This article is from Seismic Shock, first published May 14, 2009, on the political blog, Harry's Place. The article reads as follows:
The BNP’s Robert West runs the Christian Council of Britain, which appears to be a Protestant group. Recently Rev West and the BNP have tried a new tactic to win votes in Norfolk: interrupting a service at St. Faith’s Church.
According to the BNP’s Dave Fleming:
“The Church in general is drifting away from Christianity…and the service at St Faith’s was amateur theatre and lacklustre. We sang some nice hymns, but rousing hymns are not enough to electrify the service. The scripture has to be illustrated and has to come from the heart. The Holy Spirit must move within the congregation. I did not feel any of that in church.”
The BNP is trying to win votes . . . amongst British Christians, and has tried to play off anti-Catholic attitudes.
The BNP’s Colin Farquhar has previously suggested that the EU is a Catholic plot to destroy the British and Protestant faith, whilst claiming that the Archbishop of Canterbury is merely an ‘agent of Rome’, and saying of ecumenism:
“In my youth .. union with other denominations was inconceivable … Yet the process of ecumenism is centuries old and no surprise to the Roman church, for this baby was conceived in the Vatican. It is part of the Jesuit Counter-Reformation plot to cause the downfall of the Protestant church and to bring the whole world under the domain of the Pope. For the Reformation was such a deadly blow to the apostate ‘Mother Church’ of Rome”
So let’s say there was a political party in Europe, claiming to represent strong Catholic values, that intimidated its nations’ Protestants? What would you imagine the reaction of the BNP to be? Outrage? Protests? A strongly worded statement?
Surely the BNP wouldn’t want to be associated with such people?
Yet the BNP does have ties to the Italian neo-fascist movement Forza Nuova, which was founded by Roberto Fiore. Fiore was a suspect in the Bologna Massacre and was involved in theTerza Posizione Movement. He was also instrumental in setting up the International Third Position alongside Nick Griffin, and runs a language school with links to Griffin’s parents. Fiore also introduced Christian Identity to the British Far Right.
The BNP is portraying itself as a party which represents Protestant British values. Yet the BNP is associated with Italian anti-Protestants. Consider Forza Nuova’s calls for “Waldensians to the stake!” in Rome in 2007.
The Waldensians are members of a religious Protestant movement that has been in Italy since the late twelfth century. Forza Nuova thus not only shamefully intimidate other ethnic and cultural groups such as Gypsies within Italy, but also other Italian religious minorities. And Forza Nuova’s own religious identity is pretty worrying.
Giulio Tam is a fascist lefebvriano priest. Tam praises the Reconquest of Spain, warns of an ‘extraordinary biological explosion’ in Italy, and argues for a stronger Catholicism to combat liberal secularism and Muslims. Giulio Tam has previously held masses by Mussolini’s grave.
He too is a member of Forza Nuova, and recently attended an international fascist rally in Milan:
And the BNP’s Simon Darby (was) at the same rally alongside Roberto Fiore -
So what’s going on here?
Let’s take the BNP’s idea for second that it represents Protestant values. Surely most British Protestants, whom the BNP claim to represent, are not happy that the BNP has links to violent anti-Protestants.
Does this not concern the BNP’s vicar Rev Robert West, who runs the Christian Council of Britain?
Monday, 6 July 2009
BBC Prioritises BNP
From Craig Murray's by-election blog:
"Totally out of touch with public mood, the BBC is prioritising political parties - any political party - over an independent candidate, even a serious one.
"The BBC's Michael Crick has denied any bias by the BBC in refusing to cover me on Newsnight.
"In Today's Independent on Sunday, Michael Crick states:
"Oh yes, that's right, it's all a big conspiracy, ordered by the BBC governors. Of course it's not. It was an accident. We're not obliged to report all the candidates. He'll have to join the queue behind the BNP and UKIP candidates to be interviewed. It's much ado about nothing."
"The BBC's desperation to promote the BNP as ahead of me is scary. Here are today's odds from Ladbrokes:
Conservatives 1/9
Labour 6/1
Greens 16/1
Craig Murray 25/1
Ian Gibson 33/1
Liberal Democrats 33/1
UKIP 100/1
BNP 200/1
Bill Holden 200/1
Libertarian Party 500/1
Official Monster Raving Loony 1000/1
"Can anybody see a genuine reason why I have to queue behind the BNP for an eventual interview, or why the Greens and Lib Dems have been heavily plugged by the BBC while I to date have not been reported at all? "
Craig Murray is standing as a candidate in the Norwich North by-election. He is a human rights activist, writer, and former British Ambassador, Rector of the University of Dundee and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Lancaster School of Law.
"Totally out of touch with public mood, the BBC is prioritising political parties - any political party - over an independent candidate, even a serious one.
"The BBC's Michael Crick has denied any bias by the BBC in refusing to cover me on Newsnight.
"In Today's Independent on Sunday, Michael Crick states:
"Oh yes, that's right, it's all a big conspiracy, ordered by the BBC governors. Of course it's not. It was an accident. We're not obliged to report all the candidates. He'll have to join the queue behind the BNP and UKIP candidates to be interviewed. It's much ado about nothing."
