HOPE not hate, NORFOLK

Extremism breeds extremism

2010-11-20T08:26:00.000Z

A BBC radio report into the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit has found that police are worried that the violent actions of the EDL are feeding Islamist extremism.

This is precisely the argument that I have been making this week. Hate breeds hate. The EDL breeds Islamist extremism. Islamist extremism breeds the EDL. The bile spewed out by some of Brtiain's newspapers breeds both.

It's time to break the chain.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11787839

By Nick Lowles 19 November 2010

Taking on extremism, including Islamic extremism

2010-11-20T08:22:00.000Z

From The Jewish Chronicle:

The anti-fascist publication Searchlight, which was behind the "Hope Not Hate" campaign to stop the British National Party in east London, is to expand its operations to oppose the Islamophobic English Defence League and Islamic extremism itself.

The magazine, founded in the 1960s to monitor the rise of the extreme right, intends to set up a thinktank to investigate the phenomenon of the English Defence League, which has become a focus of ultra-nationalist opposition to the so-called "Islamification" of Britain. Writing on his blog last week, Searchlight editor Nick Lowles attacked both the EDL and the Islamic extremists of Muslims Against Crusades, who burned poppies, denied the Holocaust and called for a new Muslim fascism.

"For the MAC, the presence and activities of the EDL prove how white British society is the enemy. For the EDL, the Islamist extremists are proof of the violent nature of Islam," he wrote.

An online survey of Hope Not Hate supporters' reaction to Mr Lowles's words showed that over 95 per cent were in support of what he said. Around 40,000 people have viewed the post since it was written last Thursday.

Mr Lowles said that he felt a huge sense of relief that he was finally able to speak his mind. "Islamist extremism has been the elephant in the room for too long," he said. "Everyone knows it is wrong and is actually part of the problem but people have either been bullied into silence or lack the confidence to speak out."

He added: "Islamist extremism is no friend of a progressive society. Staying silent on attitudes and behaviour that is both wrong, offensive and downright dangerous is abandoning one's own progressive values and moral compass. Remaining silent and uncritical will be viewed by others as passive support or acceptance and that is not the basis to build a popular broadbased campaign against Islamophobia."

Several Muslims posted supportive comments on the Hope Not Hate blog as a result of the intervention. Sameena from East London wrote: "It would be good to get some Muslim academics, and leftist leaders on board and being vocal. I would like to see some Muslim women sans hijab as well. There are plenty of us - but the media always wants to show the ones who fit a particular image."

Bushra added: "MAC do not represent all British Muslims! I am a British Muslim and I wore my poppy proudly and observed the two-minute silence. I am sickened and offended that these people have no respect for those who fought and died, so that they could have freedom of speech."

A plague on both their houses

2010-11-19T10:07:00.000Z

From HOPE not hate:

(left ) Supporters of the Muslims Against Crusades, and (right) the English Defence League in West London

Two sides of hate faced each other today in West London. As Britain remembered those who had died in past wars, 30 Islamist extremists, under the banner of Muslims Against Crusades (MAC), hurled abuse, burned poppies and waved their hate-filled placards. A few metres away 60 supporters of the English Nationalist Alliance and the English Defence League pushed their own intolerant message.

Let us be quite clear, both groups are as reprehensible as each other. In fact, such is the symbiotic relationship between the two that they actually need each other to justify their own existence. For the MAC the presence and activities of the EDL prove how white British society is the enemy. For the EDL the Islamist extremists are proof of the violent nature of Islam. They are two sides of the same coin of hate.

We stand opposed to both sides. We oppose the racism and Islamophobia of the EDL just as weoppose the religious bigotry and antisemitism of the MAC. To hear these Islamist extremists publicly deny the Holocaust and call for the formation of a Muslim Waffen SS Division – as they did today – should rightly sicken every anti-fascist just as much as the racist bile spat out by the EDL and ENA.

We think it is important to criticise both groups publicly. Criticising one group but remaining silent about another leads – correctly – to charges of hypocrisy and double standards. Only by criticising the actions of tiny extremist groups can we say with any validity that neither speaks for the wider communities and religions they claim to represent.

And in criticising both extremist groups I believe that we are in tune with the majority of British people, who want to live in peace and without the hatred and violence extremists bring.

by Nick Lowles 11.11 2010

Pat Richardson now Eastern Region membership secretary

2010-11-19T08:35:00.001Z

From BNP News:

It was announced on 16th November 2010 that 'long serving British National Party councillor Pat Richardson has been appointed the Eastern Region’s new membership secretary as part of a major overhaul of party’s local organisation'.

It was reported that Cllr Richardson will now be responsible for making sure the branches are kept up to date with all the relevant enquiry information that future campaigns bring in.

Regional organiser Paul Morris said “The regional executive decided exactly how we are going to proceed with local and regional issues and the growth of the British National Party in the region as a whole.”

Mr morris exhorted the meeting: "(I)t’s up to us to get out there and tell the public exactly what the BNP are about not what the lying media tell them.

“The region is facing change in many areas, such as housing and jobs, about which the public has not been consulted or made aware of. We intend to address these issues with maximum effect.

Delegates were also nominated to attend the intensive election training which is currently being rolled out across all sectors of the party.

Hope not hate, Norfolk will be interested to follow the progress of this little group in a faltering and failing BNP.

Obituary: Bill Fitt, Poringland BNP activist

2010-06-03T14:08:00.007+01:00

The Man Who Introduced Nick Griffin to Nationalism

From BNP News:

It is with great sadness that we report the death of veteran nationalist, Norfolk BNP stalwart and the man who introduced Nick Griffin to nationalism, Bill Fitt, who passed away aged 84 on 21 May after a short period of ill health.

Mr Fitt was Norwich born and bred. During the Second World War, he joined the Royal Marines at the age of 17 and saw active service in the Far East.

He had been an active nationalist since the 1950s and was a member of an earlier version of the British National Party which later merged with the League of Empire Loyalists to form the National Front in 1967.

During the 1970s, Mr Fitt remained active in an organisational role in East Anglia and bravely stood as a candidate on several occasions.

Apart from being a lifelong nationalist, Mr Fitt was also a dedicated trade unionist, and served as a TGWU shop steward for many years. He was elected by his union branch to act as their delegate to Norwich Trades Council much to the fury of the leftists who launched a campaign to remove him from that body.

Paul Morris, BNP Eastern regional organiser said:

Despite being in his 70s, Mr Fitt agreed to serve as Norfolk BNP organiser from 1998 to 2002 in order to re-establish the party in that county.Even after stepping down from office, he did all that he could to help to promote the party in his locality. Bill’s placement of BNP posters in his garden riled the far left who resorted to committing acts of vandalism to his property in a futile attempt at political intimidation. As Bill remarked to the local press, having survived Luftwaffe bombs and Japanese snipers, he was hardly going to be intimidated.

BNP Chairman Nick Griffin paid tribute to Mr Fitt for his contribution to the nationalist cause saying:

Having known Bill Fitt for 36 years, I am truly saddened to hear of his passing. Bill was the first nationalist I ever met. It was due to a letter he had published in a local newspaper that I first became interested in nationalist politics. I always had the utmost respect for Bill.All those who knew him will confirm that he was a man of principle, integrity and courage. My condolences go to his daughter Helen — who stood as BNP candidate for South Norfolk at the general election — and the rest of his family.

__________________________________________________________

HOPE not hate, Norfolk is interested to learn that Helen Mitchell is the daughter of Bill Fitt. Thanks to Nick Griffin for the information.

Helen Mitchell stood as a BNP candidate and gained a 'risible' 2% of votes in the recent General Election in South Norfolk, so losing her deposit. I was wondering to whom in the BNP she was related, as there was no information about her individual work for the party.

Mr William Fitt is the reason that I first joined the anti-BNP movement. When I asked about the BNP's policies in Norfolk some seven years ago, he was so breathtakingly rude and insulting about my married name that I was totally taken aback. I am a Norfolk woman who happened to marry a Japanese. My married name has nothing to do with any lack of patriotism to my country.

Once and for all Griffin should acknowledge what he knows to be true. Not everyone who opposes the BNP is 'far-left'. Some of us are moderates appalled by the knee-jerk racism of BNP characters, and some of us are apolitical but implacably opposed to the hatred that animates BNP policies. Some opponents of the BNP are decidedly right-wing (see There's Nothing British About the BNP, for example).

Strange that both Nick Griffin and I were politicised by Bill Fitt.

In different ways of course.

All Norfolk BNP candidates lose their deposits

2010-05-07T14:06:00.004+01:00

From Norfolk Unity:

BNP’s night of disaster

The BNP’s general election campaign hit the buffers across the country in spectacular style last night, with the vast majority of its candidates losing their deposits, unable to make even the tiny 5% necessary to keep their £500In the BNP’s two main target constituencies there was no joy for either party leader Nick Griffin or his deputy Simon Darby.

Darby, parachuted in to Stoke Central at the expense of former organiser Alby Walker, took only 7.7% and 2502 votes, increasing the BNP vote by just 0.1%, a derisory increase given that the party seriously believed it could gain an MP in the constituency – that being the reason Alby Walker was elbowed aside by Darby.

Darby’s lacklustre, almost non-existent campaigning, is sure to further anger already demoralised local BNP members, who felt that the well-known and – unusually for the BNP – highly regarded Walker, a local councillor and former leader of Stoke Council BNP group, had been badly used by Griffin and Darby, who squandered the BNP’s chances on the altar of their own ambition.

In Barking, where Griffin had carpet-bagged the constituency from local councillor Richard Barnbrook, no amount of hoopla could save the BNP leader from getting self-inflicted egg all over his face. Barking was another constituency the BNP believed might give them an MP, hence Griffin’s order to Barnbrook to stand down in favour of himself.

As the campaign went on Griffin began to reign in expectations, claiming that his candidature was intended purely to assist the simultaneous BNP campaign to take control of Barking and Dagenham council, though he still expected to increase the BNP vote and come second to sitting Labour MP Margaret Hodge.

In the event Griffin lost ground, his vote share falling from 16.3% to 14.6%, placing him a distant third, behind the Conservative Simon Marcus, who, like Hodge, put on votes and share.

In Norfolk the BNP nose-dived. In Norfolk North West, where even the BNP’s opponents expected them to at least save their deposit, Dave Fleming took a meagre 3.8%, not helped even by the antics of Labour candidate Manish Sood, who lost 18% of the governing party’s vote.
In next door Norfolk South West, the BNP (Dennis Pearce) managed on 3.6%, while in Yarmouth, despite the Labour vote plummetting by 12%, Bosco Tann managed to convince only 3.3% of the electorate. In Mid Norfolk the BNP’s Christine Kelly fared even worse, taking only 2.5%, and in South Norfolk Helen Mitchel took a risible 2%.
The BNP were made to look complete fools in Norwich South (Len Heather), achieving a joke 1.5% as former Labour minister Charles Clarke lost the seat to the Liberal Democrats.
Only two Norfolk results involving the BNP remain to declare as we post, but it is unlikely the BNP will improve on its lamentable performance across the rest of the county.
(LATER: BNP's Edith Crowther crashes in Broadland with just 1.7% of the vote, and BNP's Tom Richardson in Norwich North with hilarious 1.8% ).

As the racist party faces serious internal turmoil due to Griffin’s highly public falling out with ousted webmaster Simon Bennett, who has made a number of serious accusations against Griffin, the future for the BNP looks bleak.

Nick Griffin encouraged BNP members to hold utterly unrealistic expectations of success in the general election, many of them believing the party would gain several MPs, for which they repeatedly dug deep into their pockets. With those expectations shattered disenchantment is certain to follow as the Griffin-worshippers come to see that the expensive and wrong-headed strategy persued by the BNP was the product of Griffin’s own incompetence and that nobody but him is to blame that in an election when the word “immigration” was on almost every voter’s lips, they came away empty-handed and humiliated.

Griffin’s only hope of salvaging something from the wreckage of the BNP campaign is a face-saving performance in local election counts, due to begin shortly. If the BNP fails to impress, Nick Griffin and the BNP could easily be facing their 1979 moment*.

By Denise Garside

*In 1979 a similar performance by the National Front resulted in the swift implosion of what had been the biggest fascist movement in Britain since the days of Oswald Mosley.

Posted in NU articles

BNP total failure in Norfolk confirmed with last result

2010-05-07T13:47:00.006+01:00

Norwich North

Name	Party	Votes	%	+/-
Chloe Smith	Conservative	17,280	40.6	+10.1
John Cook	Labour	13,379	31.4	-15.7
John Stephen	Liberal Democrat	7,783	18.3	+2.2
Glenn Tingle	UK Independence Party	1,878	4.4	+2.1
Jessica Goldfinch	Green	1,245	2.9	-0.3
Thomas Richardson	British National Party	747	1.8	+1.8
Bill Holden	Independent	143	0.3	+0.3
Andrew Holland	Christian Party	118	0.3	+0.3
Majority		3,901	9.2
Turnout		42,573	65.2	+3.4

Crowther crashes in Broadland

2010-05-07T13:44:00.001+01:00

From the BBC:

Name	Party	Votes	%	+/-
Keith Simpson	Conservative	24,338	46.2	+2.8
Daniel Roper	Liberal Democrat	17,046	32.4	+2.9
Allyson Barron	Labour	7,287	13.8	-9.8
Stuart Agnew	UK Independence Party	2,382	4.5	+1.1
Edith Crowther	British National Party	871	1.7	+1.7
Susan Curran	Green	752	1.4	+1.4
Majority		7,292	13.8
Turnout		52,676	72.0	+7.6

Norfolk South West

2010-05-07T07:05:00.001+01:00

Elizabeth Truss	Conservative	23,753	48.3	+3.4
Stephen Gordon	Liberal Democrat	10,613	21.6	+2.4
Peter Smith	Labour	9,119	18.6	-11.4
Kay Hipsey	UK Independence Party	3,061	6.2	+1.5
Dennis Pearce	British National Party	1,774	3.6	+3.6
Lori Allen	Green	830	1.7	+1.7
Majority		13,140	26.7
Turnout		49,150	66.2	+4.1

Norfolk North West

2010-05-07T07:00:00.001+01:00

Name	Party	Votes	%	+/-
Henry Bellingham	Conservative	25,916	54.2	+4.3
William Summers	Liberal Democrat	11,106	23.2	+8.5
Manish Sood	Labour	6,353	13.3	-18.3
John Gray	UK Independence Party	1,841	3.9	+0.2
David Fleming	British National Party	1,839	3.8	+3.8
Michael de Whalley	Green	745	1.6	+1.6
Majority		14,810	31.0
Turnout		47,800	65.3	+3.7

