, is there?

And at this point we end this whistle-stop tour of the best the BNP has to offer in East Anglia, largely because there is only so much stupidity one can take in at a single sitting – but we’ll be back with more very soon on the people who want to run the country but couldn’t find a whole constituency.

By Denise Garside (abetted by Atreus)

Who is organising the BNP in Norfolk?

Eddie Butler (pictured) was until recently the 'Eastern organiser' of the BNP. Although details are murky, apparently he was implicated recently in an attempted coup against Nick Griffin, and so has lost this post, and has basically left the Norfolk BNP candidates floundering.

Thanks Private Eye

EDL/BNP vs KFC on POW rd

A policeman representing the Norfolk Constabulary, PC Walker, told me that mine was not the only complaint received about the behaviour of the band of cowardly thugs who bullied the young counter staff of the KFC outlet on Prince of Wales Road nine days ago.

The video can be viewed here.

PC Walker told me the EDL bullying is now logged as a 'race/religious hate incident', to be examined in more detail by their dedicated unit.

In the meantime the site One Million United (1MU) has claimed to have identified at least two of the men who show themselves brazenly harrassing KFC staff. 1MU suggests that the video shows well-known bully-boy Anthony Bamford, and possibly soccer hooligan Sam Burgess.

According to 1MU, Bamford has a history of harrassing individuals and this is not limited to fast food restaurants; 1MU state they have seen evidence of his ongoing cyber-bullying, deep-rooted racism and threats of violence. . .

It appears that Bamford and co have removed their own film of the incident themselves, as 1MU suggests, "in an attempt to wriggle out of potential charges".

Unfortunately for them, several alert citizens copied the video as soon as it appeared. The video shows four of the gang quite clearly. 1MU goes on to suggest:

It is thought that the thug at the end of the film, giving obscene hand gestures is the EDL’s Sam Burgess, who recently earned himself a three-year ban from football matches after punching a police officer. His identity has not yet been confirmed.

1MU links to another site that has a theory about this EDL foray into fast-food outlets, not only in Norwich but around the country.
According to 1MU, Socialist Worker had this to say:

The English Defence League (EDL) has taken to copying the tactics of Le Pen’s Front National (FN) in France.
They have called for attacks on all Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) for selling halal meat. And they are encouraging people to film the attacks and to wear pig masks—which is what the FN has done at fast food outlets in France. In a video posted by the EDL on YouTube of one protest, one of the mob shouts, “Who here is a Muslim?”
The following video has also been released recently by EDL members, and appears to show them confronting KFC board members, having barged into a meeting.

As 1MU points out, KFC’s website clearly states that not only is the halal meat on its menus only a trial at this stage, but also that the Norwich branch harrangued by Bamford and co is not one of the outlets taking part in the trial. They are also keen to point out the following:

Due to our strict animal welfare standards, we insist that all our poultry is stunned before slaughter. Our halal chicken has been accredited by the Halal Food Authority, one of the most widely recognised bodies in the UK and overseas. It allows the use of a technique called ’stun-to-stun’ – a pain free process that makes the animal insensible to pain and suffering. A verse is also recited from the Koran at the point of slaughter by an appropriate person and the poultry will not come into contact with non-halal meat at any point in the supply chain.
The HFA accreditation which is clearly signposted in the participating restaurants allows us to offer halal accredited meat whilst remaining committed to the same animal welfare standards as before, which meet or exceed all relevant UK and EU legislation.

Leaving aside any debate about the business practices of Kentucky Fried Chicken, or about halal meat, or even any discussion about the ethics of eating meat at all, the essential point seems to be this:
Are Norfolk people ready or willing to accept the bullyboy tactics of any organisation like the EDL or the BNP? Can we tolerate this low-level off-the street gang thuggery?

These self-elected, boastful self-described guardians of 'Engish values' in the EDL, which is closely interconnected with the BNP, have no right to attempt to intimidate staff of local fast-food outlets in pursuit of their own political advancement.

Kick such political movements out of Norfolk.

Do you know these thugs?

In what is obviously a pre-planned encounter, these men act threateningly if stupidly towards young KFC counter staff in Norwich, at the bottom of the Prince of Wales Street.

Apparently it was filmed last Saturday. According to their own words, the men threaten to return to KFC again today.

A boy nervously begins a chant "EDL" that tapers away. The initials 'EDL' stands for the English Defence League, a band with so many connections to the BNP it could be called the BNP's "militant wing".

Consider the easy cowardice of such an action as walking into a takeaway joint and harrassing the girls behind the counter.

Well done to the youthful staff of the KFC outlet who kept their cool throughout what must have been for them an alarming encounter.

If this gang really cared about halal meat being served in KFC outlets, they should take it up with KFC management, not with the youngsters serving the food. 

Or they could turn vegetarian.

Two middle-aged men lead this small gang. They are deliberately introducing an over-excited boy and a couple of local youths into a world where aggressive abuse of ordinary workers is an acceptable way to behave. They are teaching the younger men the elements of thuggery. They are the Fagins of mobocracy.
I heard what sounds like a Norfolk accent from a couple of the characters, but the older ring-leader does not seem to be from Norfolk by the way he speaks.
Notice how they suddenly leave the fast-food outlet and hasten towards the railway station, as if they realise what they are doing is not only illegal but also wrong. As if they suddenly realise they are nothing but a gang of big bully-boys threatening girls.