"The BBC's desperation to promote the BNP as ahead of me is scary. Here are today's odds from Ladbrokes:
Conservatives 1/9
Labour 6/1
Greens 16/1
Craig Murray 25/1
Ian Gibson 33/1
Liberal Democrats 33/1
UKIP 100/1
BNP 200/1
Bill Holden 200/1
Libertarian Party 500/1
Official Monster Raving Loony 1000/1
"Can anybody see a genuine reason why I have to queue behind the BNP for an eventual interview, or why the Greens and Lib Dems have been heavily plugged by the BBC while I to date have not been reported at all? "
Craig Murray is standing as a candidate in the Norwich North by-election. He is a human rights activist, writer, and former British Ambassador, Rector of the University of Dundee and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Lancaster School of Law.
Sunday, 5 July 2009
Bomb seizures spark far-right terror plot fear
A network of suspected far-right extremists with access to 300 weapons and 80 bombs has been uncovered by counter-terrorism detectives.
Thirty-two people have been questioned in a police operation that raises the prospect of a right-wing bombing campaign against mosques.
Police are said to have recovered a British National party membership card and other right-wing literature during a raid on the home of one suspect charged under the Terrorism Act.
In England’s largest seizure of a suspected terrorist arsenal since the IRA mainland bombings of the early 1990s, rocket launchers, grenades, pipe bombs and dozens of firearms have been recovered in the past six weeks during raids on more than 20 properties. Several people have been charged and more arrests are imminent. Current police activity is linked to arrests in Europe, New Zealand and Australia.
Police are examining allegations that many of the guns were manufactured or reactivated, then sold over the internet to viewers of a right-wing website.
Details of the previously secret operation were disclosed by Sir Norman Bettison, the chief constable of West Yorkshire, to security officials.
Police sources say that in a recent case not linked to the current arrests, detectives seized maps and plans of mosques from the homes of suspected far-right supporters. A senior Whitehall official said MI5 was monitoring the police investigation.
While the security agency did not have a brief to probe right-wing terrorism, that position was constantly under review, said the official. Fears have been heightened by the discovery of an alleged plot involving ricin, a lethal poison; two men have been been charged with offences under the Terrorism Act. Concerns that this might be part of a global trend have been reinforced by the case of James Von Brunn, the 88-year-old white supremacist charged with shooting dead a security guard at the Holocaust museum in America last month.
Bettison said 32 people had been arrested in the investigation, although the counter-terrorism unit in Leeds said this figure was in fact the number of people questioned. At least 22 properties have been searched.
The operation had thrown up evidence that suspects were communicating online.
“The internet gives it reach and scope,” said Bettison. “The big bad wolf is still the Al- Qaeda threat. But my people are knocking over right-wing extremists quite regularly. We are interdicting it so that it doesn’t first emerge into the public eye out of a critical incident like an explosion.”
Several alleged right-wing extremists have been charged with terrorism offences in the UK in the past year.
In one case, a jury convicted Martyn Gilleard, 31, a neo-Nazi forklift truck driver, who wanted to “secure a future for white children” and kept explosives at his flat in Goole, East Yorkshire. He built small hand-held bombs, and among the material seized were membership cards for the National Front, the British People’s party and the White Nationalist party. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
In 1999, David Copeland, the so-called London nail bomber, carried out a campaign against black, Asian and gay communities. His home-made devices each included up to 1,500 4in nails. In his final attack Copeland killed three people, including a pregnant woman, after nail bombing a Soho pub. He got a life sentence for murder.
Far-right parties across Europe are growing in popularity. In last month’s European elections, the BNP won two seats for the first time in Yorkshire and the northwest and took 6.2% of the national vote.
Sunday Times
Thirty-two people have been questioned in a police operation that raises the prospect of a right-wing bombing campaign against mosques.
Police are said to have recovered a British National party membership card and other right-wing literature during a raid on the home of one suspect charged under the Terrorism Act.
In England’s largest seizure of a suspected terrorist arsenal since the IRA mainland bombings of the early 1990s, rocket launchers, grenades, pipe bombs and dozens of firearms have been recovered in the past six weeks during raids on more than 20 properties. Several people have been charged and more arrests are imminent. Current police activity is linked to arrests in Europe, New Zealand and Australia.
Police are examining allegations that many of the guns were manufactured or reactivated, then sold over the internet to viewers of a right-wing website.
Details of the previously secret operation were disclosed by Sir Norman Bettison, the chief constable of West Yorkshire, to security officials.
Police sources say that in a recent case not linked to the current arrests, detectives seized maps and plans of mosques from the homes of suspected far-right supporters. A senior Whitehall official said MI5 was monitoring the police investigation.
While the security agency did not have a brief to probe right-wing terrorism, that position was constantly under review, said the official. Fears have been heightened by the discovery of an alleged plot involving ricin, a lethal poison; two men have been been charged with offences under the Terrorism Act. Concerns that this might be part of a global trend have been reinforced by the case of James Von Brunn, the 88-year-old white supremacist charged with shooting dead a security guard at the Holocaust museum in America last month.
Bettison said 32 people had been arrested in the investigation, although the counter-terrorism unit in Leeds said this figure was in fact the number of people questioned. At least 22 properties have been searched.
The operation had thrown up evidence that suspects were communicating online.
“The internet gives it reach and scope,” said Bettison. “The big bad wolf is still the Al- Qaeda threat. But my people are knocking over right-wing extremists quite regularly. We are interdicting it so that it doesn’t first emerge into the public eye out of a critical incident like an explosion.”
Several alleged right-wing extremists have been charged with terrorism offences in the UK in the past year.