Great Yarmouth

2010-05-07T05:02:00.001+01:00

Name	Party	Votes	%	+/-
Brandon Lewis	Conservative	18,571	43.1	+5.0
Tony Wright	Labour	14,295	33.2	-12.4
Simon Partridge	Liberal Democrat	6,188	14.4	+3.3
Alan Baugh	UK Independence Party	2,066	4.8	+0.5
Bosco Tann	British National Party	1,421	3.3	+3.3
Laura Biggart	Green	416	1.0	+1.0
Margaret McMahon-Morris	Matriarchal Party United Kingdom Great Britain	100	0.2	+0.2
Majority		4,276	9.9
Turnout		43,057	61.2	+1.2

From the BBC

Norwich South - Clarke loses to LibDems

2010-05-07T04:55:00.001+01:00

Simon Wright	Liberal Democrat	13,960	29.4	-0.6
Charles Clarke	Labour	13,650	28.7	-8.7
Antony Little	Conservative	10,902	22.9	+1.1
Adrian Ramsay	Green	7,095	14.9	+7.5
Steve Emmens	UK Independence Party	1,145	2.4	+0.9
Leonard Heather	British National Party	697	1.5	+1.5
Gabriel Polley	Workers Revolutionary Party	102	0.2	+0.0
Majority		310	0.7
Turnout		47,551	64.6	+5.6

Target seat

Norfolk Mid

2010-05-07T03:58:00.003+01:00

George Freeman	Conservative	25,123	49.5	+2.9
David Newman	Liberal Democrat	11,267	22.2	+3.0
Elizabeth Hughes	Labour	8,857	17.4	-12.8
Toby Coke	UK Independence Party	2,800	5.5	+1.5
Tim Birt	Green	1,457	2.9	+2.9
Christine Kelly	British National Party	1,261	2.5	+2.5
Majority		13,856	27.3
Turnout		50,765	68.4	+2.8

From the BBC

Conservatives and LibDems gain, BNP comes last - another lost deposit too.

Norfolk North

2010-05-07T03:51:00.000+01:00

Norman Lamb	Liberal Democrat	27,554	55.5	+2.3
Trevor Ivory	Conservative	15,928	32.1	-3.9
Phil Harris	Labour	2,896	5.8	-3.1
Michael Baker	UK Independence Party	2,680	5.4	+3.7
Andrew Boswell	Green	508	1.0	+1.0
Simon Mann	Independent	95	0.2	+0.2
Majority		11,626	23.4
Turnout		49,661	73.2	+0.5

From the BBC

Nick Griffin concedes defeat

2010-05-07T03:35:00.002+01:00

From HOPE not hate:

The results have not been declared but I understand Nick Griffin has conceded defeat in Barking. Nationally, the BNP has performed badly, a mixture of being squeezed by the mainstream parties, a strong anti-BNP campaign and internal infighting within their own ranks.

Obviously there is still the local elections to count tomorrow but the omens do not look good for the BNP. I understand that the BNP is likely to lose all its councillors in Sandwell and Chris Beverley is likely to lose his seat in Morley South.

By Nick Lowles

______________________________________________________

Results are still being declared, but there are no signs of any significant BNP breakthrough so far.

In Norfolk only Norfolk South has declared so far:

Norfolk South

Richard Bacon	Conservative	27,133	49.3	+5.2
Jacky Howe	Liberal Democrat	16,193	29.4	-1.3
Mick Castle	Labour	7,252	13.2	-9.0
Evan Heasley	UK Independence Party	2,329	4.2	+1.4
Helen Mitchell	British National Party	1,086	2.0	+2.0
Jo Willcott	Green	1,000	1.8	+1.8
Majority		10,940	19.9
Turnout		54,993	72.2	+3.1

VOTE!

2010-05-06T09:30:00.002+01:00

The BNP is devouring itself in last-minute in-fighting, their website down, their leadership in disarray and confusion, but it's not enough.

They must be thoroughly defeated at the polls before they get the message that Britain will not accept policies of racism, hatred and division.

Please get out and vote. Don't let any BNP candidate slither in by default.

BNP Marmite smear tactics

2010-05-05T09:15:00.010+01:00

BNP Webmaster quits over ‘Marmite video’ dispute

From Liberal Conspiracy:

Yesterday, only two days before Britain goes to the polls, the BNP’s website disappeared for a while and was replaced by this message from its now ex-webmaster, Simon Bennett:

The services to this website have been suspended.
It is with regret that I have been forced to pull this website due to several attempts of theft today with regards to design work and content owned by myself.
It is no secret that I have been in dispute with some elements of the management of the party for sometime now, but had hoped to resolve these issues amicably and AFTER the elections.
However, due to several attempts to steal my work today and combined with the recent deliberate copyright infringement I feel I have been left with no alternative to this action and feel wholly justified in doing so.
The background of my dispute with the party can be read here: (link to Bennett’s personal website)

According to Lancaster Unity, who have the full details of this latest outbreak of infighting in the BNP’s ranks, Bennett briefly pulled the plug on the BNP’s website as a result of a serious dispute with Nick Griffin and Jim Dowson – profiled here by Searchlight – that stemmed from the party’s recent, unauthorised use of Unilever’s Marmite logo in the web version of its general election broadcast.

To cut a very long story short, Bennett claims that he was left to face the music when this publicity stunt blew up in the party’s face, after Unilever sent in its lawyers to obtain an injunction against the BNP for copyright infringement, despite having been opposed to the use of the logo from the outset.

As in invariably the case when infighting in the BNP hits the public domain, Bennett’s account of his falling out with Griffin and Dowson alleges that he was threatened with violence after pulling the plug on the BNP’s website, which he claims to have reinstated only after receiving requests from ordinary party members, who he describes as ‘decent people’.

Bennett’s account also alludes to alleged inregularities in the party’s finances, another common feature of any public falling out with Griffin, although one that may gain rather more traction on this occasion as the party in currently being being investigated by the Electoral Commission after its own auditors indicated that they could not certify the accuracy of its more recent set of published accounts.

by Unity

______________________________________________________

This is happening hours before the elections! So much for party loyalty. The worms turn in the BNP, and once again it is senior BNP management against senior BNP management.

Alert readers may recall that it was only a short time ago that the BNP ex-head of publicity, Mark Collett, was reported to the police for threatening to kill Nick Griffin, according to the BNP.

At the same time the organiser of the BNP in East Anglia, Eddy Butler, lost his position within the BNP amid allegations of an attempted 'palace coup' against Nick Griffin, leaving the Norfolk BNP candidates in pathetic disarray and confusion.

It is the ordinary BNP supporter that I feel the most sorry for. Mercilessly exploited by a callous and greedy leadership, treated with so much disdain that details of their membership are leaked into the public domain by disgruntled BNP management, and still awaiting proper accounting of where their hard-earned donations are being spent, the ordinary BNP member is cutting a pitiful figure once again.

We opponents of the BNP have long seen that this Party is rotton to the core. Any party that seeks to divide a nation against its own citizens is fundamentally flawed.

Don't say we haven't tried to warn you.

*** Even more detail at our sister site, Norfolk Unity

HOPE not hate letter from Dagenham

2010-05-04T17:15:00.003+01:00

The latest email from HopeNotHate makes a farce of the BNP’s attempts to cash in last week on ‘Bigotgate’; it seems they are not above the odd bigotted remark themselves, even in public.

From HNH:

Dear XXX,

If you thought Gordon Brown’s gaffe was bad last week – just wait till you see Richard Edmonds’.

The former National Organiser for the BNP was spotted canvassing in Dagenham last week, flooding the street with filthy lies. When a woman told him she wouldn’t vote BNP, he was caught on film spewing racist filth:

Silly ******, aren’t they? Maybe she’s got a black kid, you see? That, I think, is always the explanation around here. Once they go with the blacks, they are part of the black tribe. Wicked, horrible, stupid. I’ve seen it many, many times.

You think that’s bad? It’s nothing compared to what will happen if Nick Griffin becomes an MP.

We can stop him – but we need your help. We’ve only got three days left but we are now completely out of leaflets.

We need you to make a £10 donation to help us produce 90,000 eve of poll letters and leaflets to go into our key wards around the country.

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

Richard Edmonds isn’t the only one infiltrating our neighbourhoods with bigotry and hatred.

The same undercover reporter followed Nick Griffin canvassing in Barking. Here’s what he had to say:

It’s something like leafleting central Nairobi isn’t it, I’m afraid.

Well Nick, we’re afraid too. Afraid of the threat the BNP poses to many of our communities.

And with your donation, we’re going to stop it.

Over the past month, Hope Not Hate has taken to the streets, speaking out against the disgrace that is the BNP. The support for our movement has been unlike anything Britain has ever seen.

In the next 72 hours we won’t be backing down. We’ve come too far and achieved too much. But only you can push us over the edge – and send the BNP back to the gutter where they belong.

By making a donation now you can help fund the final, crucial hours of this campaign. We need to keep the BNP out of Parliament and out of control of local government. We are beginning to set the agenda in Barking & Dagenham but we need to drive our advantage home.

Yesterday alone we delivered 55,000 leaflets in the borough. Now we have 90,000 eve-of-poll individually-addressed letters and leaflets ready to be printed – but we need your help funding them. Please donate £10 now:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/m/4c18d0b/618efde6/61831a6a/167f5365/1977696716/VEsF/

Hope Not Hate have mobilised thousands of people into action in this election. We have been able to achieve this because of you. Now we need you to help us win.

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/m/4c18d0b/618efde6/61831a6a/167f5365/1977696716/VEsC/

Thanks for all you do,

Nick

P.S. If you can’t make a donation today, can you volunteer on polling day? Register here for details:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/m/4c18d0b/618efde6/61831a6a/167f5362/1977696716/VEsD/

Full Monty from the BNP

2010-05-03T12:05:00.005+01:00

I think it was the Independent that first made the connection between the BNP and the surreal sixties cult comedy 'Monty Python's Flying Circus'.

Reporter Jonathan Brown attended the launch of the BNP manifesto and identified "politics with a hint of Python" as he observed:

Nick Griffin an aspirant prime minister in waiting promised 'something completely different' whilst trailing awkwardly into the municipal splendour of Stoke-on-Trent civic centre behind a man dressed in what looked worryingly like a pair of curtains and wearing a saucepan on his head -

The flamboyant BNP manifesto presentation by Nick Griffin

Other newspapers picked up the analogy with glee, and refined the connection. George Pitcher of the Telegraph pinned down who in Monty Python the BNP reminded him of - Monty Python's Gumbys:

A Gumby

Suddenly I thought of a photograph of Norfolk BNP members enjoying a fund-raising dinner at a Norwich hotel on Trafalgar Day, 2008.

Norfolk BNP members and Trafalgar

Which irresistibly reminded me of the Gumbys' debate on Trafalgar:

The Gumbys and Trafalgar

The Gumbys are good for a laugh, but who in their right minds would vote them into any position of responsibility?

Keep the BNP Gumbys out of Norfolk - every vote is important this Thursday.

By Barbara Suzuki

The BNP has loony beliefs

2010-05-03T10:34:00.002+01:00

From There's Nothing British About the BNP:

Nick Griffin and the British National Party are keen to portray themselves as on the sides of traditional British culture. They see a gap in the market that they can fill. While other parties surrender to multiculturalism, Islam, and politically correct secularism, the BNP stand up for traditional British Christianity. This is nonsense. There is nothing Christian about the BNP.

On the BBC’s ‘Question Time’ programme, British National Party leader Nick Griffin stated: ‘If Muslims do stay in this country they must remember that Britain is essentially a fundamentally British and Christian country’. The BNP is a ‘Christian’ party that can save ‘Christian culture’.

The BNP have created a front organisation called the ‘Christian Council of Britain’, headed by BNP activist and electoral candidate Robert West who leads religious services at various BNP events, including the party’s ‘Red, White & Blue’ and reportedly preaches on topics such as ‘the importance of nationalism’ and how “homosexuals do greatly err”. For West, a multi-racial society is a form of ‘Holocaust’, with immigration used to create “Lebensraum” for the Third World. Despite initially denying any connection with the BNP, West has admitted that the BNP “encouraged and facilitated” its establishment.

Why the BNP are not Christian

- There’s nothing Christian about the BNP’s ethics. For Jesus Christ, humanity was all part of one family. Christianity from the outset taught a universal message which dissolved the idea of race or nation, teaching that it is of no significance to God. He said that we should love our neighbour, preach the good news and understanding to all nations. He taught the parable of the Good Samaritan, to show our true neighbours were not just those from the same race. Most of all, he abhorred violence and the hatred that is fascism’s speciality.

- The BNP use Christianity as an excuse to attack Muslims. Rather than refer to the actual teachings of Christ, the BNP’s favoured role model are the Crusaders. In a letter, Nick Griffin wrote “We will never allow our children to become a minority in our homeland! We will fight to the bitter end, just like our Crusader ancestors, to preserve our Christian culture and heritage. The spirit of the Medieval Knights lives on in all of us!”

- The BNP’s use Christianity as an excuse for their homophobia. British fascism has a history of extreme homophobia. While the party’s policy is no longer officially to ban homosexual activity, they are always keen to claim that homosexuals are an affront to Britain’s ‘Christian heritage’.

- The BNP’s real ideology is pagan. Christianity, of course, is a “foreign import”, and for the extreme activists within the BNP inner circle, like all other imports it must be purged.

The BNP’s Foreign Affairs spokesman Arthur Kemp wrote in his March of Titans that “the introduction of Christianity has to count as the single greatest ideological catastrophe to ever strike Europe.”

Ever since Himmler’s obsession with the occult, there has been a strain of Paganism with fascism, as zealots attempt to reclaim a purely European religion.

Lee Barnes, the BNP’s legal director, is a particular fan: ‘Christianity is a semitic religion, it is creature [sic] of the deserts of the Middle East not the forests of the Northern Europe [sic] and its symbol the cross is an instrument of torture not of living redemption’. In place of Christianity, Barnes advocates Odinism, the worship of the Norse pagan gods of pre-Christian Europe, and he connects the Odinic ‘tree of life’ (Yggdrasil) with a religion based on race: ‘The roots represent our descent from the Gods and our connection to the Earth, the trunk represents our shared European racial heritage, the main branches of the tree our nations and tribes, the twigs on each branch represent each family unit and each single leaf symbolises an individual life’.