Who are these men? What do they hope to achieve by such behaviour?
If it's publicity they want, well, here it is, a public shaming of a band of cowards.

LATER: I have reported this video to the police, who reply:

Thank you for the email.
I have raised incident number nc-24042010-258.
Some enquiries are being made at this time.
Regards,
Norfolk Constabulary
Contact & Control Room
Tel: 0845 456 4567
Fax: 0845 345 4567
SMS: 07786 200 777
Minicom: 0845 345 3458
Email: enquiries@norfolk.pnn.police.uk

BNP launches its 'serious' manifesto

From Channel 4 News:

The British National Party launched its manifesto today urging voters to look beyond its immigration policy.

Unveiling a 90-page "serious piece of political kit", BNP leader Nick Griffin said the manifesto offered "nothing new" on immigration.

Mr Griffin said other parties have only just begun to talk about immigration policies because of the threat posed by the BNP.

"We still say what we have always done. We say Britain is full. It is the most overcrowded country in Europe and it is time to shut the doors."

Launching the manifesto in Stoke-on-Trent, where the party has nine councillors, Mr Griffin faced a noisy group of protesters demonstrating against the right-wing party.Speaking on St George's day, Mr Griffin was flanked by a supporter dressed as St George, England's patron saint.

He said the BNP's manifesto was "one of the most comprehensive and detailed manifestos in its history".

Mr Griffin said the issues tackled by the BNP set the party apart from its rivals. “These issues are the conflict in Afghanistan, the immigration invasion of our country, the threat to our security posed by Islamism and the danger of the European Union to our sovereignty," he said.

Apart from immigration, the manifesto pledges to pull troops out of Afghanistan and Germany, renegote the UK's presence in NATO and raise defence spending by 1 per cent over the rate of inflation for the next five years.

The BNP said it was the only party to map out realistic and sensible budget cuts that will bring the deficit under control - without cutting front line public services.

Outlining its economic policies, the party said it would cut spending on all projects with did not serve British interests - including £18 billion spent on global warming, £13 billion spent on immigration, £4 billion on asylum and £15 billion on EU membership. Regarding the latter, the BNP said it "loves Europe but hates the EU", from which it proposes immediate withdrawal.

The BNP said it would cut foreign aid and reallocate the money to address the "scandalous situation of NHS underfunding".

Mr Griffin said the manifesto contained "unique and innovative policies which range from a solution for the housing crisis to restoring British industry, and from building our nation’s IT infrastructure to constitutional reform to guarantee our people’s liberties and freedom."

By Emma Thelwell

BNP admits it is the hate party

From HOPE not hate blog:

Yesterday I watched with amusement as Marmite-gate unfolded and the whole BNP election campaign descended into ridicule.

On Wednesday evening our research team previewed the BNP election broadcast and saw the now infamous marmite jar over Griffin’s shoulder. At 7.15pm we sent a message to Unilever, the makers of Marmite, about the BNP video. At 8am yesterday morning our press officer was on the phone to PA and other media outlets.

Even BNP were gobsmacked by the whole affair. Dozens questioned the use of the jar on the party’s own website.

When confronted by the media, the BNP simply could not get their story straight. At first it was just a “spoof” video (oh, how we laughed!). Next, as Unilever announced legal action against the party, they claimed that someone had tampered with the video and had put the jar on the screen without their permission. By the end of the day Griffin had changed his story for a third time and announced that the BNP was simply taking revenge on Marmite for a commercial which he claimed portrayed the BNP as the “hate party.”

However ridiculous the BNP position at least they finally got one thing right. Griffin and his bunch of cranks identified themselves as the “hate party.”

But the BNP stupidity doesn’t end there. Griffin is now threatening to – wait for it – eat some Marmite on his next TV broadcast!! Yes, and this fool wants to run this country. Whatever next…. Oh, I forgot, Richard Barnbrook is getting on a horse this morning.

By Nick Lowles

So where is the BNP manifesto?

Thirteen days to the general and council elections, and the BNP has not released its revised manifesto.

According to the anti-BNP site There's Nothing British About the BNP: on BBC Breakfast, Nick Griffin said that the BNP manifesto would be launched today (Tuesday). No sign of it yet.

Was ever a political party more incompetent? The BNP hasn’t released its revised accounting either, despite the fines that ultimately the pitiful long-suffering supporters of the BNP have to pay, over and over again.

As the Guardian reminds:

Griffin, who is standing in Barking, has been forced to change the BNP's whites-only membership policy following a legal battle with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

Last week the Electoral Commission announced it was launching a formal investigation into the party's 2008 accounts.

These difficulties appear to have hit the party's ability to stand candidates in next month's local elections.

Never mind. Whilst searching for news of the BNP's manifesto, I stumbled upon this comment, which has probably predicted the BNP manifesto pretty well. Here it is:

Foreign policy: send all the immigrants home
Healthcare: send all the immigrants home
Crime: send all the immigrants home
Education: send all the immigrants home
Social policy: send all the immigrants home
Welfare and benefits: send all the immigrants home
Care of the elderly: send all the immigrants home
Beliefs and forward planning: no beliefs just send all the immigrants home

Quite.

IPPR: Weak communites cause rise of BNP

From LocalGov:

Poor education, weak communities and low turnout rather than immigration are the real reasons for the rise of the BNP, according to a think tank.