In one case, a jury convicted Martyn Gilleard, 31, a neo-Nazi forklift truck driver, who wanted to “secure a future for white children” and kept explosives at his flat in Goole, East Yorkshire. He built small hand-held bombs, and among the material seized were membership cards for the National Front, the British People’s party and the White Nationalist party. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
In 1999, David Copeland, the so-called London nail bomber, carried out a campaign against black, Asian and gay communities. His home-made devices each included up to 1,500 4in nails. In his final attack Copeland killed three people, including a pregnant woman, after nail bombing a Soho pub. He got a life sentence for murder.
Far-right parties across Europe are growing in popularity. In last month’s European elections, the BNP won two seats for the first time in Yorkshire and the northwest and took 6.2% of the national vote.
Sunday Times
Friday, 3 July 2009
Christianity too soft and liberal? Start your own version.
If the BNP religious ideology were a boxing ring then at any time there are two main competing religions sparring for supremacy.
In one corner of the ring there is the slippery "Reverend" West with his Christian Council of Britain (CCoB), and in the other corner there stands a motley array of BNP members and bloggers who worship at a different Valhalla.
(The "Reverend" Robert West is the BNP candidate for the North Norwich by-election.)
As Seismic Shock in an article dated May 3, 2009 suggests, the BNP often claims to represent 'real' British Christianity through Robert West and the CCoB.
Then the article then goes on to quote the following:
‘Christianity despises the planet, and that is why we are facing the ecological crisis of today’, (and that) Christianity ‘had turned the natural, organic religions of Europe based on the symbolism of the tree, a living and growing symbol of perpetual life with the dead symbol of the cross’, and to conclude that ‘Christianity is dead’.
Which is "exactly what Lee Barnes of the BNP wrote in an article last summer. Lee Barnes is the BNP legal expert, key blogger, and prominent party member. Barnes revealed his racist interpretation of Odinism:
“In Odinism the God Odin is crucified like Christ to a tree. Unlike Christ whose redemption is found only after his death, Odin SURVIVES his torment on the tree and gains the wisdom of the Runes and thereby unlocks the secrets of the universe …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… "
Seismic Shock notes that for Barnes, Christianity represents a ‘death age’ which must be replaced by a ‘new religion’:
"The death age of christianity and liberalism has led to the age that William Blake regarded as Ulro - the lowest stage of human life possible where mans innate value has been replaced by his utility value. Just as Christianity grafted itself upon the hewn oaks of our heathen past, the new religion that is starting to sprout upon the stumps left behind by christianity and its pimp sister liberalism is a return to an organic and natural religion.”
These words echo the philosophy of BNP founder John Tyndall:
“What passes for Christianity in this country today can only be described as superstitious sociology; a bland doctrine of welfare-mongering with guilt, humility and self-abasement as its cardinal principles. We can only have contempt for a Church which, in the name of Christianity, facilitates the Islamic occupation of whole neighbourhoods, condones homosexuality, promotes multi-racialism and will forgive everything.
"Our race is our religion, and the nation is our church”.
Seismic Shock concludes:
"The BNP’s version of Christianity is incredibly warped and racist, characterised by alliances with Christian identity movements rather than any mainstream Christian groups. . . Its dealings with Christianity are shallow and superficial, lacking any constructive engagement with religious texts and instead attempting to use Christianity as a cultural identity marker to connect with white Britons in order to exclude minorities. According to the BNP’s founder, “our religion is our race.” The BNP’s “Christianity” should be recognised for what it is and rejected by all."
So there stands the "Reverend" Robert West in one corner of the small BNP boxing ring. He is wearing a purple cape of his own design, crudely painted with scenes from his own version of tough Old Testament fire-and-brimstone Christianity.
And in the other corner of the small BNP boxing ring stand the Odinists. They wear homespun garments of hemp, they hold hands, quaff mead, praise Mother Earth, and are garlanded with leaves and flowers - but they are not hippies.
Not liking 'liberal' love-thy-neighbour Christianity, the Odinists turned to the Norse Gods.
Not liking 'liberal' love-thy-neighbour Christianity, the "Reverend" Robert West started his own Christian Council of Britain.
These BNP members are of different religious beliefs, but in their flamboyant and attention-seeking extremism they are curiously alike.
In one corner of the ring there is the slippery "Reverend" West with his Christian Council of Britain (CCoB), and in the other corner there stands a motley array of BNP members and bloggers who worship at a different Valhalla.
(The "Reverend" Robert West is the BNP candidate for the North Norwich by-election.)
As Seismic Shock in an article dated May 3, 2009 suggests, the BNP often claims to represent 'real' British Christianity through Robert West and the CCoB.
Then the article then goes on to quote the following:
‘Christianity despises the planet, and that is why we are facing the ecological crisis of today’, (and that) Christianity ‘had turned the natural, organic religions of Europe based on the symbolism of the tree, a living and growing symbol of perpetual life with the dead symbol of the cross’, and to conclude that ‘Christianity is dead’.
Which is "exactly what Lee Barnes of the BNP wrote in an article last summer. Lee Barnes is the BNP legal expert, key blogger, and prominent party member. Barnes revealed his racist interpretation of Odinism:
“In Odinism the God Odin is crucified like Christ to a tree. Unlike Christ whose redemption is found only after his death, Odin SURVIVES his torment on the tree and gains the wisdom of the Runes and thereby unlocks the secrets of the universe …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… "
Seismic Shock notes that for Barnes, Christianity represents a ‘death age’ which must be replaced by a ‘new religion’:
"The death age of christianity and liberalism has led to the age that William Blake regarded as Ulro - the lowest stage of human life possible where mans innate value has been replaced by his utility value. Just as Christianity grafted itself upon the hewn oaks of our heathen past, the new religion that is starting to sprout upon the stumps left behind by christianity and its pimp sister liberalism is a return to an organic and natural religion.”