By the editors of There's Nothing British About the BNP

____________________________________________________

HOPE not hate, Norfolk remembers the fake cleric Robert West very well. He is already a familiar figure to the people of Norfolk who recall the battle for Norwich North last summer, when West stood for the BNP.

He was soundly trounced at the ballot box then, just as the pathetically inadequate BNP candidates in Norfolk deserve to be soundly trounced this Thursday - as long as enough of you turn out to vote!

They deserve to be trounced not just because they have cruel opinions and weird ideas but also because the BNP candidates are simply not up to the job of providing the leadership required in these challenging times.

It all depends upon you, the Voter.

The BNP has barmy ideas

2010-05-03T10:17:00.007+01:00

From Vote No to the BNP:

Ok this is a phrase we have more than likely all heard the British National Party (BNP) Leadership (Nick Griffin), Members and Supporters use quite a lot, particularly in the case of Nick Griffin who in everyone of his European Parliment Speeches so far has made reference to the New World Order Global Governance.

So what is this New World Order Global Governance exactly? Simply put it is a conspiracy theory that has been around for many years now, and is supposedly made up of several different groups all tasked with carrying out certain jobs around the world in order to pave the way for this single one World Government or New World Order Global Governance, now there are many sites out there that you can find out more information about the subject but I will try to enlighten you hear just to get you started.

The New World Order Global Governance plot has apparently been in existence sine the late 30’s where by a group called the Bilderberg Group was set up to start the process of building this New World Order, and since then many other groups have been added all tasked with creating certain parts of the New World Order.

These include, the creation of all disasters around the world including Famine, The current banking and credit crisis, the world wide economic slump has also been engineered by the New World Order masters and apparently the terrorist group Al Qaeda has never existed it was all a front so that the US and UK Governments could plan terror attacks around the world in order to scare the population into accepting this New World Order Global Governance programme.

Now Barrack Obama Americas first black President is also part of this conspiracy he has apparently been groomed, manipulated and trained for the last 30 years in order to take the office as President of the USA to enable the “True Masters” to put into action the final stage of the New World Order Programme, this plan also involved former PM Tony Blair and current PM Gordon Brown who according to the conspiracy theorists are members of the Bilderberg Group and where put in place to enact the British end of this New World Order Global Governance programme which is apparently designed to take control of the worlds finances by controlling the new World Bank and setting all the worlds currency values and exchange rates etc.

Now it seems that according to the conspiracy theorists that both Blair and Brown have so far failed in their mission, so a new UK leader now has to be put in place in order to get the job done and that leader is David Cameron.

The Conservative Party leader has apparently (according to the conspiracy theorists) been inducted into the Bilderberg group to win the next election (which apparently they have already fixed) and then go on to enact the British end of the plan.

It seems strange to me that as soon as the Labour lead in the polls starts to slide the conspiracy theory has to shift it’s gears to run with what is likely to happen in the next election, because Brown has lost voter appeal there suddenly has to be a replacement of course selected by the New World Order masters, and the obvious choice is David Cameron because of the normal pattern in British politics the power shifts between the Labour and Conservatives and this time it’s the Conservatives time to take the job on, so the New World Order conspiracy theory has adapted to now include David Cameron as the UK end of the programme.

Now you would think this all sounds a bit mad, and you’d be correct it is ridiculous to think that the so called New World Order master haven’t managed to achieve their goals in over 70 years but apparently it has been part of the plan all along to take this long to get the New World Order running, yet none of the believers actually know who the exact members are or when the ultimate plan is supposed to be ready and running.

Now we have a political party in the British National Party (BNP) (and to a smaller degree the UK Independence Party UKIP) who are so entrenched in the believe that this New World Order Global Governance organisation actually exists that Nick Griffin MEP and BNP Chairman uses every opportunity he can to mention the so called New World Order.

Firstly just to back up my comments about Nick Griffin and mentions of the New World Order in the European Parliment here is a video of his latest speech on Climate Change, in which he clearly says that it is all made up by the New World Order leaders to a. Get in extra taxes and b. pave the way for the next phase of the New World Order.

This next video shows just how mad the conspiracy theories are, as this one now attempts to group all the conspiracy groups into one big group that controls the New World Order, including claiming the Al’ Qaeda doesn’t exist and that it was made up as part of the New World Order.

It claims London is the centre for the Worlds Financial Control.

I love this, in the above video it also claims a “hidden hand” controlling the New World Order, damn lol this stuff makes you laugh, but there is a serious side to this that the BNP 100% believe this stuff, so by watching these videos you will find out exactly what the BNP believes in, and then I hope you will question whether they are seriously worth voting for.

NEXT: Part 2 of the above video, which now claims that police officers are implanted with chips in order to control them into carrying out the orders of the New World Order Masters:

So now our emotions are used against us by the New World Order, because the people running it are setting up all the famine, terror attacks and everything bad in the world because it triggers your emotions so that they can retain control over you. Damn this stuff is mad, but remember every time you here the British National Party (BNP) make references to this New World Order Global Governance this this exactly what they are talking about, they truly believe in this stuff. I’m not making this up ask any BNP Supporter or member about the NWO and they will swear it’s all true.

NEXT: Part 3 of the above video, now they have technology that can hold off any weapon that the people may use against them to try and remove the New World Under Global Governance.

As you have heard now the plan is to Micro Chip the entire planet to retain control under this New World Order Global Governance, but again remember the British National Party (BNP) SERIOUSLY believe in this New World Order, and they want us the sane population of the United Kingdom to vote for them?

I think that’s enough for now, I don’t want your minds to explode with all the BS in these videos.

But I hope I have enlightened you to the real BNP ideas and what they do believe in, the New World Order Global Governance and this is what the BNP believe in, the conspiracy theory that never seems to actually end, I have also seen one video that also claims that the Bible was written in order to start the process of the New World Order.

By editors of Vote No to the BNP

________________________________________________________

See also HOPE not Hate, Norfolk's January article on the subject.

Love Music Hate Racism

2010-05-02T14:37:00.000+01:00

Letter to the BNP

2010-05-02T13:49:00.001+01:00

Len Heather, candidate for Norwich South

2010-04-30T23:29:00.007+01:00

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

2010-04-30T19:05:00.010+01:00

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

2010-04-28T19:15:00.003+01:00

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?

2010-04-28T08:13:00.009+01:00

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

2010-04-28T08:05:00.003+01:00

EDL/BNP vs KFC on POW rd

2010-04-26T08:39:00.007+01:00

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 them out of Norfolk.

Do you know these thugs?

2010-04-24T06:41:00.011+01:00

In what is obviously a 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 turn vegetarian.

The small gang is accompanied by two middle-aged men. 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

2010-04-23T17:03:00.002+01:00

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

2010-04-23T09:52:00.000+01:00

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?

2010-04-20T11:23:00.003+01:00

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

2010-04-19T12:24:00.003+01:00

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

2010-04-17T15:37:00.007+01:00

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

2010-04-16T18:44:00.000+01:00

2010-04-16T09:20:00.002+01:00

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

2010-04-15T08:42:00.012+01:00

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?

2010-04-15T08:08:00.002+01:00

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

2010-04-14T20:28:00.006+01:00

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”?

2010-04-14T19:40:00.005+01:00

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

2010-04-14T19:29:00.005+01:00

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?

2010-04-14T18:29:00.006+01:00

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

2010-04-14T18:24:00.000+01:00

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

2010-04-14T12:00:00.005+01:00

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

2010-04-11T12:23:00.004+01:00

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

2010-04-11T11:39:00.009+01:00

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

2010-04-10T09:54:00.006+01:00

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

2010-04-09T20:42:00.004+01:00

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

2010-04-09T10:01:00.009+01:00

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

City set for by-election rematch

2010-04-08T00:56:00.002+01:00

From BBC NEWS:

Boundary changes mean that in 2010 the Conservatives will have to work hard to retain the Norwich North seat won in last year's by-election.

The by-election, caused by the resignation of Labour MP Dr Ian Gibson, was won with a majority of more than 7,000 by Chloe Smith.

But boundary changes have taken key Conservative areas into the new Broadland constituency.

It is now notionally Labour with the Tories needing an 8.3% swing to win it.

Tory candidate Ms Smith won with 13,591 - more than twice as many votes as Labour's Chris Ostrowski.

There was a swing from Labour to the Tories of 16.5% on a turnout of 46%.

The contest was triggered by Dr Gibson quitting after he was barred from standing again for the party over his expenses - sparking anger among some constituents.

Conservatives will be targeting Great Yarmouth, where the party needs a 3.7% swing to take the seat from Labour MP Tony Wright who had a 3,055 majority at the last election.

The Lib Dems are targeting Norwich South where they hope to unseat Labour MP and former Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

Lib Dem candidate Simon Wright needs a 3.7% swing to take the seat, represented by Mr Clarke since May 1997.

But the seat is also being targeted by the Green Party which has done well in local elections and is the second biggest party on Norwich City Council.

The Green Party candidate Adrian Ramsay is the national party's deputy leader.

The Conservative Party's Antony Little is also hoping to take the seat.

Boundary changes have also seen the creation of the new seat of Broadland.

Mainly formed from the old Mid Norfolk seat, the constituency is drawn from the Broadland District Council area but also includes six wards from the Norfolk North constituency, held by Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb.

Keith Simpson, the Conservative MP for North Norfolk, has followed the majority of his old constituency into the new seat - which has a notional Tory majority of 10.6%.

Other candidates of note in Norfolk include Elizabeth Truss, the Conservative candidate for South West Norfolk.

The former deputy director of think tank Reform fought off a challenge by some Conservative Party members, dubbed the "Turnip Taliban", after they found out about an affair she had previously with Mark Field MP.

Candidates so far announced include:

• Broadland: Conservative: Keith Simpson; Labour: Allyson Barron; Lib Dem: Daniel Roper; Green: Susan Curran; UK Independence Party: Stuart Agnew; BNP: Edith Crowther

• Great Yarmouth: Conservative: Brandon Lewis; Labour: Tony Wright; Lib Dem: Simon Partridge; Green: Laura Biggart; UK Independence Party: Alan Baugh; BNP: Bosco Tann

• Mid Norfolk: Conservative: George Freeman; Labour: Elizabeth Hughes; Green: Timothy Birt; BNP: Christine Kelly; UK Independence Party: Richard Coke

• North Norfolk: Conservative: Trevor Ivory; Labour: Phillip Alan Harris; Lib Dem: Norman Lamb; Green: Andrew Boswell; UK Independence Party: Michael Baker

• North West Norfolk: Conservative: Henry Bellingham; Labour: Manish Sood; Lib Dem: William Summers; Green: Michael de Whalley; BNP: David Fleming

• Norwich North: Conservative: Chloe Smith; Labour: John Cook; Green: Jessica Goldfinch; BNP: Thomas Richardson; UK Independence Party: Glenn Tingle; Independent: Bill Holden

• Norwich South: Conservative: Antony Little; Labour: Charles Clarke; Lib Dem: Simon Wright; Green: Adrian Ramsay; UK Independence Party: Stephen Emmens; BNP: Len Heather

• South Norfolk: Conservative: Richard Bacon; Labour: Mick Castle; Lib Dem: Jacqueline Howe; Green: Jo Willcott; UK Independence Party: Evan Heasley; BNP: Helen Mitchell

• South West Norfolk: Conservative: Elizabeth Truss; Labour: Peter Smith; UK Independence Party: Delia Hall; BNP: Dennis Pearce

Even more BNP death threats -

2010-04-07T09:08:00.008+01:00

From LibDemVoice:

"You'll be found dead on the streets" - the message from a BNP supporter

‘You’ll be found dead on the streets.’ That was the message I received a few weeks ago from an identifiable BNP supporter. Why? Because I was taking a stand against Nick Griffin. When someone writes this to you because you’re fighting as a Lib Dem in a parliamentary campaign against Griffin and the BNP, it makes you think very hard about your political opponent and the campaign they intend to fight. It also makes you think about how you should respond.

I reported the threat immediately to the police. They came to my house and have since referred the matter to SO15 – Counter Terrorism Command. I also urged Nick Griffin to intervene and condemn the culprit. I wrote: "This is London in 2010, not Berlin in 1933." The response: silence.

The Guardian reported the matter. And that of another death threat – a video put on the web in the name of Wandsworth BNP, featuring Equality and Human Rights Commission chief Trevor Phillips. It suggested he be "dealt with".

On March 21st, a BNP activist was arrested for threatening to kill Labour peer, Baroness Uddin. His Facebook message read: ‘were (sic) going to hang you one day. Regards the BNP."

This weekend comes the news that senior BNP official and parliamentary candidate, Mark Collett has been arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill Nick Griffin. Collett was arrested after Griffin made a statement to the police. A Humberside Police spokesman said: "A 29-year-old man has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of threats to kill. We can’t comment further."

Griffin becomes the fourth person in four weeks to have received a death threat from a BNP member. As BNP chairman, he should not be surprised. His party membership list is full of criminals with convictions for violence. This is the true face of the BNP showing itself in public: a party of violence, committed to violence, using the language of violence.

And Griffin himself uses the language of violence frequently. He once called for a defence of white rights with "well directed boots and fists." He told me in interview that people

have the right to hurt people to maim and blow things up when they are not allowed any other any way of expressing a legitimate grievance.

When he had Dominic Kennedy of the Times roughed up and ejected from a BNP meeting in February, Griffin said it proved his party was "not going soft."

When I asked Nick Griffin who was his political hero, it was not Adolf Hitler or Oswald Mosley. The man he chose was Gerry Adams. Griffin would perhaps do well to remember:

Hate begets hate; violence begets violence.

If he has received death threats from within his own party, then it is perhaps a true reflection of the culture of violence he encourages and supports.

By Dominic Carman

Dominic Carman is the Liberal Democrat candidate in Barking. If you would like to help Dominic in his campaign, please e-mail dominiccarman@ntlworld.com

________________________________________________________

Barking is a key constituency, as the leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, is standing for election to Parliament there.

If you want to show how you feel about death threats as a means of political debate, then please go to the HOPE not hate main site to find out more about how you can stand up against the bullyboys of the BNP.