Research by the influential Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) into 150 local authorities concluded alienation and an inability to overcome social challenges such as isolation and low skills are the main drivers for BNP support.

The report challenged the claim that immigration is to ‘blame’ for pushing voters into support for the BNP.

The IPPR said: ‘The findings suggest that areas which have higher levels of recent immigration are not more likely to vote for the BNP.’

Nine out of 10 of the local authorities with the highest proportions of BNP votes had lower than average immigration.

But the group singled out Barking and Dagenham, where BNP leader Nick Griffin is standing for a Parliamentary seat, for having the lowest level of resiliance.

Education was pinpointed as a core issue: low average levels of qualifications mean people struggle in today’s flexible, knowledge-based economy.

The report concludes: ‘If the Government can find ways to build stronger, more socially cohesive communities, these increases in social cohesion should sap support from the BNP.’

Exploring the Roots of BNP Support - (click for PDF file of the report)

By Chris Smith

Sun shining on Barking and Dagenahm

From Hope not hate:

HOPE sign about to be put in place

Today must be the warmest and sunniest day of the year. A day for work in the garden, sunbathing, a walk in the park -

Not so at HOPE not hate HQ where hundreds have turned up for a Day of Action in a direct challenge to Nick Griffin and the hateful policies of his party, the BNP.

Newspapers at the ready thanks to office volunteers

Bulletins from Hope not hate in Dagenham told a story of days of feverish preparations of the leaflets and newspapers to be delivered, and then the waiting for people to answer the call to action. Slowly people began to arrive in couples and handfuls, then bus loads and trainloads, even a Spanish film crew.

The first 40,000 newspapers were delivered, then two hours later more than 80,000 had gone. By midday the planned areas had all been covered and maps were being drawn up for a couple more wards in Havering.

Before it was 2 p.m. all the newspapers had been delivered. The turnout was greater than anyone had dared to expect, and the activists completed their foot-slogging pavement-bashing in good spirits.

An impressive turnout on a beautiful day to demonstrate against the appalling BNP.

Compiled from reports by Nick Lowles.

Hope Not Hate: Stop the BNP in Barking and Dagenham

From Stand Up To Hate:

From Stand Up To Hate:

Yesterday, WW2 veteran Kenneth Riley appealed for people to sign up to the Hope Not Hate campaign to fight the BNP.

Amazingly, within hours some of his own words were lifted verbatim and put into the mouth of the BNP's own claimed war veteran Bob Head.

Compare and contrast their two letters. It's both galling and depressing: THE ANTI-BNP APPEAL

When I enlisted in the army 66 years ago, I did it for Britain.

Now I need you to do something for me.

The BNP is trying to strangle our great nation with the same extremist and fascist agenda that Hitler's Nazis threatened us with decades ago. Today, the war isn't being fought on the battlefield - but in the ballot box.

Hope Not Hate is on the front lines of our fight. They're organising to make sure modern-day Nazis aren't elected on 6 May and to preserve the Britain for which I fought so hard. If I had my health I would be out there with them. But I can't - so I'm writing to ask you to volunteer for me.

Please join Hope Not Hate's Day of Action this weekend - the campaign has laid on transport to help you get to the areas in which you are needed the most:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/fightthenazis

I was barely in my twenties when I went to fight for Britain. I left home with friends - all young lads like myself - and many never returned.

Today, the BNP salute and say "Heil Hitler" - and they support the same all-white Britain. They're proud of what the Nazis did to my friends, and what they did to millions of innocent people throughout Europe.

We didn't fight with our lives on the line years ago just to be right back here today.
We need to do everything we can to stop the BNP from being elected to local councils and to Parliament. Those boys lost to the war would proudly go door-to-door with Hope Not Hate to fight against the fascist BNP today.

There are no tanks and no guns in this fight - but we still need your courage to speak out.

Kenneth Riley. Normandy Veteran - Tank Division


THE BNP APPEAL
A message from Normandy Veteran Bob Head

Dear Fellow Patriot,
When I enlisted in the army in 1942, aged 18, I did it for Britain.
Now I need you to do something for me.

The old-gang parties and their fellow cohorts in the media are dismantling and destroying the Britain we fought so hard to defend and preserve. Today, the war isn't being fought on the battlefield - but in the ballot box.
The British National Party is on the front lines of our fight. Our party and our courageous activists are working around the clock to save the country that our War Heroes fought and died for. If I had my health I would be out there with them. But I can't - so I'm writing to ask you to volunteer for me.
.....
There are no tanks and no guns in this fight - but we still need your courage to propel the British National Party to its goals. Get active, leafleting, canvassing, speaking to people, get the word out!
Could you spare £20 towards our election campaign? £20 is not much, but it could be crucial to the BNP's chances of winning

------

Admin: Please help to fight this horrendous party that makes a mockery of our war heroes and the debt we owe them.

Please sign up and donate money to the Hope Not Hate campaign and show the world that the offensively racist BNP doesn’t speak in your name.

Norwich South candidates clashing over economy - but no comment from the BNP candidate

Story from BBC NEWS:

The candidates for Norwich South have clashed over which party would best revive the economy.

Labour candidate and former Home Secretary Charles Clarke MP said the most important thing that Labour had to offer voters in Norwich was a "buoyant economy". He said:

I believe Norwich has done relatively well because we have strong organisations and strong businesses and it is most important to see it continue.