These words echo the philosophy of BNP founder John Tyndall:
“What passes for Christianity in this country today can only be described as superstitious sociology; a bland doctrine of welfare-mongering with guilt, humility and self-abasement as its cardinal principles. We can only have contempt for a Church which, in the name of Christianity, facilitates the Islamic occupation of whole neighbourhoods, condones homosexuality, promotes multi-racialism and will forgive everything.
"Our race is our religion, and the nation is our church”.
Seismic Shock concludes:
"The BNP’s version of Christianity is incredibly warped and racist, characterised by alliances with Christian identity movements rather than any mainstream Christian groups. . . Its dealings with Christianity are shallow and superficial, lacking any constructive engagement with religious texts and instead attempting to use Christianity as a cultural identity marker to connect with white Britons in order to exclude minorities. According to the BNP’s founder, “our religion is our race.” The BNP’s “Christianity” should be recognised for what it is and rejected by all."
So there stands the "Reverend" Robert West in one corner of the small BNP boxing ring. He is wearing a purple cape of his own design, crudely painted with scenes from his own version of tough Old Testament fire-and-brimstone Christianity.
And in the other corner of the small BNP boxing ring stand the Odinists. They wear homespun garments of hemp, they hold hands, quaff mead, praise Mother Earth, and are garlanded with leaves and flowers - but they are not hippies.
Not liking 'liberal' love-thy-neighbour Christianity, the Odinists turned to the Norse Gods.
Not liking 'liberal' love-thy-neighbour Christianity, the "Reverend" Robert West started his own Christian Council of Britain.
These BNP members are of different religious beliefs, but in their flamboyant and attention-seeking extremism they are curiously alike.
Thursday, 2 July 2009
Churches should confront the BNP rhetoric
Simon Barrow, is also a co-director of the religion and society think-tank Ekklesia.
Ekklesia has been warning of the rise of the far right and their use of 'Christian' rhetoric for some time.
Barrow writes that
"more than condemnation or hand-wringing distaste is required to tackle the BNP and others who seek to foster fear and anger towards particular groups in society."
"The BNP have openly been using 'Christian nation' rhetoric. Churches need to dissect and reject attempts to identify and conflate faith, race and nation, as well as combatting the mainstream drift towards blaming, targeting and scapegoating migrants.
"Inequality, pockets of serious deprivation and the growing gap between governors and governed produced by a political system in need of major reform have also built the resentment that causes some people to mistakenly vote for the BNP. 'Business as usual' is not an option now, for the churches or anyone else."
From Ekklesia, a think-tank that promotes transformative theological ideas in public life
Ekklesia has been warning of the rise of the far right and their use of 'Christian' rhetoric for some time.
Barrow writes that
"more than condemnation or hand-wringing distaste is required to tackle the BNP and others who seek to foster fear and anger towards particular groups in society."
"The BNP have openly been using 'Christian nation' rhetoric. Churches need to dissect and reject attempts to identify and conflate faith, race and nation, as well as combatting the mainstream drift towards blaming, targeting and scapegoating migrants.
"Inequality, pockets of serious deprivation and the growing gap between governors and governed produced by a political system in need of major reform have also built the resentment that causes some people to mistakenly vote for the BNP. 'Business as usual' is not an option now, for the churches or anyone else."
From Ekklesia, a think-tank that promotes transformative theological ideas in public life
Who is the BNP's candidate for Norwich North, the mysterious 'Reverend' West?
Jonathan Bartley, co-director of of the religion and society think-tank Ekklesia writes:
It's high time (West) disclosed exactly where he gets his "Rev" title from.
I confronted him on BBC 1's The Big Questions 10 days ago, but he was unforthcoming.
He first came to our attention when he set up the BNP front organisation "The Christian Council of Britain" in 2006. We reported it here. When I asked him on the Big Questions how many members it has he avoided the question.
I suspect it has a membership of one (himself).
There is no church to our knowledge in the UK that doesn't condemn the racist party. It was suggested by The Times a while ago that he might belong to the Apostlic Church. However, the Apostolic Church expressed no knowledge of West.
A spokesperson for the church said; "If this person has had any association with The Apostolic Church in the past the only means by which he can maintain either his membership or office is by attending one of our churches. If he were an active member of the Church his views would not be accepted by the Church and disciplinary action would be undertaken by the Church which strongly distances itself from views such as these."
Will any church come forward to claim him? Or is this another example of BNP deception? Is his "Rev" status somehow derived from the Christian Council of Britain? And if so, who ordained him if it only has a membership of one?
From Ekklesia, a think-tank that promotes transformative theological ideas in public life
It's high time (West) disclosed exactly where he gets his "Rev" title from.
I confronted him on BBC 1's The Big Questions 10 days ago, but he was unforthcoming.
He first came to our attention when he set up the BNP front organisation "The Christian Council of Britain" in 2006. We reported it here. When I asked him on the Big Questions how many members it has he avoided the question.
I suspect it has a membership of one (himself).
There is no church to our knowledge in the UK that doesn't condemn the racist party. It was suggested by The Times a while ago that he might belong to the Apostlic Church. However, the Apostolic Church expressed no knowledge of West.