BNP’s Robert West to stand in Lincolnshire

2010-04-06T17:52:00.012+01:00

From ThisIsLincolnshire:

BNP candidates will contest all seven Lincolnshire parliamentary seats at the General Election, it has been announced.
[...]
As reported in the Echo, BNP priest Reverend Robert West will stand for the Lincoln seat . . .

Robert West - failed BNP candidate in Norwich, now off to Lincoln

From Seismic Shock/HOPE not hate, Norfolk blogs:

Robert West was the BNP candidate in last summer's Norwich North by-election. He failed convincingly, gaining only 2.74% of the votes cast in a rather low turnout. Perhaps he is hoping voters in Lincoln are more gullible. . . More on Robert West here.

Back in May 2009 Robert West and his bosom buddy David Fleming were dropping in on church services to criticise the clergy. Clergy in Norfolk have cautioned against voting BNP.

Dave Fleming is the BNP's candidate for Norfolk North West, standing for election next month.

Dave Fleming is standing for Norfolk North West despite last year's suspected heart attack

Whilst last year Fleming was criticising the clergy of Anglican churches, this year he has been caught out falsely claiming he had thwarted planning permission for a Muslim-funded community centre in King's Lynn.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone who wants to know more about the BNP’s relationship with Christianity should read these links:

HOPE Not Hate, Norfolk: Where’s Waldo West?

HOPE Not Hate, Norfolk: Christianity too soft and liberal? Start your own version.

HOPE Not Hate, Norfolk/Seismic Shock: Agents of Rome?

Bratanchik: Jesus would not vote BNP

Barthsnotes: Far Right Group Founder Suspended from Tory Party

Cartoon Blog: BNP lied over Christian Council of Britain

Arden Forester: Press gets its vicars in a twist

Edmund Standing: Gott mit uns: British fascists and ‘Christian’ racism

Edmund Standing: BNP pickets Manchester Cathedral

As Seismic Shock says, the BNP is not Christian.

BNP officers unite ‘unanimously’ after anti-Collett hate session

2010-04-06T10:48:00.002+01:00

From Hope not hate:

The British National Party’s sacked head of publicity set up a series of front companies apparently with the intention of “skimming off” printing bills, yesterday’s special meeting of the British National Party heard.

Party officers and organisers gathering near Coventry were told that a copy of a tape recording of a conversation between Mark Collett and the party treasurer David Hannam was in the hands of the police who “would be able to investigate a number of potential crimes including threats to murder, assault, fraud and falsification of accounts”, according to a BNP statement issued afterwards.

The meeting had not been allowed to hear the tape and draw its own conclusions, however, but appointed a “four man strong subcommittee” to listen to it and report back on its “full contents and implications”. Its spokesman Michael Simpkins, a BNP town councillor in Corsham, Wiltshire, declared the tape was genuine.

The BNP statement left several questions unanswered, above all why Eddy Butler has been replaced as the party’s national organiser and national elections officer by Clive Jefferson, the North West regional organiser. Members were told that Butler was “still very much with the BNP and is set to play a leading role in the party’s attempt to take control of the Barking and Dagenham council”. However Butler has not issued any personal statement.

Last November Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, announced that Richard Barnbrook, the BNP’s London Assembly member, would spearhead the party’s Barking and Dagenham council campaign. Presumably he has not been producing the canvassing returns Griffin expects.

Griffin read out a statement from Emma Colgate, who resigned as party manager last week, warning that “fake Facebook and YouTube accounts” were being set up in her name “with the obvious intention of sowing confusion”. Despite her continuing important role, running the BNP’s campaign in Thurrock, she was apparently not at the meeting.

BNP members have clearly not been told the full story about the abrupt departures of Butler and Colgate from national party positions and the party’s EU payroll, and their connection with Collett’s “misdemeanours”.

Another omission from the statement is any reference to Jim Dowson, the BNP’s fundraising and management consultant, whose extensive financial hold over the BNP makes him in effect the party’s owner. Last week’s BNP organisers’ bulletin, which first announced Collett’s suspension, referred to a threat to the “personal safety” of both Griffin and Dowson and there have been suggestions since then that it was Dowson who discovered Collett’s financial irregularities.

Collett has long been accused of making a profit at the party’s expense and of being very poor at the graphic design and leaflet production that are a major part of his role, but Griffin has only listened to the allegations now. That may be because Griffin was in desperate need of a scapegoat to allay dissent in the party following his disastrous performance on Question Time last year, his capitulation to the Equality and Human Rights Commission over changing the party’s racist constitution, accusations from members that the central party apparatus is appropriating branch funds, questions about Dowson’s control over the party and Griffin’s very own EU parliamentary expenses scandal.

After venting their “hate” for Collett, in events reminiscent of Geroge Orwell’s 1984, the party united “unanimously” behind Griffin, according to the BNP’s statement, and will contest 326 constituencies in the general election on 6 May.

As for Collett, he claims to be “completely loyal” to the party and willing to help people with local publicity material in the run-up to the elections. “There is currently a smear campaign against me,” is all he has said publicly so far.

The events of the past few days are far more than the sort of differences of opinion and personality clashes that any political party suffers. Griffin constantly claims he is the leader of a moderate, non-violent organisation, but it is difficult to see how he can square that assertion with his statement to the police that his own head of publicity has been threatening to kill him. The BNP remains a party full of thugs.

By Sonia Gable

Opening a can of worms

2010-04-06T09:58:00.003+01:00

From Hope not hate:

The in-fighting at the heart of the BNP seems set to continue following the party's leadership meeting yesterday. Despite a public declaration of unity the statement released on the internet and the various related blog postings all seemed a little subdued.

And with good reason.

Evidence of alleged fraud and threats to kill by Mark Collett have been supposedly handed over to the police. But is the BNP really keen to have a police investigation into financial irregularities? I really doubt it. And from what I understand Collett has been gathering his own information about financial shenanigans at the very top of the party.

Perhaps this is why the leadership is so subdued on the matter.

By Nick Lowles

More alleged BNP death threats

2010-04-05T09:05:00.012+01:00

From the Independent:

BNP official arrested over claims he threatened to kill Nick Griffin

Publicity director accused of plot to unseat far-right party's leader

BNP leader Nick Griffin and Mark Collett celebrate after a court victory in 2006

The British National Party has been thrown into pre-election chaos after a senior party official was arrested on suspicion of threatening to kill its leader, Nick Griffin.

Mark Collett, its publicity director, has also been accused by party chiefs of attempting to launch a "palace coup" against Mr Griffin.

The far-right party's senior members will hold an emergency meeting tonight at a secret location in the Midlands to discuss the crisis and Mr Griffin's leadership. He has faced criticism from within the party following his showing on the BBC's Question Time.

The bitter infighting has blown up as the BNP prepares its biggest ever general election drive, focusing on Mr Griffin's candidacy in the east London constituency of Barking.

The supposed plot was revealed in a leaked BNP internal document disclosing that Mr Collett had been "relieved of all positions within the party with immediate effect".

Mr Griffin had gone to the police after "serious allegations" came to light affecting the "personal safety" of the BNP leader and James Dowson, its senior fundraiser, the memo said.

The BNP document claimed:

We are able to say that Mark Collett was conspiring with a small clique of other party officials to launch a 'palace coup' against our twice democratically elected party leader, Nick Griffin. In order to create the artificial climate of disillusionment necessary for this to stand any chance of success, lies and unfounded rumours have been spread, and were planned to be spread much further.

The leaked document said there was "extensive circumstantial evidence" of an attempt to sabotage the party's local and national election campaigns, alleging sensitive party information had been leaked to damage its prospects. It also claimed there had been an "ongoing, co-ordinated and sustained hate campaign, feeding lies to certain anti-BNP blog sites".
It said:

All in all, we believe we have uncovered the most serious and dangerous threat to this party and its officers that we have ever witnessed.

In 2002, Mr Collett declared his admiration for Adolf Hitler and said he considered Aids a "friendly disease because blacks, drug users and gays have it", when he appeared in a Channel 4 documentary called Young, Nazi and Proud. In 2006, he and Mr Griffin were cleared of race hate charges linked to speeches that they had made before the 2004 local elections.

. . .

Concerns about Mr Griffin's leadership had been growing within the BNP since his criticised performance on Question Time. He has faced internal fire for bowing to demands from the court to amend the party's constitution to admit ethnic minority members, and controversy over his expenses as a Member of the European Parliament.

A spokesman for the anti-fascist group Searchlight said:

Nick Griffin is constantly claiming he is the leader of a moderate, non-violent organisation. It is difficult to see how he can square that assertion with his statement to the police that his own head of publicity has been plotting against him.

By Nigel Morris and Tom Peck

For the complete article from the Independent, please click here.

For a previous HnhNorfolk post on BNP death threats, please click here.

Easter hypocrisy from the BNP

2010-04-03T12:33:00.005+01:00

Edmund Standing casts a cold eye on Nick Griffin's 'Easter message':

Has the BNP had a Damascene conversion?

BNP Leader Nick Griffin has issued a ‘Special Easter Message from the Chairman‘ in which he is now presenting himself as something like the Christian equivalent of an Islamist.

Misrepresenting the BNP’s true beliefs as usual, Griffin has now attempted to create a ‘Christian’ smokescreen in order to hide the real agenda of the BNP.

Griffin’s Easter message:

A special event that happened recently has changed my outlook on our struggle and the situation facing our sacred country. That event was the peaceful, sensible, mature debate with the Christian Party leader George Hargreaves and a large number of Christian Party members. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire debate which was noticeably absent of the usual hysterical fanaticism of the liberal-left.

It made me think long and hard about a new dimension of our struggle: our Christian religion, culture and traditions. In the past too much emphasis has been placed on the ethnic aspect of our present national dilemma, whilst the longest running feature of our identity has been overlooked: the fact that our country has been held together and guided for millennia by our common, ancient religion: Christianity.

Nick Griffin:

The idea of an anthropomorphic God in the sky who happens to take a particular interest in us has never struck me as remotely realistic.

Griffin’s Easter message:

And before you misunderstand me, I do not mean the gut-wrenching politically correct quasi-Marxist nonsense spewing forth from the treacherous leaders of the modern Anglican Church. I mean the traditional, upright, decent and honest Christianity that defended Europe from Islamic conquest, the Christianity of the Crusades and the Christianity of our forefathers.

BNP Foreign Affairs Spokesman Arthur Kemp:

Although fought under the guise of Christianity, the Crusades were in fact an overt race war. White armies set off from all over Europe to drive the non-Whites out of the Middle East.
…
In the period leading up to the fall of Constantinople, the second major overtly racial war between the White race and the Middle Eastern mixed races broke out, taking the form of a series of armies attacking the nations of Islam in a period running for nearly 200 years: from 1095 to the middle of the thirteenth century. Originally the term Crusade was applied only to the White Christian efforts to capture the city of Jerusalem in Palestine from the Muslims, but very soon it came to refer to any military effort by the Whites against the darker races of the Middle East.

Griffin’s Easter message:

There is nothing in traditional Christianity about world government, abolishing the nations, enslaving the world to finance capitalism and big business, eradicating traditional unique cultures and national identities, the promotion of sexual perversion, the glorification of treason, letting criminals run rampant and political correctness.

Nick Griffin, Total Politics interview, March 2010:

We’re not anti-gay. I took over a party which had a total ban on homosexual members. We’ve got gay members now and people know who they are, but it’s “don’t ask, don’t tell"

Griffin’s Easter message:

After the General Election, all BNP leaflets will carry a Christian Cross to demonstrate our commitment to maintaining and preserving our Christian heritage as a nation.

BNP Legal Director Lee Barnes:

Christianity is a semitic religion, it is creature of the deserts of the Middle East not the forests of the Northern Europe and its symbol the cross is an instrument of torture not of living redemption.
…
The icons of death are what the West once worshipped – Moses, Christ, saints, popes etc etc Now all these icons of death must be replaced by a living, organic religion which allows our people to reconnect once more with nature, the earth and the divine unfolding of the spiritual within the material and within Man.

Griffin’s Easter message:

In the past too much emphasis has been placed on the ethnic aspect of our present national dilemma, whilst the longest running feature of our identity has been overlooked: the fact that our country has been held together and guided for millennia by our common, ancient religion: Christianity.

Evening Standard, March 26, 2010:

The BNP’s London campaign chief was today facing suspension as a councillor after launching a racist “tirade” against Nigerian church-goers.

Bob Bailey, 44, took an “antagonistic and offensive” tone when a black pastor applied for planning permission to convert Barking offices into a church.

A meeting in Barking town hall was in uproar when Mr Bailey said: “We don’t want any more Nigerian churches in the borough.” The public gallery was packed with members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

He said he had visited the premises and told the planning committee meeting last July: “These people eat off the ground.” He added: “We don’t want the amount of black children.”

BNP candidate ‘Rev’ Robert West:

But is there something wrong with the Multi-Racial Society at a deeper level – not just given the nature of man as inherently territorial and tribal – but by the Multi-Racial Society being, as it were, a transgression of God’s will for His creation as He has seen fit to make and rule it.

BNP candidate ‘Rev’ Robert West:

The mixing of races challenges the glory of God

DON’T BE CONNED BY THE BNP’S ABUSE OF CHRISTIANITY

From Edmund Standing

Exit of three top BNP officers confirmed

2010-04-03T06:32:00.003+01:00

From Hope not hate:

Following our report earlier today of the resignation of Emma Colgate from her post as BNP manager, the BNP has amended its national contacts spreadsheet. Absent are Colgate, Eddy Butler, the former national organiser and national elections officer, and Mark Collett, the former head of publicity.

The changes confirm the stories circulating on nazi web forums that the unpopular Collett has finally fallen out of favour. A BNP organisers’ bulletin circulated on 31 March referred to

financial irregularities and ‘scamming’ concerning the procurement of print, especially large election print run, leaflets and regular publications including Identity magazine

It appears that Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, has finally accepted that there is substance to the long-standing accusations that Collett has been making a huge personal profit on the design and print procurement he carries out for the party.

Collett is also accused of leaking “sensitive party information” onto the internet and “feeding lies to certain anti-BNP blog sites”.

The organisers’ bulletin continues:

Earlier this week, the police were made aware of very serious allegations potentially affecting the personal safety of Party chairman Nick Griffin MEP and senior management/fundraising consultant James Dowson. Formal statements have now been made to the police, including by Mr. Griffin.