Simon Wright, the Liberal Democrat candidate, said:

We would be forcing the banks to increase the loans they give to small businesses. We want extra job training and we would also create more internships particularly to help young people hit by the recession.

'Supporting growth'

Green Party candidate and deputy leader of the party Adrian Ramsay said:

I think we need to be creating jobs that will last. We should be manufacturing far more of our good and food locally to the economy back on a firm footing.

He said the city was a centre of manufacturing industry in the past and could be again in the future.

Antony Little, the Conservative candidate said:

I think it is coming down to a real debate about whether we want to tax the economy or free business up to grow and employ more people. The Conservative Party has outlined strong policies to support growth.

Stephen Emmens, the UK Independence Party candidate said:

I don't think that British companies should be employing people in call centres overseas. We are the anti-EU party and the benefits are obvious. If we get out of the EU, we'll be able to use our contribution of £14bn straight away. British people should decide where British money is spent.

The candidates so far announced for Norwich South are: Conservative: Antony Little; Labour: Charles Clarke; Lib Dem: Simon Wright; Green: Adrian Ramsay; UK Independence Party: Stephen Emmens; BNP: Len Heather.

BNP's Len Heather - no comment

__________________________________________________________

HOPE not hate, Norfolk made a diligent search but could not find any comments about the economy or indeed about any Norwich South concerns from the BNP candidate.

Len Heather was until very recently the BNP's organiser for Basildon, Billericay and Wickford. I cannot find any evidence of links to Norwich or any evidence of any particular interest in Norwich South.

His most recent political activity seems to have been setting up an unauthorised BNP stall at Chapel Ruins on the High Street of Brentwood in March 2009, only to be moved on by the irate curate at St Thomas' Church, Fr Matthew Bernand, who called the police.

Could Norwich South be the referendum on New Labour?

From Liberal Conspiracy:

So, I’d better ‘fes up from the start. I am a Green Party activist. I’ve been a party member for nearly a decade. It’s not surprising that I am writing about why one of the top target seats for the party is significant.

The election in Norwich South is unique in England. It is the only place I can think of where a right wing Labour incumbent faces a serious challenge from their left.

The seat has come down to 2 candidates: Green Party deputy leader Adrian Ramsay (no relation); and former Minister now right-wing rebel, Charles Clarke. Greens have the majority of councillors across the seat.

They’ve topped the poll in the local elections every year since 2007, and came first in the Euros. Adrian’s been endorsed by numerous former Lib Dem and Labour councillors, and their ground campaign is second to none.

Adrian has been a councillor for the last seven years, and was, until recently, leader of the Greens’ first ever official council opposition (he stood down as group leader to focus on the General Election). He has gained a reputation in Norwich for defending public services – nursery schools to care gomes – from council cuts, opposing PFI deals, and defending jobs by stopping a Tesco takover of the high street destroying local businesses.

In his ward in the heart of Norwich South, he was re-elected with around 62% of the vote.

Charles Clarke needs little introduction. Perhaps it’s enough to say that he has attempted 3 coups against Gordon Brown for not being right wing enough. He is the man behind top-up fees, ID cards, PFI city academies. He represents everything that’s wrong with Labour.

Well, if Labour lose this election, we can expect some soul searching about what went wrong.

We’ll see, I’d guess, three camps. The first, loyalists, will say that the recession was unlucky, they made the best of a tough job, and 13 years is a reasonable term. The second, Blairite rebels, will say, we can expect, that Brown’s “class war” rhetoric and lack of charisma lost it – that, as Charles Clarke seems to think, Brown wasn’t right wing enough. The third, lefties, will argue that the swing to the right over 15 years was to blame.

For progressives in the UK, whether or not we support the Labour Party, it will be important that the third camp wins this argument against the second (and the first).

There’s a much simpler way to think about this. Imagine it’s election night and Charles Clarke loses to Adrian Ramsay. What message would that send to New Labour?

Help make that happen.

By Adam Ramsay

Victory for Nothing British as BNP sack Nazi saluting candidate

From There's Nothing British About the BNP:

BNP confirms that it has sacked Mark Onion

The British National Party has confirmed that it has sacked Mark Onion, its council candidate in Thurrock, after Nothing British exposed him as a Nazi sympathiser and misogynist.

The climbdown from the BNP is a major blow as they seek to try and revive their faltering election campaign.

Laughably, their only defence is to try and claim that Onions is a “UKIP mole”. No evidence has been presented for this claim.

Griffin should stop the conspiracy theories, and realise that the BNP’s modernisation strategy is increasingly transparent to their voters as the hollow sham it always has been.

By Maurice Cousins

Who is the BNP’s “soldier”?

From the New Statesman:

The far-right party exploits the war in Afghanistan for a propaganda stunt.

The BNP leader Nick Griffin (left), on the campaign trail in Barking.

Today's Metro reports that the BNP leader Nick Griffin, who is standing for parliament in Barking, Essex, was criticised for campaigning alongside a man in army uniform at the weekend. The far-right, anti-immigration party, which is hoping to pick up votes by playing on people's disquiet at the war in Afghanistan, was criticised by a soldiers' charity, ABS, which said there was "no place in the army for racism or politics".

Metro claims not to know whether the man pictured with Griffin is a serving soldier. However, I can reveal he is no such thing: his name is Adam Walker, 41, a BNP member and former teacher who faces being struck off by the General Teaching Council for posting racist messages on the internet during a lesson.