A spokesperson for the church said; "If this person has had any association with The Apostolic Church in the past the only means by which he can maintain either his membership or office is by attending one of our churches. If he were an active member of the Church his views would not be accepted by the Church and disciplinary action would be undertaken by the Church which strongly distances itself from views such as these."
Will any church come forward to claim him? Or is this another example of BNP deception? Is his "Rev" status somehow derived from the Christian Council of Britain? And if so, who ordained him if it only has a membership of one?
From Ekklesia, a think-tank that promotes transformative theological ideas in public life
BNP's 'Slippery' West
(Great youtube commentary on the the BNP's candidate for Norwich North here.)
From Norfolk Unity by Denise G:
The BNP's strange decision to nominate the slippery "Reverend" West has been something of a gift to Norfolk anti-fascists. His refusal to come clean regarding the validity of his alleged ordination is already being discussed in the local press, and we expect the matter to be persued by television journalists if the BNP allows their candidate to go before the cameras.
In Norwich North the BNP will be looking to save its deposit. Anything else would be a bonus, bolstering the party's premature claim to have broken into the mainstream. The only occasion on which the BNP tested the electoral waters in the area was in the June County Council elections, when local organiser Julia Howman stood in Sprowston, coming last but with 6.67% of the vote (UKIP polled 19.11%).
Anti-fascist campaigners will be attempting to keep the BNP's vote below the 5% required to save its deposit.
Questions have also been raised concerning the political past of UKIP candidate Glenn Tingle.
Rumours have been planted (by BNP members we must stress) that Tingle was once a National Front activist in Norwich. Though UKIP supporters have denied the rumour, to date we have yet to hear Mr Tingle make a direct refutation. Verifiable information on the truth of the rumour is welcomed, but we do not intend to repeat anything not backed by concrete fact.
The campaign against the BNP in Norwich North is being organised by Norfolk HOPE not hate and Norwich Trades Council. If you can help out on the ground please contact the campaign via the main HOPE not hate website, the Norwich Trade Council website, or the Norfolk HOPE not hate blog.
Other local websites that will be covering the by-election and supporting the anti-fascist campaign are Norfolk Unity and Great Yarmouth HOPE not hate.
From Norfolk Unity by Denise G:
The BNP's strange decision to nominate the slippery "Reverend" West has been something of a gift to Norfolk anti-fascists. His refusal to come clean regarding the validity of his alleged ordination is already being discussed in the local press, and we expect the matter to be persued by television journalists if the BNP allows their candidate to go before the cameras.
In Norwich North the BNP will be looking to save its deposit. Anything else would be a bonus, bolstering the party's premature claim to have broken into the mainstream. The only occasion on which the BNP tested the electoral waters in the area was in the June County Council elections, when local organiser Julia Howman stood in Sprowston, coming last but with 6.67% of the vote (UKIP polled 19.11%).
Anti-fascist campaigners will be attempting to keep the BNP's vote below the 5% required to save its deposit.
Questions have also been raised concerning the political past of UKIP candidate Glenn Tingle.
Rumours have been planted (by BNP members we must stress) that Tingle was once a National Front activist in Norwich. Though UKIP supporters have denied the rumour, to date we have yet to hear Mr Tingle make a direct refutation. Verifiable information on the truth of the rumour is welcomed, but we do not intend to repeat anything not backed by concrete fact.
The campaign against the BNP in Norwich North is being organised by Norfolk HOPE not hate and Norwich Trades Council. If you can help out on the ground please contact the campaign via the main HOPE not hate website, the Norwich Trade Council website, or the Norfolk HOPE not hate blog.
Other local websites that will be covering the by-election and supporting the anti-fascist campaign are Norfolk Unity and Great Yarmouth HOPE not hate.
Not in My Name
This is a message from Nick Lowles of HOPE not hate:
In just two weeks the BNP will be taking their seats in the European Parliament. We need to send the strongest possible message that they are not there in our name.
Over 80,000 people have already done just this by signing our Not in my Name petition - I need your help to make sure that over 100,000 have signed this petition by the time the BNP go to Strasbourg.
If we're going to send the strongest message to the BNP we'll all need to redouble our efforts - will you sign? Will you send a quick message to your friends?
http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/morenamesneeded
I need your help in showing that Griffin and Brons don't represent us - that they don't speak for Britain.
I'm currently organising who we're going to hand our petition in to at the European Parliament on July 14th and I want to make sure that as many people as possible have signed our petition before then.
Thank you,
Nick
In just two weeks the BNP will be taking their seats in the European Parliament. We need to send the strongest possible message that they are not there in our name.
Over 80,000 people have already done just this by signing our Not in my Name petition - I need your help to make sure that over 100,000 have signed this petition by the time the BNP go to Strasbourg.
If we're going to send the strongest message to the BNP we'll all need to redouble our efforts - will you sign? Will you send a quick message to your friends?
http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/morenamesneeded
I need your help in showing that Griffin and Brons don't represent us - that they don't speak for Britain.
I'm currently organising who we're going to hand our petition in to at the European Parliament on July 14th and I want to make sure that as many people as possible have signed our petition before then.
Thank you,
Nick
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
BNP tells the Church to "grow up"
At the end of May 2009 the BNP called for a ‘National Day of Prayer'
This is what political commentator Edmund Standing wrote at the time:
The BNP has produced a new leaflet which it wants supporters to print off and place in churches.
In the continuing saga of the BNP trying to present itself as Britain’s ‘pro-Christian’ Party, this time it launches an attack on what it calls ‘Judas Archbishops’ and calls for a ‘National Day of Prayer’.