Although the bulletin says it the party is “unable to provide any further details in order not to prejudice any resulting legal proceedings”, it goes on to announce that:

Mark Collett was conspiring with a small clique of other party officials to launch a ‘palace coup’ against our twice democratically elected party leader, Nick Griffin, and that in order to create the artificial climate of disillusionment necessary for this to stand any chance of success, lies and unfounded rumours have been spread, and were planned to be spread much further. Mr. Collett has therefore been relieved of all positions within the Party with immediate effect.

As a result Collett’s Wikipedia entry was updated with incredible haste to state that he “was Director of Publicity for the Party before being suspended from the party in early April 2010”.
A second organisers’ bulletin calls on “regional organisers and key officials” to attend an “urgent briefing meeting” on Easter Monday, which “will cover recent events, urgent organisational matters, including a crucial update from our new National Elections Officer Clive Jefferson”.

Jefferson, who only a few months ago was promoted to North West regional organiser, quietly replaces Butler in the national elections officer role. He is also one of the BNP officers fraudulently on the European Parliament payroll.

All this comes at the worst possible time for the BNP, five weeks before elections in which it hopes to win control of Barking and Dagenham council and get Griffin and Simon Darby, the party's deputy leader, elected to the House of Commons.

Collett stood trial alongside Griffin in 2006 on race hate charges and was acquitted. Although Griffin always stood by him, he knew Collett was a fool. Nick Griffin said:

I constantly have to lecture Mark Collett about all sorts of things . He is a pig ignorant man. Often it goes in one ear and straight out of the other.

A few years ago Collett starred in a Channel 4 documentary called Young, Nazi and Proud, in which he said he would prefer to live in 1930s Nazi Germany than in today’s Britain. He also attacked Winston Churchill and the British Royal Family.

By Sonia Gable

BNP exploiting murder victims

2010-04-02T22:14:00.002+01:00

Families of murder victims have spoken out on Newsnight about the BNP’s attempts to exploit the deaths of their loved ones as part of their ‘Racism Cuts Both Ways’ campaign. You can watch the report here.

Hope Not Hate have analysed the ‘Racism Cuts Both Ways’ pamphlet and found that the BNP claims that 167 white people have been the victims of racist murder over the past years but its evidence is totally inaccurate.

- FACT In only a handful of the 167 cases is there any clear indication of a racial motive.
- FACT In several cases the perpetrator was in fact white not black.
- FACT In other cases the perpetrators were part of mixed race groups, including whites, but the BNP only focuses on the white victims and black perpetrators.
- FACT The list includes several supposed racial murders where the alleged perpetrator has not actually been convicted.
- FACT Much of the BNP research was copied directly from the National Front website.

The BNP has twisted facts to make them fit its warped racist agenda. It doesn’t care that it causes distress and anger to the families.

Looking at the Racism Cuts Both Ways site, the absurdity of the BNP’s claims are quickly apparent.

Take the case of Kally Gilligan, for example. Here’s how the BNP presents the story of this ‘forgotten victim’ of ‘racism’:

A brilliant GCSE student, Kally Gilligan was blonde, beautiful and just 15 when her black, 18-year-old boyfriend, Joshua Thompson, shot her (in the head and neck) then killed himself with a sawn-off shotgun.

The couple had met at Salford’s Albion High School. They had been together for some two years when, two weeks before she died, Kally ended the relationship. Thompson could not accept her rejection and was heard, during an early hours row before the shooting, telling her that if he could not have her no-one else would.

Thompson appeared with a shotgun outside Kally’s home while she was washing the family car on 10th June 2006. Another argument began but this one ended with Thompson shooting first Kally then himself.

According to the BNP, this was an anti-white racist murder. But the facts are:

1. Gilligan had been in a relationship with a black man (Joshua Thompson) for two years.
2. When Gilligan ended the relationship, Thompson ‘could not accept her rejection’ and said that ‘if he could not have her no-one else would’.
3. Thompson shot Gilligan and then himself.

There is absolutely no possible way in which this tragic story can be interpreted as having anything to do with racism, yet the BNP claims it as a ‘racist’ murder simply because the victim was white and the killer was black, even though they had been in a long term relationship with each other and this was clearly a crime of passion.

There are no depths to which the BNP will not sink to promote their twisted agenda.

By Edmund Standing

BNP admits EU money pays for party staff

2010-04-02T19:41:00.002+01:00

From Hope not hate:

Councillor Emma Colgate has resigned as the British National Party’s staff manager to devote herself full-time to the election campaign in Thurrock, the BNP announced today.

Colgate is standing for election to Parliament and also hopes to get more BNP councillors elected to Thurrock council, where she is the party’s sole representative.

She told the BNP website:

We’re in with a real chance in Thurrock and I want to give it my best shot. I cannot properly work fill-time [sic] on the campaign while being paid by EU taxpayers to manage our European staff.

Colgate is one of 11 staff paid by the European Parliament to run constituency offices for the party’s two MEPs and support them in their European roles. All of them also have major roles in the BNP party apparatus.

Searchlight has always accused the BNP of misusing taxpayers’ money to pay for party staff.

Despite winning election to the European Parliament on the back of the MPs’ expenses scandal with the slogan “punish the pigs”, the BNP MEPs wasted no time in jumping onto the EU gravy train.

Colgate’s announcement that she has resigned from her party role, described on the current BNP contacts’ spreadsheet as “party manager, party staff manager, staff administration”, on the grounds that she cannot campaign while being paid by EU taxpayers, is a clear admission that the BNP is using EU money fraudulently to fund party staff.

Whether Colgate was truly motivated by a desire not to misuse EU money further is unclear. Several of the nazi web forums have reported that she and Eddy Butler, the BNP’s national organiser, were sacked. As yet the BNP has made no announcement about Butler’s role, nor about the accusations, also doing the rounds of the nazi forums, that there has been a huge falling out between Mark Collett, the BNP’s unpopular head of publicity, and Jim Dowson, its equally unpopular “consultant”, whom Searchlight describes as “owning” the BNP because of his extensive financial hold over the party.

Colgate still likes to quote a Searchlight description of her last year as a “hard-working” councillor, not appreciating that we were only noting that she attends all her council meetings, as any councillor should and in contrast to almost all the BNP’s other councillors throughout the country, who do as little as possible for their councillors’ allowances.

Nevertheless it is surprising that she repays the “compliment” by making wild accusations against Gerry Gable, publisher of Searchlight, most recently on the streets of Thurrock surrounded by a mob of BNP activists trying to prevent the distribution of an anti-BNP HOPE not hate newspaper in Thurrock as part of the democratic election process.

As for her claimed wish not to use EU money to fund her election campaign, we wait with bated breath for the nine other BNP EU-funded officers also standing for Parliament in the general election to follow her lead and resign.

Sweet and sour at the Cherry Tree?

2010-04-01T22:25:00.002+01:00

From HOPE not hate:

Having remained mysteriously silent over potentially explosive and damaging revelations dogging his party over the past 24 hours, Nick Griffin is expected to be on the back foot tonight while addressing BNP candidates in the Cherry Tree pub in Wood Lane, Dagenham.
Allegedly with a larger entourage of men in black than usual, Griffin will probably be trying to shake a few more quid out of his shell-shocked minions.

Let's hope the notorious hard-drinking Barking and Dagenham BNP councillors and Parliamentary candidates avail themselves of the local taxi firms, because it is the men in blue who are allegedly paying greater attention to the activities of BNP members.

By Sam King

Norfolk Unity gives much more on the interesting developments cautiously hinted at abovc, which you can find described here.

Calling all Norfolk anti-fascists

2010-03-30T12:29:00.009+01:00

Recently Nick Cohen, the Observer columnist, appeared to criticise the left and the far left for an apparant failure to challenge the fascism inherent in some extreme militant interpretations of religion, particularly from the Islamists. You can read more by clicking here.

I answer that bigoted and discriminatory anti-democratic ideologies have to be challenged wherever they arise, whether from the far-right, the far-left or from the militant political/religious.

But at this particular time it is the BNP which is the main target as it is standing candidates in the imminent elections, eight of them in Norfolk. Anyone who recognises that the core policies of the BNP are hateful and divisive should oppose them, whatever their personal political leanings, right, left, or whatever.

Last year I was canvassing and campaigning in town centres against the BNP with a real mixed group. In the centre of Great Yarmouth on one occasion I noticed our group of activists included politicians, lady clergy from the Anglican Church, Muslim women, gays, councillors, trade unionists, feminists, and anti-racists like myself, all rejecting the policies of despair as preached by the appalling BNP. Interestingly the only people who did not turn up were representatives from the Tories.

politicians, lady clergy from the Anglican Church, Muslim women, gays, councillors, trade unionists, feminists, and anti-racists; a diverse group united in purpose

On Saturday 27th's Day of Action I joined another mixed group of people to deliver leaflets for HOPE not hate in King's Lynn, all of us united in oppostion to the BNP. We are right-of-centre, left-of-centre, uncommitted, and extremely-left-of-centre; who cares?

What we had in common was wanting to reach out to voters in a BNP-leaning ward of Norfolk to tell them the truth about the despicable BNP.

We could do with a few more from the right on our foot-slogging campaigning to expose the real BNP to voters.

The BNP is apparently fielding eight candidates in Norfolk. Every one of these candidates needs to be opposed and the party they stand for needs to be exposed. This is best done by letting people know the truth about their Party, and about the lies and opportunism that bedevil the BNP.

Please feel free to join in the anti-BNP campaign for HOPE not hate, Norfolk. Just send your contact details to Hnhnorfolk@gmail.com It’s actually great fun to share the same goal with such a diverse group.

Diversity! Ya gotta love it!

Would Nick Griffin wear a 'golliwog' badge?

2010-03-24T15:51:00.005Z

I doubt it. I have never seen Griffin wear one. Imagine the furore if ever he did. And yet gollies are still to be seen for sale in BNP-run on-line stores. Why would the chairperson of the BNP encourage members to wear what he never wears himself? It's almost as if Nick Griffin is pandering to racism!

From the New Statesman:

Online shop reveals the true BNP
The BNP's Excalibur stocks a "Golly Collection". Need any more proof of the party's racist nature?

The BNP's attempts to adopt a mask of respectability are proving ever more effective. From winning its first seats in the European Parliament to Nick Griffin's infamous appearance on Question Time, the far-right party is edging its way into the political mainstream.

But how can we oppose the politics of race, fear and hatred and stop the "normalisation" of the fascists? The answer, as demonstrated by the newly established Expose the BNP website, is to show the party's true nature, rather than lazily reporting its vision of Britain's doom.

This is remarkably easy to do. While party propaganda and Griffin's speeches carefully avoid racist references, such a deeply prejudiced organisation cannot conceal its core beliefs.
Potential voters should visit Excalibur, the BNP's online shop, which betrays an unhealthy interest in race and genetics (which, despite Griffin's denials, are obsessions the Nazis shared).
Four Flags: the Indigenous People of Britain is a booklet the BNP says "proves that the vast majority of the British people have ancestors going back to the last mini-Ice Age more than 12,000 years ago".

Although this may seem irrelevant in the context of the coming general election, it demonstrates the main appeal of the BNP -- especially when it is coupled with exaggerated claims about immigration. This is the party's technique for creating fear of an Immigration Invasion (the name of another book that Excalibur sells), which it says is destroying Britain.

Excalibur also boasts the "Golly Collection", a range of items based on the dolls now widely seen as racist, especially since a 12-year-old girl burned one at a BNP event. The party refused to comment on what place the dolls had in a shop whose stock includes DVDs on the Zulu wars and books such as Race, Evolution and Behaviour and Folk and Nation: Underpinning the Ethno-State (which Griffin co-authored).

The website also sells T-shirts bearing the slogans "It's cool to be white" and "British by birth: English by the grace of God" as well as one that warns asylum-seekers: "Don't unpack, you're going back."

Even with a small membership of about 14,000 and limited electoral support, the BNP is damaging to British politics and society, not least because two of its members represent us in the European Parliament.

To ensure that Nick Griffin joins Oswald Mosley as an unpleasant footnote in the history textbooks, politicians must challenge the view that the BNP is the only party with a clear immigration policy, addressing the concerns of people who feel that immigration is out of control, but without pandering to bigotry and intolerance.

Journalists must challenge popular myths, rather than repeat misleading claims that fuel the BNP's politics of fear.

What they fear is the truth -- that no one will vote for a party of hate. To see the truth for yourself, just visit their online shop.

By Alex Morrison

Day of Action - 27 March

2010-03-18T14:05:00.004Z

From HOPE not hate:

Last night I went to a Meet and Greet in Hackney. It was an event jointly organised by HOPE not hate and Hackney Unites Against the BNP and was an opportunity for our supporters to meet in a social setting and learn how they can get involved in the campaign. Thirty people attended, which is brilliant given that there is no BNP threat in the borough.

With the election only 49 days away we agreed to do some telephone canvassing and build for our 17 April mobilisation in Barking and Dagenham. Such was the take up for our April Day of Action that we are going to put on a coach just from Hackney.

This was just one of 15 meet and greets we are holding around the country. Over 50 people attended the event in Dagenham the previous evening, all from the local area. On the same night 15 people turned up in Thurrock, again all local, which was fantastic as we have struggled to build a local campaign there in the past.

Other events have taken place in Southwark, Solihull, Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent. Tonight it is the turn of Camden.

More and more people are beginning to get involved in the campaign and this is reflected in the 43 activities we have planned across the country over the weekend of 27 and 28 March, and the hundreds who have already signed up to hand out leaflets.

By Nick Lowles

__________________________________________________________

HOPE not hate, Norfolk, is planning to participate in the National Day of Action. If you would like more information, or if you would like to volunteer to help in our campaign to keep the BNP out of Norfolk, please do email Barbara at HnhNorfolk@gmail.com with your contact details.

BNP chief Nick Griffin claims £200,000 Euro expenses

2010-03-17T14:54:00.004Z

From The London Evening Standard:

BNP leader Nick Griffin was accused of joining “the expenses gravy train” today after it emerged that he has claimed hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The British National Party chief, who was elected last year as Euro MP for the North West of England, has submitted claims for more than £200,000 for his work in Brussels.

The costs, which come on top of his £82,000 MEP salary, include some £18,000 in “consultancy fees” and £10,000 in “agent fees”.

The BNP leader won his party's first seats in Strasbourg after attacking MPs for having their “snouts in the trough”.