On Saturday he was parading in front of news cameras gathered in Barking to cover the BNP's campaign launch. Asked if he was a real soldier, he admitted he wasn't. "I'm wearing this uniform in solidarity with our boys in Afghanistan," Walker said.

By Daniel Trilling

_________________________________________________________

It is worth reading most of the comments that follow this article (click on link for the original) ranging from 'contemptible' to:

It's another blatant attempt by the appalling BNP to associate itself with the honour and glory of the Armed Forces. Sorry. Stolen valour doesn't fool anyone.

The essence of a lie is the intent to deceive, and the BNP attempts to deceive the electorate by clothing itself in the glory of better men and women than they are.

Senior retired military personnel have had quite enough of the BNP attempting to steal the valour of others like this, as you can see here: http://www.nothingbritish.com/stolen-valour-home

Watchdog begins BNP accounts probe

From The Independent:

The Electoral Commission has launched an investigation into the accounting records of the British National Party, it was announced today

The commission, which is the independent party finance watchdog, said it had began the probe into the party's 2008 statement of accounts. This follows concerns raised about its "adequacy" by the independent auditor's report that accompanied it. But the fact that an investigation had been launched did not mean there should be assumptions made over any alleged breaches, the commission stressed.

In January this year the commission began a review following the concerns raised, and this has now developed into the investigation announced today. It follows comments by the registered auditors, Silver & Co, that the financial statements submitted did not "give a true and fair view of the state of the party's affairs at December 31, 2008".

The auditors went on: "In our opinion it cannot be said that the accounts comply with the requirements of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, as adequate records have not been made available."

A statement released by the commission said: "In January 2010 the Electoral Commission, the independent party finance watchdog, began a case review following concerns raised in the independent auditor's opinion about the adequacy of the 2008 statement of accounts of the British National Party. The case has now become an investigation.

"However, it is important to note - particularly during an election period - that no conclusion has been reached and therefore no assumption should be made as to whether a breach of the rules has occurred."

I fought the Nazis. Will you?

From Hope not hate:

Kenneth Riley

When I enlisted in the army 66 years ago, I did it for Britain.

Now I need you to do something for me.

The BNP is trying to strangle our great nation with the same extremist and fascist agenda that Hitler's Nazis threatened us with decades ago. Today, the war isn't being fought on the battlefield - but in the ballot box.

Hope Not Hate is on the front lines of our fight. They're organising to make sure modern-day Nazis aren't elected on 6 May and to preserve the Britain for which I fought so hard. If I had my health I would be out there with them. But I can't - so I'm writing to ask you to volunteer for me.

Please join Hope Not Hate's Day of Action this weekend - the campaign has laid on transport to help you get to the areas in which you are needed the most:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/fightthenazis

I was barely in my twenties when I went to fight for Britain. I left home with friends - all young lads like myself - and many never returned.

Today, the BNP salute and say "Heil Hitler" - and they support the same all-white Britain. They're proud of what the Nazis did to my friends, and what they did to millions of innocent people throughout Europe.

We didn't fight with our lives on the line years ago just to be right back here today.

We need to do everything we can to stop the BNP from being elected to local councils and to Parliament. Those boys lost to the war would proudly go door-to-door with Hope Not Hate to fight against the fascist BNP today.

There are no tanks and no guns in this fight - but we still need your courage to speak out.

Attend a Hope Not Hate event this weekend and join the fight against fascism:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/fightthenazis

The elections on 6 May are personal to me - and I hope they will be to you. I'd like to thank you in advance for your service.

Yours,

Kenneth Riley
Normandy Veteran - Tank Division

By Nick Lowles

___________________________________________________________

I shall be taking a cheap-day-return train from Norwich to leaflet in Barking this Saturday - why not come along too? Click on the Hope not hate links above, and there you will find clear instructions and even a map to show where campaigners will rally at 11am on Saturday. It promises to be quite an event - peaceful campaigning for a good cause, with exercise.

Barbara

BNP Statement of Accounts

From the Electoral Commission:

In January 2010 the Electoral Commission, the independent party finance watchdog, began a case review following concerns raised in the independent auditor’s opinion about the adequacy of the 2008 statement of accounts of the British National Party.

The case has now become an investigation. However, it is important to note - particularly during an election period - that no conclusion has been reached and therefore no assumption should be made as to whether a breach of the rules has occurred.

For further information please contact
Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704
Out of office hours on 07789 920414
Email: press@electoralcommission.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Electoral Commission is an independent body established by the Political Parties Elections and Referendums (PPERA) Act 2000.

Section 41 of PPERA requires that “the treasurer of a registered party must ensure that accounting records are kept with respect to the party which are sufficient to show and explain the party’s transactions.”

The BNP statement of accounts for the central party and for the party’s accounting unit for 2008 are available on the Commission website: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/party-finance/database-of-registers/statements-of-account

Concerns were raised by the independent auditor in relation to the 2008 statement of accounts of the BNP. In January we wrote to the BNP requesting further information and began a case review. That case review has now become an investigation.

