There’s an internet campaign demanding BNP leader Nick Griffin aplogise for Holocaust denial. Stirrer editor Adrian Goldberg – whose Jewish grandparents perished at the hands of the Nazis – explains why he’s signing up.
When I first got the email asking to put name to the petition, I’ll admit I wavered.
The internet is over-stuffed with requests to sign this or join that, and this seemed like just another excuse to hit the “delete” button.
But then I thought again.
My fathers’ parent died as a result of racist extremism, and Griffin’s denial of the fact of their extermination – and that of millions of others – is an insult to their memory.
Compared to their loss of life, the mild inconvenience involved in adding an electronic signature doesn’t seem much does it?
The dossier drawn up by the anti-fascist organisation Hope Not Hate is certainly a persuasive one.
They recall that during a trial for incitement to racial hatred (for which he was convicted in 1998) Griffin wrote, “I am well aware that the orthodox opinion is that 6 million Jews were gassed and cremated or turned into lamp shades.
“Orthodox opinion also once held that the earth is flat ... I have reached the conclusion that the 'extermination' tale is a mixture of Allied wartime propaganda, extremely profitable lie and latter witch-hysteria."
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday Griffin later added: "It's well known that the chimneys from the gas chambers at Auschwitz are fake, built after the war ended."
Griffin has never, so far as I am aware, recanted these views. Now Hope Not Hate are inviting him to simply say sorry – and I’m more than happy to join the clamour.
Come on, Nick. It’s the least you can do.
The Hope Not Hate blurb says it all: “We need your help in fighting back against these disgusting and degrading lies.
The Holocaust remains a horrific scar on humanity's conscience - but the Nazi message of hate still remains a corrosive force within our society.
”It damages all of us.
”Only by confronting and defeating this hate can we build a country based on humanity and justice. We must fight his lies and he must be held to account.
“Please join our campaign to get Griffin to publicly retract these remarks and then invite your friends to do the same.”
Sign the petition here http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/
Adrian Goldberg
The Stirrer
29 January 2009
25 January 2009
The biggest anti-fascist campaign ever
The BNP is looking to exploit the recession to win Euro seats; but thousands of people will thwart its message of hate
Over the next few months Searchlight and its HOPE not hate campaign will be gearing up to prevent the BNP from winning seats in the European elections. We anticipate mobilising thousands of activists and delivering over 2 million leaflets and newspapers in what will be the biggest and most intense anti-fascist campaign in history.
And it is needed. The BNP poses a threat in six Euro regions, with as little as 7.5% required in the North West, where the party leader, Nick Griffin, is standing. With Ukip faltering, few local elections and the economy hurtling into recession, we will need everyone who opposes the BNP's message of hate to play a part. A BNP victory will change the political landscape in Britain.
The last few years have seen the British National Party make significant electoral gains across the length and breadth of the political landscape – often off the radar of the political and media class at Westminster, which has remained preoccupied with a very small part of the electoral map that decides Westminster elections: so-called middle Britain.
Quietly but steadily the BNP has been building its support. While many commentators have focused on its traditional heartlands in the Lancashire and Yorkshire mill towns, the BNP has been widening its base across the country. In 2007 the BNP stood 742 council candidates, averaging 14.7% of the vote. Last year they averaged 13.9% in 642 wards. The regional average vote is fairly consistent across the country.
The critical element to this palpable support for the BNP is that it has occurred against the backdrop of extraordinarily benign macroeconomic conditions. Well over a decade of continuous quarter-on-quarter growth, low interest rates, falling unemployment and general prosperity have obscured the economic and cultural issues the BNP has focused on. It has tapped into a deep sense of alienation among many who have not prospered in the good times, a corresponding fracture of working class identity, and indeed demonisation in popular culture – all refracted through the prism of race.