After being accused of failing to be more open about his expenses, he has now published a version of his claims on his personal website.

Mr Griffin claimed £175,000 in “staff costs” for eight employees with titles ranging from “European researcher” to “campaigns co-ordinator”. A further £31,000 was for “office management costs”, including an office in his home. His “office costs” included £2,800 on “furnishings” and over £4,000 on “repair, maintenance and security”. Mr Griffin made a pre-election pledge to be transparent about his expenses. But he is yet to reveal how much he has claimed of his £270-a-day MEP's subsistence allowance, worth £40,000 tax-free every year, or how much he has claimed for travel.

Fellow BNP MEP Andrew Brons has not published any details of his expenses. He and Mr Griffin are jointly entitled to expenses of up to £530,000 a year. As well as staff allowances, both receive a “general expenditure allowance” worth more than £44,000 annually.

A spokesman for campaign group Searchlight said:

Griffin talked a good game on expenses before the election, but as soon as he got to Brussels he couldn't wait to jump aboard the euro expenses gravy train.

By Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor

BNP: death threats 'R' us

2010-03-16T08:40:00.011Z

Feb 2007 - libcom reported:

Former boxer John Laidlaw, 24, who had earlier threatened to "kill all black people", was found guilty of three counts of attempted murder and two firearms charges. He is the latest in a long line of members and activists of the BNP - which claims to be a "law and order" party - to be jailed for violent, sexual or anti-social offences.

June 2009 - Tom Flynn wrote:

Last week I received a death threat . . . from a leading member of a democratically elected political party . . . The threat was delivered despite the presence of a camera crew from one of the major TV networks and the individual made it clear that he knew who I was and how to find me. He told me that next time I set foot in Southend (I am Labour's PPC for Southend West), I was ‘going to die’. . . As you may have guessed, these were not the actions of a mainstream, respectable political party. Anyone who has been involved with the anti-fascist movement will recognise these as the tactics of the British National Party

July 2009 - from Metro interview with Jon McClure:

I got death threats from BNP supporters and I put a track about it online two hours later called Manifesto/People Shapers.

According to Indymedia: the death threats were probably in return for being involved in a Love Music, Hate Racism event. Jon said:

The BNP claims to be democratic – but this shows that their behaviour is fundamentally at odds with democracy. It shows them up as a bunch of thugs.

September 2009 - Epping Forest Guardian reported:

Independent councillor Stephen Murray said he had been verbally intimated and threatened with a dog by youths after he spoke out against a BNP leaflet claiming the Murray Hall had been turned into a mosque by a prayer group.

December 2009 - from Wales Online:

Police are investigating a senior member of the BNP in Wales over alleged threats to kill a man who posted an anti-BNP video on a website.

Roger Phillips, the BNP’s deputy organiser for West Wales, allegedly made the 12-minute expletive-filled telephone rant after he discovered the video about him on YouTube. Mark Watson recorded the call, in which Mr Phillips allegedly threatened to kill him, and handed it to police. Avon and Somerset police said they had been in touch with South Wales Police and were investigating the complaint, which they described as “serious”.

March 2010 - from Stand Up To Hate:

BNP’s deputy leader for Wales is going to have to go to court to face allegations of death threats against a You Tube user. Roger Phillips who went by the usernames Wellard67 and WalesBNP is well known on the website by the anti-BNP activists. One of these activists a Mr Mark Watson was on the receiving end of Mr Phillips’ anger when he rang him and threatened to kill him.

According to There's Nothing British About the BNP:

On Saturday 13th March, Roger Phillips allegedly made the above remarks on Facebook to Labour’s Baroness Uddin.

Roger Phillips is the BNP’s West Wales deputy organiser.

Surprise surprise ! The BNP's new anti racists views are still racist

2010-03-15T15:34:00.005Z

From Norfolk Blogger:

I suppose we all ought to be surprised and shocked to find out that the BNPs new non racists non discriminatory rules are actually still racist.

It doesn't matter how many times the BNP deny it, the very point of the BNP is that they are a racist party, that is the reason for their being and the reason for their support. Trying to deny it is like claiming that Manchester United are not a football team.

Norfolk Blogger is the blog of Nich Starling

A teacher, former councillor for Fakenham North, and Norwich City season ticket holder. Nich lives in Thorpe Marriott and is a candidate in the local council by-election in 18th March in Taverham North.
___________________________________________________________

From There's Nothing British About the BNP:

That BNP constitution in full – the BNP hasn’t changed at all

Nothing British just got a full copy of the draft “12.1″ constitution tabled by Nick Griffin to the Courts at lunchtime on Tuesday 9th March that aggravated the EHRC and the courts.

In a note to the court, the EHRC calls this new draft “cosmetic or a bluff”, and draws attention to the creation of a number of “parallel organisation[s]” which are organised on the same basis as the previously-submitted “11th” constitution. They are:-
The Founders’ Association;
The British Shieldwall Foundation;
the Indigenous Forum.

The constitution says, without explanation, that “our Party is a member of the association known as The British Shieldwall Foundation along with the Founders’ Association and the Indigenous Forum”. This naturally raises concerns of some kind of two-tier structure and hidden legal restraints on the control and membership of the party. In their note to the court, the EHRC raise its suspicions of these organisations, writing “they operate in tandem with Document 12.1 in some way to prevent access to the BNP for persons who are not white”. The judge in his summary also points out that the Founders’ Assocation has an essential role in electing the Chairman and a veto over changes to protected parts of the Constitution. He speculates that this is insurance against an attempt by non-Indigenous British to join the BNP to vote its principles out of existence.

After getting pushed back at Friday’s court appearance, Griffin wrote that evening to supporters to say that he’d subsequently and unilaterally made further changes to the constitution which he said met the Court’s requirement. As a result he had decided to open the membership list.

The elements of the constitution Griffin deleted include the annual home-visit by two local BNP organisers and commitments to restoring an all-white Britain. A list of the amendments can be found on the BNP website. That notorious clause 3.2.2. reads in full:-

We are pledged to stemming and reversing the immigration and migration of peoples into our British Homeland thathas, without the express consent of the Indigenous British, taken place since 1948, and to restoring and maintaining, by legal changes, negotiation and consent, the Indigenous British as the overwhelming majority in the make up of the population of and expression of culture in each part of our British Homeland,
We are pledged to stemming and reversing the immigration and migration of peoples into our British Homeland that has, without the express consent of the Indigenous British, taken place since 1948, and to restoring and maintaining, by legal changes,
negotiation and consent, the Indigenous British as the overwhelming majority in the make up of the population of and expression of culture in each part of our British Homeland.

Nothing British comments: From our conversations with the EHRC and the Courts it is not clear whether Griffin’s membership list decision is legal or whether he will face a contempt-of-court sanction from the Courts, as warned by the judge. We wait to hear.

Publicity Stunt III - Norfolk

2010-03-15T05:18:00.010Z

From MSN News and Politics:

Three Norfolk BNP candidates are caught out telling whoppers in an attempt to portray themselves as some sort of civic activists against a Muslim community in King's Lynn.

They tried to steal some unearned credit amongst fellow bigots by claiming that they prevented permission being granted for a new "mosque" in King's Lynn.

The objections were submitted by a delegation of BNP parliamentary candidates (pictured below in a corny and obviously staged photo-opportunity stunt).

They are Ulsterman David Fleming (R) who is standing for North West Norfolk, Dennis Pearce (L) for South West Norfolk, and Christine Kelly (centre) for Mid Norfolk

These claims of the Norfolk BNP candidates are a load of self-serving rubbish.

First of all, as Denise Garside of the blogging team of the fantastic Norfolk Unity site has already pointed out

it’s been no great secret that the Muslim community around King’s Lynn, Norfolk (around 70 strong) have been looking for premises in which to set up an Islamic centre – essentially a sort of community centre for Muslims. To that end they have been raising money among themselves, had spotted a building that would fulfil their needs, and made a planning application to the local council. . . . The strange thing is that when Fleming’s candidature for North West Norfolk was announced on the BNP website, on Febraury 12th, the BNP was claiming that Fleming and his friends had “successfully submitted an objection to a planning application for an Islamic centre in King’s Lynn”. It’s strange, because the application wasn’t even considered until Monday – March 1st.

Next, please note that permission was sought for an Islamic centre, not a "mosque", yet another porkie from the Norfolk trio.

The Truth

Finally, according to the source on MSN, the reason why the King's Lynn Islamic centre was turned down was because of an objection from the Norfolk County Highways Department. There were no other objections, and so this was the sole reason for refusing permission.

King's Lynn Planning Committee Rules

At a meeting of a planning committee, members of the public cannot participate other than by written submission, the applicant or representatives of an applicant cannot speak, the only people who may offer any submission are (a) members of the committee (b) planning officers (c) representatives of relevant agencies ie Fire Officer - Police - Health and Safety - County Highways - Enviromental Health Officer - representatives of National Parks or Licensing Officers.

Anyone can view the comprehensive document by clicking here.

So why are the three BNP candidates posing in that photograph as if they have won some sort of victory? Are they trying to bamboozle voters by any chance?

Mark International Women’s Day By Donating to Hope Not Hate

2010-03-08T15:13:00.002Z

From Hope Not Hate:

UNISON, the public services trade union, has offered to match every penny that we raise today.

These funds will pay for a 12-page booklet featuring articles from Coleen Nolan and Fiona Phillips, among others, which we will send to 300,000 women voters in BNP target areas. We need to reach female voters – our research tells us that they are much less likely to vote BNP than men.

And thanks to UNISON, every pound you donate will be doubled. Can you contribute now and turn your £5 donation into £10?

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

Today is International Women’s Day. But it’s something that the BNP will never acknowledge. After all, one senior BNP official proudly wrote on his blog that:

To suggest that rape, when conducted without violence, is a serious crime is like suggesting force-feeding a woman chocolate cake is a heinous offence.

We need to let every female voter in these key areas know the real truth behind the BNP. We need to let people know that the BNP will only bring more tension and trouble to our communities. We have a rare opportunity at our fingertips – and with your help we’ll grasp it.

Will you donate £5 now and have your gift doubled by UNISON?

The BNP has a long, soiled record of standing candidates who make disgusting and derogatory statements towards women. They rank women as an inferior class. Today, on International Women’s Day, take a stand and make a donation.

We can reach 300,000 voters if you donate to our cause. We’ll be speaking to our key vote – but we can’t do this without you.

We’re so lucky to have UNISON as a partner today – I hope you join me in making the most of this fantastic opportunity. If you were thinking of making a donation before but hesitated, now is the time.

Please donate £5 or whatever you can afford towards our target of £15,000 and UNISON will match your gift:

Press release

HOPE not hate campaign on TV

2010-03-08T15:09:00.001Z

The HOPE not hate campaign featured on the BBC’s Politics Show today. In a programme about the BNP threat in Barking & Dagenham one of our team was interviewed in our great new campaign headquarters.

The programme will shortly be available here

On the streets our activists are continuing to work hard. Yesterday about 8,000 newspapers were delivered across two wards by just ten people. They were out from 10am until 5.30pm, with hardly a break throughout the whole day.

By Nick Lowles

Fantastic Fundraiser

2010-03-08T14:57:00.005Z

From HOPE not hate:

Over 1,000 people packed into ULU to listen to Billy Bragg do a full two hours for the HOPE not hate campaign. Over £9,000 was raised for the campaign and almost 400 new people signed up for activity.
In between songs, Billy Bragg spoke of the serious threat in Barking & Dagenham and called for everyone to join him on the streets on 17 April. On what will be a London-wide Day of Action, we are looking for 300-400 people to deliver 65,000 newspapers to every door in the borough.

I’m afraid that I was at our stall, at the back of the hall, so I missed most of the gig. But, I’m assured it was really great, with some of his long-time fans even saying that it was his best gig for years. The packed hall, intimate atmosphere and a great cause all contributed to a fantastic evening. More importantly, for me anyway, hundreds of people learnt about our campaign and signed up to get involved.

By Nick Lowles

BNP: contradictions 'R' us

2010-03-05T05:12:00.008Z

Nick Griffin is leader of the British National Party (BNP) which supports British withdrawal from the European Union (EU).

Griffin has derided critics for 'smearing' him by calling him a fascist, but he himself has used that very same word to describe the EU. He said claims that he was a fascist were "smears" but on the Andrew Marr Show in July last year said the European Union was "very close to fascism".

At the same time Griffin actually is a Member of the European Parliament. How can he bear being a part of an organisation he despises?

He has justified this apparent contradiction on a number of occasions, claiming he joined the EU to expose the EU, and that he is fighting the EU from within.

Oddly enough, that is the same argument made by an Asian businessman, Mo Chaudry, who has applied to join the BNP.

Nick Griffin made it to the EU despite his reservations about the EU. So how is Mo Chaudry's application to the BNP prospering?

From the Huddersfield Examiner:

BNP 'blocked' Asian man's application to join party

THE BNP have told an Asian businessman that his application to join the party will be blocked, he said today. Mo Chaudry, 49, had wanted to join the far-right party to "fight them from the inside".

The businessman, from Newcastle-Under-Lyme in Staffordshire, said he was seeking to take advantage of the enforced change to the party’s constitution to expose them.BNP members voted to admit black and Asian people last month when the party was threatened with an injunction by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

Pakistan-born Mr Chaudry, who is worth £60 million, runs a string of businesses around Stoke-on-Trent, which has eight BNP members on the city council. He is a star of the Channel 4 programme The Secret Millionaire, in which rich benefactors go undercover to find good ways of using their money. He said:

I debated with the BNP’s deputy leader Simon Darby on BBC Radio 5 Live and he told me that my application would be blocked. How can you be more discriminatory than that? People are not racist in Stoke-on-Trent and I have never experienced racism in my time here but the city council has eight BNP members. The good people that don’t vote need to get off their backsides and change things.

The EHRC is considering the changes the BNP have made to their membership rules and will be back in court on March 9. The EHRC has threatened legal action if the rules are still considered discriminatory.

People like who vote BNP?

2010-03-04T09:58:00.008Z

From Political Penguin:

You’d have thought by now the BNP would have got a bit wise when it comes to using pictures of nice happy smiling (decidedly white) families on their leaflets that it’s probably not best when trying to depict ‘British’ people, to use foreigners.