It is our usual policy to issue a press release at this point. A full copy of our policy on handling allegations and disclosing information relating to them can be found on the Commission website:

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/party-finance/enforcement/making-allegations

Another shameful BNP candidate

From NOTHING BRITISH:
There's Nothing British About the BNP calls on Nick Griffin MEP to sack Nazi saluting misogynist and BNP Thurrock council candidate Mark Onion


Five facts about BNP candidate Mark Onion:-

1. BNP candidate in the Orsett Ward, Thurrock Council local elections.
2. Posted pictures of him doing a Nazi salute while wearing a Help for Heroes wristband.
3. Finds films about the Holocaust and Slave Trade "amusing and funny".
4. His favourite books include "Mein Kampf" and the "Final Solution".
5. Jokes about violence and rape against women. On April 4th 2010 he wrote: "If she aint wearing da red gear il punch her knock her cleen out n rag her a few times."
Nick Griffin says he doesn’t support misogynistic sentiments. He says the BNP is no longer racist. He claims it is no longer anti-Semitic or sympathetic towards the Nazis.
And yet he supports and his party has selected a candidate that has Nazi sympathies, makes jokes about violence and rape against women, and finds films about crimes against humanity "funny and amusing".
James Bethel, director of Nothing British, said:

Mark Onion is a misogynistic, Nazi sympathising bigot who views on women firmly belongs in the dark ages. Voters will see that both he and the BNP are a disgrace to this country. There is nothing patriotic about the BNP.

A Help for Heroes spokeswoman told Nothing British:

The money that we raise at Help for Heroes is used to support wounded Servicemen and women of every colour and creed and we strongly oppose any individual or political party who believes otherwise, and those who seek to use the charity’s name for their own political gain.

Simon Weston, a Falklands veteran and campaigner, said:

The man says women should be beaten, salutes the Nazis, finds Schindlers’ List ‘funny and amusing’- do people really want this as their representative? What sort of society are we living in if we can produce this behaviour?
I’m appalled that he has been selected to stand. He’s meant to be in the heart of local politics."
The values of the Armed Forces are polls apart from the BNP. Soldiers are risking their lives to defend the rights of women and children in Afghanistan.

For more information please call Nothing British on 02033970103 or email: james@nothingbritish.com
This notice is published by NOTHING BRITISH

Questioning Norfolk BNP candidates

Following on from the previous Andrew Gilligan article:-

Of the eight BNP candidates for Norfolk constituencies, how many are truly resident at addresses within the region they want to represent in Parliament?

Some of the names are unfamiliar to Norfolk, and Gilligan's article suggests a pattern of BNP deceit in how the party places BNP candidates.

The BNP seems to stand loyal BNP cronies for election whether or not they have credible roots in the constituency they claim to represent.

A seeming pattern of deceit which includes Eddy Butler, who was until recently both the BNP national election organiser and the BNP Eastern regional organiser (see Gilligan's article).

How many candidates have been 'parachuted' into the regions in Norfolk, without knowing anything of local concerns?

How many are renting some property on the sly and claiming it as their primary residence when in fact they are domiciled elsewhere?

As Gilligan writes above:

If the (candidates) are not genuinely living at addresses where they have registered, they could be guilty of electoral fraud and could be disqualified if elected.

HOPE not hate, Norfolk would like to put these questions to the BNP's Eastern regional organiser, but that position appears to be vacant at present.

After the recent BNP dramatics when it was claimed one senior BNP member made death threats against Nick Griffin, Eddy Butler (and Emma Colgate) were suddenly demoted from their positions in the BNP. No explanation was given by the BNP for these extraordinary changes.

Confusion over BNP's election campaign

From The Telegraph :

The BNP leader, Nick Griffin, yesterday started his campaign to become an MP as a Sunday Telegraph investigation uncovered apparent electoral irregularities involving the far-Right party.

As well as challenging Labour for the parliamentary seat of Barking in east London, the BNP’s main hope is to take control of the local council. But at least three BNP council candidates in the borough appear to have registered at "front addresses" to get around the requirement that local authority candidates must live in the area.

According to the electoral register, Eddy Butler, until recently the BNP national election organiser, lives in Loughton, Essex, 10 miles from Barking. Neighbours there said they had seen him within the last few days.

However, he has submitted nomination papers giving an address in Ellerton Gardens, Dagenham. Mr Butler also recently registered himself on the roll at this address but neighbours shown pictures of him did not recognise him.

At the Dagenham address, the curtains both upstairs and downstairs were drawn in the middle of the afternoon yesterday. Contacted by telephone, Mr Butler admitted he still visited his Loughton property, that he owned the house and that members of his family still lived there, but insisted that he now lived in the rented Dagenham house.

Another BNP candidate in Barking and Dagenham, Chris Roberts, lives in Benfleet, near Southend, around 20 miles from Barking. However, in his nomination form, Mr Roberts gives an address in Arden Crescent, Dagenham — which is the home of the BNP’s London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook. Again, Mr Roberts recently registered on the electoral roll at this house.

A third candidate, Gavin Cardy, gives an address in Sylvan Avenue, Chadwell Heath. The electoral register indicates that his permanent address is actually in Fulham in west London.

If the three are not genuinely living at addresses where they have registered, they could be guilty of electoral fraud and could be disqualified if elected.

Mr Roberts and Mr Cardy were not available for comment, but Bob Bailey, the leader of the BNP group on Barking council, said: "As far as I know, they have all genuinely moved address. It’s all pukka."

Mr Barnbrook said: "Chris Roberts spends enough time at my house to fulfil what the law says, and that’s good enough."

The BNP has struggled to find enough genuinely local candidates in Barking. The Sunday Telegraph has learned that, including Mr Butler, Mr Roberts and Mr Cardy, it had found only 34 candidates for 51 council seats.