On 15 September last year, when Lehman Brothers went for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US, the world changed. More specifically the world changed in terms of the climate within which the BNP is seeking to gain political traction. Any cursory reading of history suggests that recession and depression breed extremism; everything else being equal, the BNP will expect to benefit from the suffering and the insecurities that will intensify over the coming months and years.
Jon Cruddas and Nick Lowles
Comment Is Free
Over the next few months Searchlight and its HOPE not hate campaign will be gearing up to prevent the BNP from winning seats in the European elections. We anticipate mobilising thousands of activists and delivering over 2 million leaflets and newspapers in what will be the biggest and most intense anti-fascist campaign in history.
And it is needed. The BNP poses a threat in six Euro regions, with as little as 7.5% required in the North West, where the party leader, Nick Griffin, is standing. With Ukip faltering, few local elections and the economy hurtling into recession, we will need everyone who opposes the BNP's message of hate to play a part. A BNP victory will change the political landscape in Britain.
The last few years have seen the British National Party make significant electoral gains across the length and breadth of the political landscape – often off the radar of the political and media class at Westminster, which has remained preoccupied with a very small part of the electoral map that decides Westminster elections: so-called middle Britain.
Quietly but steadily the BNP has been building its support. While many commentators have focused on its traditional heartlands in the Lancashire and Yorkshire mill towns, the BNP has been widening its base across the country. In 2007 the BNP stood 742 council candidates, averaging 14.7% of the vote. Last year they averaged 13.9% in 642 wards. The regional average vote is fairly consistent across the country.
The critical element to this palpable support for the BNP is that it has occurred against the backdrop of extraordinarily benign macroeconomic conditions. Well over a decade of continuous quarter-on-quarter growth, low interest rates, falling unemployment and general prosperity have obscured the economic and cultural issues the BNP has focused on. It has tapped into a deep sense of alienation among many who have not prospered in the good times, a corresponding fracture of working class identity, and indeed demonisation in popular culture – all refracted through the prism of race.
On 15 September last year, when Lehman Brothers went for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US, the world changed. More specifically the world changed in terms of the climate within which the BNP is seeking to gain political traction. Any cursory reading of history suggests that recession and depression breed extremism; everything else being equal, the BNP will expect to benefit from the suffering and the insecurities that will intensify over the coming months and years.
Jon Cruddas and Nick Lowles
Comment Is Free
21 January 2009
Norwich “Hope not Hate” Campaign advance notice of meeting
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men (or women) do nothing.
Norwich is being targeted by the British National Party (BNP) who want to stir up hatred and violence on the basis of race, ethnicity and religion.
The British National Party should be of concern to all decent people. It is not a matter solely for politicians. The threat of racism and fascism needs to be addressed before it is too late and that means all good people doing something.
The Norwich “Hope not Hate” campaign will be calling a meeting of representatives of community, faith and other interested groups to bring together people who want to play their part in solving issues fairly and honestly. Together we can bring Hope and defeat those who promote hate. Look out for details of our meeting to be announced soon.
“Hope not Hate” was set up to counter racism and fascism in elections and beyond. Over the past few years the British National Party has seriously contested council elections all over the country and achieved 55 councillors at district/borough level after the May 2008 local elections, though this has since fallen to 54. The BNP is now concentrating all its resources on the European elections, in the hope of getting Nick Griffin elected to the European Parliament. Once there, he would link up with other European fascist parties, to gain international influence and, above all, funding beyond the BNP's dreams.
What We Believe: The Norwich “Hope not Hate” campaign believes that everyone who lives and works in Norwich should be able to do so with dignity, free from prejudice and discrimination. We are sure that the vast majority of people in Norwich share this view.
In particular, the British National Party has hoodwinked a number of people into thinking that it is the only party which understands their concerns about migration, jobs, housing, religion and what it is to be British. They have done this by spreading lies, rumours and myths in communities with particular social problems, hoping and waiting for the powder keg to explode.