Not that they haven’t got form for it in the past, using Italian pensioners and the like but you’d have though they’d be clever enough not to get caught doing the same thing twice. Or perhaps they simply don’t have any members or friends and family who are reasonably aesthetically pleasing who are prepared to appear on their leaflets.

So, without further ado, I give you exhibit 1:

Fresh off the presses and being delivered in the Walsall North constituency today.

Now I don’t know if it’s just me. Call me picky if you will but for some strange reason, they just don’t look very British. I can’t place my finger on it, perhaps it’s the perfect pearly white teeth, the distinct hint of having a bit of a sun tan or the fact that it’s taken outside and there’s actually some sun about but this got me in the mood for a little Googling and what should crop up but this, Exhibit 2:

An orthodontics practice in Missouri. Incidentally, the website is here. Now you’ll notice that it’s not an identical photograph, clearly a stock photo from the same set but definitely of the same people.

Now I guess they could be a bunch of Brits who have a penchant for nutty right-wing parties who happen to do a bit of modelling that ends up on American orthodontics websites but I’m betting it’s a bunch of American models, which begs the question, why are the BNP using them on their literature, all patriotic n’all as they are.

By an independent blogger

BNP councillors are hopeless

2010-03-03T06:49:00.006Z

From the HOPE not hate blog:

Sometimes I don't have to think too hard to write copy for our election leaflets. The stupidity and uselessness of the BNP often hands us stories on a plate.

Just had a message about the BNP councillors in Sandwell who, as long-time followers of the HOPE not hate campaign will know, are particularly useless. Today was the budget meeting, the most important meeting in the council calendar, but two of the three BNP councillors (well, one was elected as BNP but now sits as an Independent Nationalist) failed to show and the third turned up at the beginning and promptly walked out as the meeting began. He returned half way through the meeting, sat there in silence and then, after the meeting had finished, tried to ask a question.

Luckily the people of Sandwell have a chance to throw out two useless BNP councillors and the Independent Nationalist in May.

The copy just writes itself.

By Nick Lowles

___________________________________________________________

Here are some more hopeless BNP Councillors:

A BNP councillor will face a standards investigation after he described an Asian garage attendant as “f***ing filth” on an internet blog:

Coventry Telegraph

A BNP councillor posts racist jibes on Facebook with his close drug-dealing friend:

Epping Forest BNP Watch

Swanley residents complain their BNP councillor has "done nothing" for the area:

This Is Local London

In Stoke resident and blogger Tony Walley complains bitterly about his BNP councillors:

Now the BNP don’t contribute at all. Alby & Ellie have taken over £32,000 in allowances and I honestly can not remember the last time either of them spoke at full council whether that is to support or oppose an issue. I have yet to hear them put anything forward as an alternative. . .They have simply just sat there and had their attendance mark and then left as early as they could. It is not good enough. The people that they represent deserve better. Don’t they have a duty to try and improve the City as well as serve their wards? Are they not obligated to put fresh policy ideas and initiatives forward. Isn’t being pro-active the best way of trying to win more support?

The site libcom has compiled a list of the worst twelve BNP councillors.

The right-leaning anti-fascist site Nothing British notes:

In every area where there are BNP candidates voters have been let down. The performance of BNP councillors reveals a shocking list of incompetence, absence and general indifference. Most BNP councillors rarely participate in council business, regularly skip meetings and ignore requests for help from local people.

The left-leaning anti-fascist site Lancaster Unity has a long long list of 'crap councillors' from the BNP.

Read it and despair.

Correction. Never despair. Just be sure to vote these hopeless BNP councillors OUT.

Helping HOPE

2010-03-03T06:40:00.007Z

From the HOPE not hate blog:

I’ve just sent out an email launching a new online canvassing service which will allow our supporters, wherever they live in the country, to play a vital role in defeating the BNP in our key target areas.

And, it has the added benefit that people will be able to campaign from the comfort of their own home.

Canvassing is an integral part of modern political campaigning. It enables parties to identify their supporters, understand key issues and concerns and maintain a dialogue with voters in the chosen areas.

Our goal is simple. To contact potential voters in our key areas (such as Barking & Dagenham and Stoke-on-Trent) and identify those who oppose the BNP. Once identified we will build up a relationship with these voters through a combination of direct mail, human contact and further phone calls in the hope that they will vote on Election Day itself.

So, if you want to make a call for HOPE, you can do so here.

By Nick Lowles

Hate Against Hope - BBC Radio 4

2010-03-02T11:09:00.002Z

From BBC Radio 4:

How the anti-racist struggles in London's East End in the 1970s and 80s relived the past.

Alan Dein hears how London's East End Bangladeshi community forged new alliances to oppose racism in the 1970s and 80s.

The East End had been a centre of racial struggle and opposition since the 1930s, when Oswald Mosely's Blackshirts had paraded through the then largely Jewish streets around Brick Lane. By the 1970s a new wave of predominantly Bangladeshi immigrants faced racism again from the National Front and its sympathisers.

As provocation and attacks increased, this community made new alliances with local anti-fascist activists, culminating in large-scale movements such as Rock Against Racism. Once again Brick Lane and the streets beyond became a battleground.

Hate Against Hope Broadcasts

Sat 6 Mar 2010 20:00 BBC Radio 4

Mon 8 Mar 2010 15:00 BBC Radio 4

BNP's policies do not make sense

2010-03-02T01:17:00.005Z

Here are some excellent links to explore from dedicated right-of-centre foes of the BNP, There's Nothing British About the BNP:

Analysing the BNP’s Policies

Policy Focus #20: Britain Under the BNP

Policy Focus #19: What the BNP’s policies tell us about their party

Policy Focus #18: How the BNP’s currency crisis would shut schools, fire teachers and send inflation soaring

Policy Focus #17: Why the BNP would bankrupt Britain

Policy Focus #16: How the BNP would leave us isolated from the world

Policy Focus #15: How BNP Britain would terrorise our minorities

Policy Focus #14: How the BNP would censor our press, our schools – and Eastenders

Policy Focus #13: How the BNP’s crime policy would unleash guns on our streets

Policy Focus #12: How the BNP’s immigration policies would turn Britain into a dystopian state

Policy Focus #11: How the BNP’s immigration policy would destroy Britain’s economy

Policy Focus #10: How the BNP’s policies would hit ordinary British families

Policy Focus #9: How the BNP would increase fuel poverty

Policy Focus #8: The BNP’s five policies to make food more expensive

Policy Focus #7: How the BNP would double your shopping bill

Policy Focus #6: Tax breaks for the rich, tax hikes for the poor

Policy Focus # 5: How the BNP would return us to an era of rationing

Policy Focus #4: Why foreign companies are good for British workers

Policy Focus #3: Why closing the City could cost you £1000

Policy Focus # 2: Why the BNP’s manufacturing plan would lose 8 million jobs

Policy Focus #1: Why the BNP’s tariffs could cost £1,300 per person

Nail-biting day

2010-03-01T13:18:00.003Z

From HOPE not hate blog:

Decision day

The HOPE not hate campaign is set to run its biggest and most professional campaign to date in the forthcoming elections. We hope to put thousands of people on the streets, hold hundreds of activities, run telephone canvassing and direct mail operations and conduct a huge media strategy using stories we’ve been building up for several months. At its height we will have over 25 people working on the campaign, with fully operational offices in Dagenham, Yorkshire and Stoke-on-Trent to co-ordinate our activities. It is a campaign that has taken months to prepare. Buying in data, literally building our Dagenham office, recruiting staff and fundraising has all taken time – often far more than intended.

However, there has always been one nagging fear, namely that the general election will be called early and so separating out the general election from the local elections. We believe that holding the two elections on the same day gives us the best chance to defeat the BNP. While voting will be more volatile than in the past it is hoped that the increased turnout for the general election will help defeat BNP candidates in the local elections. It will maximise activism and allow us to concentrate our resources where they are most needed.

Conversely, separating out the two elections will make our task all the harder in the local elections. The turnout will be pitifully low, activists will be tired and perhaps demoralised and we would have to strongly contest far more of our 102 ‘at risk’ wards than we would otherwise have to.

So, I did panic a bit yesterday morning when, after the Sunday Times poll showed the Tory lead down to two points there was increased speculation about a snap election. Today we will know. If Gordon Brown is to call a March election then he has to do it today. My money is he won’t but I’ll be waiting for the clock to strike midnight without an announcement with some anticipation.

Of course we’ve built contingency plans in case there is a March election but we would much prefer to take the BNP on in one go on 6 May.

UPDATE:

Yesterday passed off without Gordon Brown rushing to the Palace so there will be no March election. That’s certainly good news from our perspective and our emergency election plans have been neatly folded up and put back on the shelve and it’s back to the main May warbook.

Yesterday also saw our campaign in Stoke-on-Trent move forward. Sarah, our new worker up there, has been building on the success of Saturday’s hugely successful Day of Action. She has had meetings with political parties, trade unions and last night attended a meeting of the local anti-BNP group NorSCARF, with whom we want to compliment and work closely with. Almost 10,000 newspapers were put out on Saturday so Sarah is now drawing up plans to get the remaining 20,000 out before the next edition comes out at the end of this month.

We were also joined yesterday by Ros Wynne-Jones, who has come on board full-time until the election. Ros is our link with the Daily Mirror and she is working on our newspapers and other specials we are co-producing. Bit by bit the pieces of the jigsaw are falling into place. Our online telephone canvassing operation began yesterday, with hundreds of calls already having been made, we are working on the finishing touches to our direct mail campaign and we are just about to take on a couple more interns. The fact that Brown didn’t go to the Palace was a huge relief but whenever the election is called we will be ready.

By Nick Lowles

HOPE not hate campaign gets into gear

2010-02-28T11:33:00.002Z

From the HOPE not hate blog:

The campaign is really under way

The campaign centre is fantastic. Virtually built from scratch, it has desk space for 15 people, a telephone canvassing suite, a print room, kitchen and even a chill out area.

After months of preparation, fundraising and building, we are now really moving. Finally, it does seem the campaign is under way.

Unions sign up for HOPE

HOPE not hate held productive meeting with the PCS trade union and together we agreed a number of joint initiatives for the forthcoming election campaign. There will be a PCS version of our tabloid newspaper, support for our 17 April National Day of Action and the sponsorship of a booklet for young people.

The PCS also agreed to support our Union Day, when union activists talk to other union members, which this year will be on Monday 26 April. Unison has already committed its support to the day and it is hoped that several other unions will soon follow suit.

I am particularly pleased to be working with PCS. They have a really active membership, with branch meetings regularly attended by hundreds of people, and in their Make Your Vote Campaign they have an excellent electoral operation.

An Evening of HOPE

introduced our campaign to a new audience at the RSA (see previous post).

Off to a flyer in Stoke-on-Trent

At least 45 people took to the streets of Stoke-on-Trent yesterday in what was our first major activity of the year in the city. Almost 8,000 copies of a HOPE not hate newspaper were delivered in the two key wards of Bentilee and Townsend and Weston & Meir North, which between them have five BNP councillors.

The event, which was supported by the local anti-BNP group NorSCARF, was our largest in the city for two years. What was most encouraging was that virtually all the people out were from Stoke-on-Trent itself, including over 20 who had never done any campaigning with us before. I'm told that the atmosphere was really good and everyone promised to come out again.
Stoke-on-Trent is a major battleground in the forthcoming elections, with the BNP threatening to become the largest single party on the council and Simon Darby, the party’s deputy leader, with a chance of taking the Stoke Central parliamentary seat.

By Nick Lowles

An Evening of HOPE

2010-02-26T13:44:00.003Z

From HOPE not hate:

On Wednesday night over 50 people attended aHOPE not hate campaign reception at the RSA. Hosted by Lord David Shutt, Chairman of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, it was an opportunity to introduce our campaign to a new audience. David and I both gave very short speeches and there was a six-minute video but, to me anyway, the highlight of the evening was Sandra Vincent. A local HnH activist from Barking, she told the crowd how the BNP was spreading its poison amongst children and made an impassioned appeal for the audience to help HOPE not hate to help her to help the children of the borough.

Among those in the crowd was Floella Benjamin, a veteran TV star and educationalist but best known as a presenter of Play School and Play Away.

By Nick Lowles

Look who's talking -

2010-02-26T13:29:00.004Z

From HOPE not hate:

Robert Bailey (centre, above), leader of the BNP group on Barking and Dagenham council, thinks that Times journalists are "ugly and nasty".

Speaking to the Romford and Havering Post to defend the violent ejection of a Times reporter from a BNP meeting on 14 February, Bailey said:

A lot of people that work for The Times are very ugly and nasty.

The meeting, in an insalubrious pub in Elm Park, Hornchurch, voted to allow non-whites to join the BNP, but made other constitutional changes to ensure that they could never gain any power in the organisation.

Bailey, who is also the BNP's London organiser and has a drink driving conviction, is known for shouting abuse at a woman journalist through a loud hailer outside the offices of the Ilford Recorder.

By Sonia Gable

EXPOSE the BNP - launch today

2010-02-23T08:16:00.005Z

EXPOSE, a new campaign of media workers and students – journalists, technicians, designers, musicians and actors – is dedicated to exposing the British National Party as the racists, homophobes, anti-Semites, women-haters and fascists that they are.

EXPOSE Launch Public Meeting
Tuesday February 23, 7pm
Amnesty International Human Rights Centre
EC2A 3EA

In addition:

From the National Union of Journalists:

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has launched a new website, in a bid to inform reporters about the political tactics of the British National Party (BNP) in the run-up to the general election.

The new NUJ website highlights the important role journalists and the union can play in opposing the rise of fascism and the BNP in the remaining weeks before the UK general election.

Reporting the BNP gives information on what the BNP actually stands for, with detailed facts and arguments to counter the far-right organisations’ unfounded claims.

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said:

Challenging the fascist politics of hate is a job for every fair-minded person in our society, not just a task for committed activists. NUJ members are proud to play our part in exposing the myths on which modern Nazis seek to gain power.
Those journalists who may still believe that the rise of the BNP doesn’t affect them should consider the experience of Dominic Kennedy, investigations editor of The Times. He was brutally manhandled by BNP ‘security guards’ who expelled him from a press conference for the unspeakable crime of saying things their leaders didn’t like.
Strange behaviour from an organisation which claims it wants to ‘remove legal curbs on freedom of speech’. BNP leader Nick Griffin even praised his stormtroopers by saying of their thuggery: ‘That’s not the actions of a snivelling PC party, but of an organisation that has had enough of being lied about.’
That’s the true face of the BNP’s ‘freedom of expression’ policy.