Party sources admitted that other candidates had been rejected by council officials for not giving local addresses on their nomination papers.

A spokesman for the anti-fascist group Searchlight said: "There are clear signs that the BNP campaign is faltering."

Mr Griffin said yesterday he was "very confident" about the Westminster contest. However, private polling for Labour is understood to show that the BNP leader is a potential drag on the ticket.

By Andrew Gilligan

Another BNP member giving East Anglia a bad name

From EADT24:

 

BNP activist admits explosive charge

A LEADING BNP activist from Suffolk has pleaded guilty to possession of an explosive substance without an explosives licence.

However, David Lucas, of South Road, Lakenheath, denied two further charges when he appeared before Ipswich Crown Court for a hearing into his case yesterday.

The 49-year-old pleaded not guilty to having an explosive substance under suspicious circumstances and possessing a prohibited weapon.

A fourth charge of possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life was withdrawn by the Crown Prosecution Service during the same hearing.

Lucas is due to stand trial for the two allegations he denies on July 26 at the Crown Court.

The charges relate to April 23 last year.

The charge of possession of explosives under suspicious circumstances can only be brought by police with the authorisation of the Attorney General.

Lucas is currently on conditional bail. He is required to live and sleep each night at his address in South Road, Lakenheath, or at a caravan at Hockwold, Norfolk.

Lucas must also not make contact with William Hudson or Robert Chipperfield and not take any steps to leave the country.

His passport remains with police.

By Colin Adwent
Crime correspondent

The BNP and the Killer Question

From Pickled Politics:

During Nick Griffin's appearance on the BBC's "Question Time" in October 2009, he directly confirmed that one of the BNP's main goals upon achieving power is still to reduce Britain's non-white population from 10% to 1%. This is despite the fact that, a few months earlier, he had stated that he was abandoning the proposed repatriation policy because "nobody wants it or wants to pay for it".
Griffin recently reiterated the BNP’s “voluntary repatriation” plans (apparently now expanded to include people originally from mainland Europe) in a lengthy interview with Iain Dale published online by Total Politics, as follows:
In your 2005 manifesto you said: “We will end immigration to the UK and reduce our land’s population burden by creating firm but voluntary incentives for immigrants and their descendants to return home.” What does “firm” mean and what does “home” mean, because they are quite difficult to define?

Firm would mean that certainly in the case of serious criminals and illegals and people whose right to work was removed. For instance, when we left the European Union, there wouldn’t be a choice about it. They would have to go.

Where?

If we are talking about the Eastern Europeans, who have got the right to come here, it is obvious where home is. With most people, it is clear where they have come from. If people have entered this country and torn their documents up, then even if they have been granted asylum, they shouldn’t have been, and we would reverse that.

But if you don’t know where they have come from, you can’t return them there.

If you want to, you can virtually find out which village they come from in Africa with DNA tests. Someone has got to take them. But their presence here isn’t fair. And it is not legal.

Just because you want to send them somewhere, doesn’t mean that the state you want to send them to has to accept them. What do you do if they say no?

Well… we’ll find some silly European liberal state which will happily take them. Someone will take them.

You reckon?

Yes, someone will take them.

“Firm but voluntary incentives for immigrants and their descendants to return home…” Is that policy still your policy now?

Yes, broadly so. Let’s reword the bit in the case of ones who have no right to be here. It would be firm. It wouldn’t be brutal, it would be firm. In the case of people who have come here legally, who are integrated into our society, we would say: “Look it is on the table. If you want to take it, you can take it.”

This is despite the fact that the proposed “voluntary repatriation” policy is actually financially inviable, even if cash was diverted from foreign aid budgets or there were attempts to raise it via taxation; for example, the amount of money potentially required to cover 6 million people (the number of non-white British citizens) is truly astronomical. Even a relatively modest £5000 per person would require a total budget of £30,000,000,000. A larger repatriation “incentive” such as £50,000 per person would require a total budget of £300,000,000,000. And, of course, the choice of people taking up the offer is allegedly “voluntary”.
Nevertheless, Griffin has directly confirmed that the intention is still to eliminate the presence of 90% of the non-white citizens of Britain. Therefore, this raises the question of exactly how a BNP government would achieve a population reduction on that scale.
In fact, this question was formally posed to the BNP’s Legal Director a few months ago here on Pickled Politics, after he had expressed a willingness to openly debate BNP policies :

have the guts to undertake a real debate with people in the BNP,…..then give me a call.
I will debate with you anytime, anywhere.
…..muzzle free speech.

Fine. I’m removing all alleged “free speech restrictions” — therefore, providing a detailed and comprehensive answer in writing and on the record to the following straightforward question should not be an issue:
Exactly how would a BNP government reduce Britain’s non-white population from 10% to 1% — confirmed as one of the BNP’s continuing aims by Nick Griffin directly on the BBC’s ‘Question Time’ in October 2009 — considering that Nick Griffin also confirmed during the latter half of 2009 that the BNP is now formally abandoning its proposed “voluntary repatriation” policy?
Since “free speech muzzles” do not apply in this case, for the benefit of the public the maximum amount of detail possible should be provided in relation to the specific procedures and actions involved in the planned BNP population reduction programme. The response should be restricted to the specific question asked and should also be accompanied by written confirmation that the contents have been formally authorised by the BNP’s senior leadership, are on the record, and are an accurate representation of the specific measures a BNP government would implement in order to achieve the aforementioned population reduction upon winning a national General Election in the United Kingdom.
Finally, the response should be copied in full & verbatim in an email from a verifiable BNP email account to this website’s editorial team via both of the contact forms displayed here: http://www.pickledpolitics.com/contact in order to provide an authenticated electronic record of the contents along with electronic confirmation that the author is indeed who they claim to be and has been formally authorised to speak for & represent the BNP in this matter.
Absolutely no details have been forthcoming. The silence is deafening.
This very simple question, focusing on one of the BNP’s major policies, and presented to a self-proclaimed legal & democratic political party which is campaigning in the General Election, is not posed solely to the BNP’s legal director but to any member of the BNP’s senior leadership.
Assuming that the BNP has nothing to hide about exactly how they plan to achieve a population reduction of that magnitude, of course.
By Jai