(According to the BNP) "The Church of England has consistently failed to live up to its sacred role as guardian of the soul of the British people. For this reason, it falls to us in the British National Party to call for a ‘National Day of Prayer’. We urge everyone who loves Britain to pray for our national deliverance from the difficulties in which we currently find ourselves."
But pray to who? No ‘god’ is named, but given the Christian emphasis we can safely assume prayers will be directed in the name of a Jewish teacher who reportedly spent time as an asylum seeker. Of course, the BNP’s idea of what constitutes Christianity is somewhat different to what the mainstream denominations teach, as Seismic Shock and I have previously noted.
Despite an overwhelmingly negative view of the Church today
"The British National Party invites dialogue with church leaders. The massive support enjoyed by our party requires that the Church of England grow up, respect our mandate and engage us appropriately."
Ah, yes, we’ve seen that kind of ‘respect‘ for mandates and ‘appropriate engagement‘ before, haven’t we?
This latest ‘Christian’ initiative from the BNP has gone down well with some of its members, as the comments section on its website shows. Here are a few gems:
Artorius:
The Archdhimmi always has been a pro-Marxist surrender-monkey:
“Williams took part in anti-nuclear demonstrations at United States bases. In 1985, he was arrested for singing psalms as part of a protest organized by the Committee for Nuclear Disarmament at Lakenheath, an American air base in Suffolk; his fine was paid by his college.”
sam77o7uk:
This is one of the best ideas from the British National Party that I’ve heard of ever…
With God on our side we will not be the Losers…
Rev. K. Warrington:
Canterbury and York are in the service of the Antichrist!
Rise up all you good men and women! Rise up against these agents of Satan!
Stand with the British National Party!
Stand - Men Of The West!
Unitar7:
The Archbishops are not Christians, they are souless, mechanistic, marxoid atheists who have stabbed their Saviour in the back! You don’t have to be a Christian to understand what spirituality means. I am what most people would understand to be a Pagan. That is, nature is my ‘god’. But most parish Christians are good and decent folk, and like me they feel in their hearts that a creative force is behind all life and existence.
Not so the traitor Archbishops in the pay of dark and destructive unnatural forces. The sword of truth awaits them!
BNP spokesman and legal adviser Lee Barnes has his say:
The Church of England is a vile organisation, infested with pederasts who are protected by Bishops and priests from prosecution and riddled with Marxists who worship Che Guevara instead of Jesus Christ and Marx instead God [sic].
This is what political commentator Edmund Standing wrote at the time:
The BNP has produced a new leaflet which it wants supporters to print off and place in churches.
In the continuing saga of the BNP trying to present itself as Britain’s ‘pro-Christian’ Party, this time it launches an attack on what it calls ‘Judas Archbishops’ and calls for a ‘National Day of Prayer’.
(According to the BNP) "The Church of England has consistently failed to live up to its sacred role as guardian of the soul of the British people. For this reason, it falls to us in the British National Party to call for a ‘National Day of Prayer’. We urge everyone who loves Britain to pray for our national deliverance from the difficulties in which we currently find ourselves."
But pray to who? No ‘god’ is named, but given the Christian emphasis we can safely assume prayers will be directed in the name of a Jewish teacher who reportedly spent time as an asylum seeker. Of course, the BNP’s idea of what constitutes Christianity is somewhat different to what the mainstream denominations teach, as Seismic Shock and I have previously noted.
Despite an overwhelmingly negative view of the Church today
"The British National Party invites dialogue with church leaders. The massive support enjoyed by our party requires that the Church of England grow up, respect our mandate and engage us appropriately."
Ah, yes, we’ve seen that kind of ‘respect‘ for mandates and ‘appropriate engagement‘ before, haven’t we?
This latest ‘Christian’ initiative from the BNP has gone down well with some of its members, as the comments section on its website shows. Here are a few gems:
Artorius:
The Archdhimmi always has been a pro-Marxist surrender-monkey:
“Williams took part in anti-nuclear demonstrations at United States bases. In 1985, he was arrested for singing psalms as part of a protest organized by the Committee for Nuclear Disarmament at Lakenheath, an American air base in Suffolk; his fine was paid by his college.”
sam77o7uk:
This is one of the best ideas from the British National Party that I’ve heard of ever…
With God on our side we will not be the Losers…
Rev. K. Warrington:
Canterbury and York are in the service of the Antichrist!
Rise up all you good men and women! Rise up against these agents of Satan!
Stand with the British National Party!
Stand - Men Of The West!
Unitar7:
The Archbishops are not Christians, they are souless, mechanistic, marxoid atheists who have stabbed their Saviour in the back! You don’t have to be a Christian to understand what spirituality means. I am what most people would understand to be a Pagan. That is, nature is my ‘god’. But most parish Christians are good and decent folk, and like me they feel in their hearts that a creative force is behind all life and existence.
Not so the traitor Archbishops in the pay of dark and destructive unnatural forces. The sword of truth awaits them!
BNP spokesman and legal adviser Lee Barnes has his say:
The Church of England is a vile organisation, infested with pederasts who are protected by Bishops and priests from prosecution and riddled with Marxists who worship Che Guevara instead of Jesus Christ and Marx instead God [sic].
Norwich North: Hot, Spicy And World News
From Sky News by Jon Craig:
Norwich?
City of Colman's mustard, Delia Smith and Alan Partridge. And now also for what will surely be a famous by election, on July 23, with huge significance in the run-up to the 2010 general election.