Police eyes on white supremacists – vigilance urged by MPs

2010-02-21T15:50:00.001Z

From There's Nothing British About the BNP:

Nothing British, in partnership with the Centre for Social Cohesion, have published a report by Edmund Standing and Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens that highlights the potential threat from white supremacists committed to an agenda of violence against racial minorities.

Read the Blood_&_Honour report here.

The report is covered in today’s News of the World, here with Patrick Mercer MP calling for greater vigilance.

Denis MacShane MP writes in the forward to the report,

Like their jihadist counterparts, neo-Nazis are filled with hate, are conspiratorial and are prepared (and determined) to use extreme violence to achieve their political aims. If we want to reduce the threat we face from far-right extremism, it is imperative that new systems be put in place, allowing pre-emptive strikes against this budding threat.

The report lists three incidents of recent neo-Nazi-related threats:-

● In July, Yorkshire police raided a neo-Nazi terror cell with international links. They seized the largest suspected terrorist arsenal since the IRA bombings of the early 1990s. Twenty properties were raided and over 300 weapons and 80 bombs were discovered by counter-terrorism detectives. The hardware included rocket launchers, grenades, pipe bombs and dozens of firearms. Several people were charged, and over 30 were questioned over the incident.

● In September, Neil Lewington, a follower of B&H, was jailed indefinitely for attempting to launch a bombing campaign against non-white Britons. In his flat, police discovered a bomb-making factory and neo-Nazi literature. Court reports said that Lewington wanted to emulate his ‘heroes’ – David Copeland, the Soho bomber, and Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma bomber.

● In May, Terence Gavan, a card-carrying member of the BNP, was arrested after police raided his home. In January 2010, he was convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to 11 years in prison, after a stockpile of nail and ball-bearing bombs, shotguns, improvised explosive devices and pistols was found at his house.

It is important not to overstate these neo-Nazi anecdotes. Britain is not about to turn into the Fourth Reich. Al-Queada remains the bigger threat.

However, it is important that we remain vigilant towards people with an ideological commitment to creating violence between people of different races. In 2001 security services tracked young Islamist radicals at outward bound camps that seemed harmless at the time. Four years later, some of those men had become terrorists who sought to kill innocent civilians on July 7 and 21, 2005.

We must not make the same mistake again.

Norfolk boy posted racial hatred videos

2010-02-18T01:08:00.005Z

As a vulnerable youngster is contaminated by unBritish ideologies of hatred and division (see story below) HOPE not hate, Norfolk points the finger of shame and blame at adult racists.

The BNP and other parties that encourage racial and other divisions within our communities should be held responsible for the effect they have on our boys and girls. Children are not born racist. It is something they learn from adults.

Just as this young person was brought before the King's Lynn Youth Court for "inciting racial hatred", then so should the sly adults working behind the scenes who have incited this boy (directly or indirectly) into such actions be hauled before the courts.

From the BBC:

A boy from Norfolk who posted "highly disturbing" white supremacist videos online has been given a two-year conditional discharge.

The boy, 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted two charges of inciting racial hatred on or before 22 April 2008 at King's Lynn Youth Court.

The boy was 15 when he was arrested for posting videos on YouTube. The Crown Prosecution Service believes he is the youngest person in England and Wales prosecuted for the offence.

'Hate filled'

The boy also put material on a website he had set up himself, the court heard.

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer Viv Goddard said:

This is thought to be the first time the CPS has prosecuted someone as young as this defendant for incitement to racial hatred after posting racially-inflammatory material on a social networking site.
Young people need to realise that it is not a joke to post hate-filled material on video-sharing websites or sites they set up themselves.
The material in this case was not just offensive but highly disturbing in its violence and imagery.

'Seeking attention'

Mrs Goddard said it was difficult for the youth to deny responsibility as he had either filmed himself expressing racist opinions or had supplied his own comments as a voice over.

He had insisted that those who wanted to view his site had to agree to statements before they were allowed access, the lawyer said. These statements included "I do swear and verify that I am of the white race" and "I am not or have never been a follower of the Jewish religion".

The boy also stipulated that viewers "believe in the segregation of the races" and "have never engaged in an inter-racial relationship".

Defence lawyers told the court the youngster had special needs and had been seeking attention.

Nothing's changed: The BNP is still racist

2010-02-17T13:40:00.005Z

From HOPE not hate:

Nick Griffin had the cheek to say, following the change to the BNP constitution which will now allow non-white people to join the party, that no-one could now call the BNP racist.
Well, I for one am.

I've always been slightly uneasy with the media's slightly unhealthy fascination with the BNP membership rules, often to the exclusion of their other policies and rules. I was always afraid that the media would really believe something had fundamentally changed when they altered the party rulebook. Nothing has changed and it is vital for everyone to realise that. Quite apart from the thuggery which saw a Times journalist assaulted because he had written something unfavourable to the BNP, the rules were changed only because a court had demanded it.

The Times, in its editorial, summed it up perfectly:

The BNP is racist. Racism is an attitude, not a legalistic nicety. Mr Griffin made clear that the vote was merely an acknowledgement of “legal reality”. The party does not throw off a history of ideological conviction by acquiescing in what the law demands.

While the BNP will want everyone to focus on its rulebook change as proof of its new non-racist view, I would like people to concentrate on another part of the BNP constitution - which remains unchanged.

The British National Party stands for the preservation of the national and ethnic character of the British people and is wholly opposed to any form of racial integration between British and non-European peoples. It is therefore committed to stemming and reversing the tide of non-white immigration and to restoring, by legal changes, negotiation and consent, the overwhelmingly white makeup of the British population that existed in Britain prior to 1948.

Now, tell me that the BNP is not racist.

By Nick Lowles

The True Face of the BNP

2010-02-14T23:39:00.003Z

From Harry's Place:

Here are two articles which show the BNP for what it is – a party of racist thugs.

So, the BNP has apparently voted – at the point of a gun – to ’scrap’ its ‘whites only’ membership rule. I wonder if the new rule will maintain the stuff about ‘Norse-Scots-Irish-Celtic Folk Communities’. We will see.

But what’s this? James Bethell has the story:

His spin-doctors will say it was passed virtually unanimously on the day, but only 100 of the BNP’s 14,000 members could be bothered to attend the hastily-organised EGM in a remote East End pub (far from the party’s heartland in Yorkshire and the NE). Comment on the BNP’s network of blogs has remained hostile, despite a blizzard of begging emails and YouTube presentations from the Leader.

The country is looking quite hostile too:

The party is flat-lining in the polls – the Guardian suggested down from 4.8% in June 2009 to 1%.

The meeting was not without event: Meanwhile, BNP security guards assaulted and expelled Dominic Kennedy, the Times journalist who was reporting the party’s meeting.

Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, declared after the meeting:

We will carry on throwing The Times out until they report the truth. That’s all we ask.

The Times reports:

The Times meets that request with journalistic scrupulousness and no little incredulity. If Mr Griffin wants the truth to be told about the BNP, we can recount it from direct observation. The BNP purports to be a legitimate party; yet its behaviour reveals it at every turn to be exploitative, cynical, xenophobic and thuggish.…

Political parties by definition have a point of view. A newspaper’s responsibility is to report their actions and statements fairly but with critical detachment. When Mr Kennedy entered the BNP’s press conference, Richard Barnbrook, a BNP member of the London Assembly, demanded that he leave. Mr Barnbrook had taken exception to a profile of him published in Saturday’s edition of The Times. That was enough.

Mr Kennedy was not attending the meeting covertly. He had expressly been invited to report on it by Simon Darby, the party’s national press officer. On pointing this out, Mr Kennedy was physically ejected. His nose was grabbed, twisted and bloodied. A punch was thrown. He was pushed into a parked car outside the building.…

The BNP now likes to pose as a normal British political party. In fact, they are no such thing. In this country, it is not normal for political parties to rough up journalists. In this country, it is not normal for people to disown racism for reasons of convenience, rather than conviction. In this country, it is not normal to hijack the birthday celebrations of a wounded soldier for electoral gain. The BNP like to boast their Britishness but seem to have forgotten the most essential British values: free speech and fairness, compassion and respect. Yesterday, the BNP showed they are many things, but not British.

Read the whole remarkable account. It is an eye opener.

By Alan A, February 14th 2010, 10:52 pm

BNP candidate for Norfolk North West named

2010-02-13T05:25:00.005Z

Dave Fleming - not a well man

David Fleming has been nominated to contest the North West Norfolk parliamentary constituency for the British National Party, it has been announced. He has been with the BNP for just three years.

Mr Fleming has already sought support in his campaign. He appealed:

I would like to appeal for all supporters in the area to rally to our cause in preparation for what is likely to be a hate-filled smear campaign from our opponents.

Isn't this pre-emptive accusation in itself an early and combative "hate-filled smear" against his opponents before the campaign has even begun?

Opponents may hate the dangerous and divisive policies of the BNP, but they do not necessarily hate individuals within the BNP. Opponents do not have to be hate-filled to understand how obnoxious and unworkable BNP policies really are.

No opponent, as far as I know, has called for BNP members to be deported or even to go to the back of the queue for social services. No opponent of the BNP has called for their boats to be sunk. Rather it is the BNP that regularly issues such hate-filled statements.

Opponents of the BNP may well feel surprise and concern that Dave Fleming has been nominated by local BNP members, rather than anything like "hate". Is this nomination really in his best interests as an individual?

On Monday 20 July 2009 Simon Darby wrote in his blog:

Before I sign off I'm sure you will all join me in sending our best regards to Norfolk-based Dave Fleming. Dave has been working so hard in the Norwich North by-election he was taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack over the weekend. I spoke to him today and whilst he seemed OK, he has been instructed to put his feet up.

This blog noted at the time that Dave Fleming has been following a punishing regime for the BNP. In May 2009 he was with a British National Party delegation which descended on a Sunday morning service in a Norfolk village church and then launched a scathing attack on the Church.

In June Dave Fleming continued his gruelling canvassing and publicity-seeking, but he was an unsuccessful BNP Euro candidate and also unsuccessful in the county council election candidate for the King’s Lynn North and Central ward. There he came third out of four, below Labour in the voting. This must have been very stressful.

For much of July Dave Fleming was directing the doomed BNP campaign for Norwich North, which was not a happy experience. First of all the BNP candidate, the disgraced Robert West, did not arrive in Norwich until well into the campaign. Then his sparse and seedy reception committee at the car park of a derelict pub was exposed by three determined and well-informed Hope not hate campaigners who, despite being menaced and attacked, were able to photograph those present.

Thanks to those photographs, West's reception committee was later found to include Steve Ames, a dodgy car-dealer with a record for assault, and Martin Roberts, who peddles offensive racist items on his website, a website connected to known terrorist and BNP activist Lambertus Nieuwhof.

When the BNP was excluded from the question and answer hustings at Norwich City Hall they threatened to hold a press conference outside the City Hall, but in the event, none of the apparently dispirited BNP turned up. Dave Fleming had already lost his grip on the campaign.

The challenge to Robert West from the clergymen of Norfolk was the final devastating blow to BNP ambitions in Norwich North and to the work of Dave Fleming as campaign manager. In July 2009 Dave Fleming was ordered by his doctors to rest and recuperate after his suspected heart attack.

Does the BNP really have the best interests of Dave Fleming at heart when he is once again nominated for a frenetic pace of work on a new campaign?

Work for the BNP that comes at so much personal cost that even opponents of the BNP might express some concern rather than any "hate-filled smears".

Especially after learning that the "Reverend" Robert West will be assisting in the campaign.

HOPE not hate, NORFOLK

Extremism breeds extremism

Taking on extremism, including Islamic extremism

A plague on both their houses

From HOPE not hate:

Pat Richardson now Eastern Region membership secretary

From BNP News:

Obituary: Bill Fitt, Poringland BNP activist

The Man Who Introduced Nick Griffin to Nationalism

From BNP News:

All Norfolk BNP candidates lose their deposits

BNP total failure in Norfolk confirmed with last result

Crowther crashes in Broadland

Norfolk South West

Norfolk North West

Great Yarmouth

From the BBC

Norwich South - Clarke loses to LibDems

Target seat

Norfolk Mid

Norfolk North

Nick Griffin concedes defeat

VOTE!

BNP Marmite smear tactics

HOPE not hate letter from Dagenham

Full Monty from the BNP

The BNP has loony beliefs

The BNP has barmy ideas

Love Music Hate Racism

Letter to the BNP

Len Heather, candidate for Norwich South

From BNP Eastern Region Information:

BNP Election Leaflets Go AWOL in Anglia

BNP’s East Anglian clowns rise to new lows

Who is organising the BNP in Norfolk?

Thanks Private Eye

EDL/BNP vs KFC on POW rd

Do you know these thugs?

BNP launches its 'serious' manifesto

From Channel 4 News:

BNP admits it is the hate party

From HOPE not hate blog:

So where is the BNP manifesto?

IPPR: Weak communites cause rise of BNP

Sun shining on Barking and Dagenahm

Hope Not Hate: Stop the BNP in Barking and Dagenham

From Stand Up To Hate:

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

Could Norwich South be the referendum on New Labour?

Victory for Nothing British as BNP sack Nazi saluting candidate

Who is the BNP’s “soldier”?

Watchdog begins BNP accounts probe

From The Independent:

I fought the Nazis. Will you?

BNP Statement of Accounts

Another shameful BNP candidate

Questioning Norfolk BNP candidates

Confusion over BNP's election campaign

Another BNP member giving East Anglia a bad name

The BNP and the Killer Question

From Pickled Politics:

Introducing the BNP's Broadland candidate

City set for by-election rematch

Even more BNP death threats -

BNP’s Robert West to stand in Lincolnshire

BNP officers unite ‘unanimously’ after anti-Collett hate session

Opening a can of worms

More alleged BNP death threats

Easter hypocrisy from the BNP

Exit of three top BNP officers confirmed

BNP exploiting murder victims

BNP admits EU money pays for party staff

Sweet and sour at the Cherry Tree?

Calling all Norfolk anti-fascists

Would Nick Griffin wear a 'golliwog' badge?

Day of Action - 27 March

BNP chief Nick Griffin claims £200,000 Euro expenses

BNP: death threats 'R' us

Surprise surprise ! The BNP's new anti racists views are still racist

Publicity Stunt III - Norfolk