Introducing the BNP's Broadland candidate

From Harry's Place:


Edith Crowther is the BNP’s candidate in the forthcoming Broadland by-election.

Crowther is a regular contributor to the Premier Christian Community web forum, where she busies herself defending BNP ‘reverend’ Robert West’s ‘theology of nations’ (West believes that ‘the mixing of races challenges the glory of God’).

Crowther has a keen interest in religious and historical matters and a letter she wrote to the Camden New Journal about housing in King’s Cross managed to take in Henry VIII, the Old Testament, Babylonian texts, ancient Rome, and Hadrian.

A 2008 comment left by Crowther at the blog of Murad Qureshi, Labour member of the London Assembly, gives us more insight into the bizarre worldview of this BNP candidate. In this comment, we learn that Crowther has ‘a Diploma in Modern Classical Arabic Translation’ and that she believes:

An Islamic state as laid out in the Koran and Hadith … would be strict but merciful, and true Muslim culture would flourish as it did in the Golden Age of Islam before the rules were relaxed too much and everything became a bit decadent.

According to Crowther’s definition, there are no true Muslims in the West:

As an Arabist I know there aren’t any Muslims in the West, because it is worse than 36 fornications to touch a penny of any money derived from interest, and you will go straight to hell when you die if you are that hypocritical.

Crowther then goes on to explain her attraction to the BNP:

I realised long ago that the BNP is the British equivalent of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, whom I admire and respect and who have great courage. That is why I joined.

Crowther, it appears, considers herself some kind of prophet, and concludes:

[P]rophets are often written off as mad, aren’t they? – including one of the greatest, Muhammad peace and praise be upon him.

BNP candidate Edith Crowther, then, admires the notion of a theocratic State and ‘admires and respects’ the Islamist terrorist organisations Hamas and Islamic Jihad for their ‘great courage’.

After I initially wrote about this on my blog, my post was highlighted over at the Premier Christian forums, and Crowther has issued a response in which she has clarified her position (screen shot here).

BNP candidate Crowther writes:

Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not anti-Semitic – how could they be, when Arabs are Semites too? They are just anti the state of Israel, which was created by breaking the promise of the Balfour Declaration and by rigging the UN General Assembly vote on Partition in late 1947…

There are many Orthodox Jews who do not uphold the state of Israel … I also know a Jewish journalist, Israel Shamir, who lives in Jerusalem and has converted to Christianity in protest at the state of Israel…

It is a Christian duty to not only back Hamas, but perhaps even to stand beneath the invader’s tanks. Though I am not brave enough to do that – but some have been.

‘Hamas can’t be anti-Semitic, as Arabs are Semites too’ is an argument on a par with ’some of my best friends are Jews’ (an argument which Crowther unsurprisingly also uses). Everyone knows that ‘anti-Semitism’ in general usage refers to hatred of Jews, and only haters of Jews attempt to slither their way out of expressing their true beliefs by falling back on the ‘Arabs are Semites too’ line.

Who are these Orthodox Jews cited by Crowther who oppose Israel’s right to exist? No doubt every Jew hater’s favourite useful idiots Neturei Karta, a fringe group of cranks so filled with hatred for Israel that they turned up to give a Kosher stamp of approval to the 2006 Tehran Holocaust denial conference organised by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The claim that Hamas are not anti-Semitic is absurd. Time and again their propaganda spews genocidal bile towards Jews, not simply Israelis. Hamas’s founding Covenant notoriously includes the following quote:

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said:

“The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews.” (related by al-Bukhari and Moslem).

And just like some well known figures in the BNP, Crowther’s heroes Hamas are also Holocaust deniers.

As for Crowther’s supposed Jewish friends, here is some background on Israel Shamir:

Shamir is actually a Swede of Russian descent and he is associated with Russian ultra-nationalists. Shamir has been disavowed by many on the left and in the pro-Palestinian movement as the result of his overtly anti-Semitic writings and his connections to the far-right. Research into his real background has revealed that he began his journalism career under his assumed name working for a prominent far-right, Russian nationalist anti-Semite, Aleksandr Prokhanov, chief editor of the newspaper Zavtra. Even as he presents himself to the west as a leftist, anti-Zionist, “Shamir” has continued to publish explicitly right-wing articles in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad are both terrorist groups that are proscribed by the Home Office. Both have a long record of attacks on Israeli civilians, including suicide bombings. Both are undeniably founded on Jew hatred.

Edith Crowther is a candidate for the BNP, a party with a long history of anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, and links to violent extremists.

.

By Edmund Standing