If the Conservatives can overturn the 5,459 majority won by veteran Labour rebel Ian Gibson at the last election, David Cameron will be more confident of victory in the general election next year.
But if Labour can - against the odds - hold on, Gordon Brown's gamble of a quick dash to the polls will have paid off and the Labour fightback will suddenly start to look more credible.
Gibson, a 70-year-old former University of East Anglia academic who has quit after being dumped by Labour over his expenses, won the seat from the Tories with a thumping 10,000 majority in Labour's 1997 landslide. In 1992 he came close, narrowly losing to the Conservatives by just 266 votes.
The Lib Dems polled 16 per cent of the vote in 2005, just ahead of the Greens, who did well in Norwich North in the local and European elections four weeks ago but are stronger in Charles Clarke's Norwich South constituency.
Labour's candidate in the byelection, who was only selected last weekend, is 28-year-old Chris Ostrowski, a UEA graduate who now works for John Lewis. Yes, the upmarket retailer of "John Lewis list" fame in the long-running Westminster expenses scandal.
The Conservative candidate is Chloe Smith, 27, who the Tories claim is local but doesn't actually live in the constituency, I'm told. She was selected 18 months ago to fight the next general election.
Two young candidates, then. Whichever one wins - and though the Lib Dems and Greens can influence the outcome, they won't win - Norwich North will have the youngest MP in the Commons after the by election.
Ladbrokes make the Tories 1/2 favourites, Labour 9/2, Green 12/1 and the Lib Dems 33/1.
Now you may have gathered from my first paragraph that I know very little about Norwich. My good friend Philip Webster, political editor of The Times, tells me it's "God's own city in God's own county". But then he is a Norfolk boy and is a tad biased.
My Sky News colleague Laura Bundock, a Norfolk girl, tells me:
Keen as mustard, you might say.
A by election in high summer in the city of Colman's and Delia: hot, spicy and tasty.
Or, as Alan Partridge might say: "Ah ha".
Norwich?
City of Colman's mustard, Delia Smith and Alan Partridge. And now also for what will surely be a famous by election, on July 23, with huge significance in the run-up to the 2010 general election.
If the Conservatives can overturn the 5,459 majority won by veteran Labour rebel Ian Gibson at the last election, David Cameron will be more confident of victory in the general election next year.
But if Labour can - against the odds - hold on, Gordon Brown's gamble of a quick dash to the polls will have paid off and the Labour fightback will suddenly start to look more credible.
Gibson, a 70-year-old former University of East Anglia academic who has quit after being dumped by Labour over his expenses, won the seat from the Tories with a thumping 10,000 majority in Labour's 1997 landslide. In 1992 he came close, narrowly losing to the Conservatives by just 266 votes.
The Lib Dems polled 16 per cent of the vote in 2005, just ahead of the Greens, who did well in Norwich North in the local and European elections four weeks ago but are stronger in Charles Clarke's Norwich South constituency.
Labour's candidate in the byelection, who was only selected last weekend, is 28-year-old Chris Ostrowski, a UEA graduate who now works for John Lewis. Yes, the upmarket retailer of "John Lewis list" fame in the long-running Westminster expenses scandal.
The Conservative candidate is Chloe Smith, 27, who the Tories claim is local but doesn't actually live in the constituency, I'm told. She was selected 18 months ago to fight the next general election.
Two young candidates, then. Whichever one wins - and though the Lib Dems and Greens can influence the outcome, they won't win - Norwich North will have the youngest MP in the Commons after the by election.
Ladbrokes make the Tories 1/2 favourites, Labour 9/2, Green 12/1 and the Lib Dems 33/1.
Now you may have gathered from my first paragraph that I know very little about Norwich. My good friend Philip Webster, political editor of The Times, tells me it's "God's own city in God's own county". But then he is a Norfolk boy and is a tad biased.
My Sky News colleague Laura Bundock, a Norfolk girl, tells me:
Norwich North is a mixed bag, lots of council houses, especially in Mile Cross ward, but very suburban around Thorpe St Andrew. Norwich city centre is not in the constituency.Which is why the Conservatives are throwing everything but the kitchen sink (whether or not it's paid for by taxpayers and approved by the Fees Office) at the byelection. David Cameron has already been twice and George Osborne and Chris Grayling once.
Don't forget, the boundaries are moving after the next general election. Norwich North is losing Drayton and Taverham, very traditionally Conservative wards. So if Labour is going to hold the seat, now is the best time.
Keen as mustard, you might say.
A by election in high summer in the city of Colman's and Delia: hot, spicy and tasty.
Or, as Alan Partridge might say: "Ah ha".
Aiming to do ‘something remarkable’
The Green Party has the chance to "do something remarkable" in Norwich, according to its leader who visited the city yesterday.
Caroline Lucas joined Norwich North candidate Rupert Read on the campaign trail at the Dussindale walk-in health centre, which also played host to Conservative leader David Cameron last week.
"The current level of support for the Green Party is unprecedented and the kind of profile we have nationally, with the European elections, and here in Norwich is phenomenal," she said.
Dr Lucas, who was one of the first from the Green Party to be elected to the European Parliament, said that when she started with the party in 1986 the subject of the environment was not as high on the agenda with the general public as it is now.
And on the topic of Norwich North, Dr Lucas said she was going to do whatever she could to help Dr Read.
"We could do something remarkable here. We are going to be doing everything possible to make people who are disillusioned with the other parties and looking for something fresh and with energy know that we are here," she said.
Sheila Childerhouse, chairman of NHS Norfolk, said they were pleased the spotlight was on the walk-in centre and were excited about the future of the building and the community resource it could become.
A new GP-led health centre opens in The Mall, Norwich on July 21.
TARA GREAVES
EDP24
Caroline Lucas joined Norwich North candidate Rupert Read on the campaign trail at the Dussindale walk-in health centre, which also played host to Conservative leader David Cameron last week.
"The current level of support for the Green Party is unprecedented and the kind of profile we have nationally, with the European elections, and here in Norwich is phenomenal," she said.
Dr Lucas, who was one of the first from the Green Party to be elected to the European Parliament, said that when she started with the party in 1986 the subject of the environment was not as high on the agenda with the general public as it is now.
And on the topic of Norwich North, Dr Lucas said she was going to do whatever she could to help Dr Read.
"We could do something remarkable here. We are going to be doing everything possible to make people who are disillusioned with the other parties and looking for something fresh and with energy know that we are here," she said.
Sheila Childerhouse, chairman of NHS Norfolk, said they were pleased the spotlight was on the walk-in centre and were excited about the future of the building and the community resource it could become.
A new GP-led health centre opens in The Mall, Norwich on July 21.
TARA GREAVES
EDP24
By-election speculation
Insight on constituency they’re all fighting for
The launch of the Norwich North by-election brings a fresh poll challenge for Gordon Brown after disastrous council and European Parliament election results.
In its mix of urban, suburban and rural the constituency bears a - for Labour - frightening resemblance to Crewe and Nantwich, scene of Tories' triumph last year with the swing needed for change even lower at 5.9pc.
Surprisingly, less than half the electorate lives within the city boundaries with the remainder in Norfolk's Broadland district.
In the June 4 county elections, the constituency's four Norwich wards saw the return of Labour in only one - by just 99 votes - with one for Tories and two for the Green Party which has recently seen a surge in support in the city.
Also in the council contests, it topped the polls in next-door Norwich South.
Tories won comfortably in the Broadland divisions. These cover Hellesdon, Old Catton, Sprowston, Thorpe St Andrew and Woodside, at one time separate towns and villages but long since overtaken by the city's suburban growth.
However, further out, Drayton and Taverham are still surrounded by rural Norfolk.
Calculating party support ahead of the by-election is difficult due to division boundaries overlapping constituency ones.
An approximation would give a line-up based on the June 4 results of:
Conservatives 10,656 (40.1pc);
Labour 4,953 (18.6pc);
Lib Dem 4,371 (16.5pc);
Green 4,251 (16.0pc);
Ukip - standing in only four seats - 2,106 (7.9pc);
BNP 228 (0.9pc).
Just over 1,000 constituency electors are in another city ward and a larger number in a further Broadland division.
Labour, Lib Dems and Greens will be seeking to establish themselves early in the campaign as the main challenger to the Tories.
But at this stage its looks an uphill struggle despite's Norwich's long record of radicalism back to Kett's rebellion in the 16th century and the civil war.
May 2005 General Election results:
Norwich North -
Gibson (Lab) 21,097 (44.9pc);
Tumbridge (C) 15,638 (33.2pc);
Whitmore (Lib Dem) 7,616 (16.2pc);
Holmes (Green) 1,252 (2.7pc);
Youles (Ukip) 1,122 (2.4pc);
Holden (Ind) 308 (0.7pc).
Majority 5,459.
EDP24
The launch of the Norwich North by-election brings a fresh poll challenge for Gordon Brown after disastrous council and European Parliament election results.
In its mix of urban, suburban and rural the constituency bears a - for Labour - frightening resemblance to Crewe and Nantwich, scene of Tories' triumph last year with the swing needed for change even lower at 5.9pc.
Surprisingly, less than half the electorate lives within the city boundaries with the remainder in Norfolk's Broadland district.
In the June 4 county elections, the constituency's four Norwich wards saw the return of Labour in only one - by just 99 votes - with one for Tories and two for the Green Party which has recently seen a surge in support in the city.
Also in the council contests, it topped the polls in next-door Norwich South.
Tories won comfortably in the Broadland divisions. These cover Hellesdon, Old Catton, Sprowston, Thorpe St Andrew and Woodside, at one time separate towns and villages but long since overtaken by the city's suburban growth.
However, further out, Drayton and Taverham are still surrounded by rural Norfolk.
Calculating party support ahead of the by-election is difficult due to division boundaries overlapping constituency ones.
An approximation would give a line-up based on the June 4 results of:
Conservatives 10,656 (40.1pc);
Labour 4,953 (18.6pc);
Lib Dem 4,371 (16.5pc);
Green 4,251 (16.0pc);
Ukip - standing in only four seats - 2,106 (7.9pc);
BNP 228 (0.9pc).
Just over 1,000 constituency electors are in another city ward and a larger number in a further Broadland division.
Labour, Lib Dems and Greens will be seeking to establish themselves early in the campaign as the main challenger to the Tories.
But at this stage its looks an uphill struggle despite's Norwich's long record of radicalism back to Kett's rebellion in the 16th century and the civil war.
May 2005 General Election results:
Norwich North -
Gibson (Lab) 21,097 (44.9pc);
Tumbridge (C) 15,638 (33.2pc);
Whitmore (Lib Dem) 7,616 (16.2pc);
Holmes (Green) 1,252 (2.7pc);
Youles (Ukip) 1,122 (2.4pc);
Holden (Ind) 308 (0.7pc).
Majority 5,459.
EDP24
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