Norwich “Hope not Hate” recognises that people across Norwich are concerned about these issues but we also believe that those concerns should be addressed on the basis of facts not fiction, truth not lies, and in ways which bring people together for the good of the whole community - not tearing people apart to the benefit of cynical and dangerous extremists.
Norwich is being targeted by the British National Party (BNP) who want to stir up hatred and violence on the basis of race, ethnicity and religion.
The British National Party should be of concern to all decent people. It is not a matter solely for politicians. The threat of racism and fascism needs to be addressed before it is too late and that means all good people doing something.
The Norwich “Hope not Hate” campaign will be calling a meeting of representatives of community, faith and other interested groups to bring together people who want to play their part in solving issues fairly and honestly. Together we can bring Hope and defeat those who promote hate. Look out for details of our meeting to be announced soon.
“Hope not Hate” was set up to counter racism and fascism in elections and beyond. Over the past few years the British National Party has seriously contested council elections all over the country and achieved 55 councillors at district/borough level after the May 2008 local elections, though this has since fallen to 54. The BNP is now concentrating all its resources on the European elections, in the hope of getting Nick Griffin elected to the European Parliament. Once there, he would link up with other European fascist parties, to gain international influence and, above all, funding beyond the BNP's dreams.
What We Believe: The Norwich “Hope not Hate” campaign believes that everyone who lives and works in Norwich should be able to do so with dignity, free from prejudice and discrimination. We are sure that the vast majority of people in Norwich share this view.
In particular, the British National Party has hoodwinked a number of people into thinking that it is the only party which understands their concerns about migration, jobs, housing, religion and what it is to be British. They have done this by spreading lies, rumours and myths in communities with particular social problems, hoping and waiting for the powder keg to explode.
Norwich “Hope not Hate” recognises that people across Norwich are concerned about these issues but we also believe that those concerns should be addressed on the basis of facts not fiction, truth not lies, and in ways which bring people together for the good of the whole community - not tearing people apart to the benefit of cynical and dangerous extremists.
‘For further information and interviews please contact: Sid Frisby at sf@sidfrisby.com
Or Phone 07785 575648
Or Phone 07785 575648
17 January 2009
BNP meet under false name
Far-right British National Party members were last night accused of attempting to trick a Norfolk business into hosting their meetings by booking the venue under a bogus name.
The BNP - which has made repeated claims that it has nothing to hide as a legitimate political party - attempted to book a function room at a pub near Norwich under the pseudonym Broadland Historical Society.
An email, seen by the EDP, was sent to members planning to attend the meeting at the White Horse in Trowse on Sunday. It said: “We are in the downstairs meeting room. Use the entrance in the car park… The meeting has been booked under the name Broadland Historical Society. Please be discreet when in the bar area.”
Yesterday, Andrew Coleman, landlord at the White Horse, said he had cancelled the booking the moment he had been warned of the group's true intentions. He plans to put up posters explaining the decision in case any party members have not been informed and arrive on Sunday.
He said: “A lot of groups use our facilities and, when they made the booking, this seemed like a perfectly legitimate organisation.
“We can't get involved in these kinds of politics, particularly as they weren't open and honest about it from the start. It's not the type of people you want your pub to be associated with.
“I've always treated bookings on face value but now I am going to be a lot more suspicious and check out anything which doesn't seem quite right. The worrying thing is that the meeting would have taken place behind closed doors so, if I hadn't been tipped off about this, I would never have known. It's quite possible they're making similar bookings with other businesses without knowing what's going on under their own roof.”
The BNP did not respond to media inquiries yesterday. Its media office telephone was constantly engaged and emails went unanswered.
The meeting was due to be attended by the party's eastern area regional organiser Eddy Butler to discuss upcoming European and county council elections.
Last year, police were called to a BNP meeting at Stoke Holy Cross, near Norwich, attended by controversial leader Nick Griffin. Villagers had already objected to his presence and vandals struck, smashing windscreens and damaging cars with paint, while the meeting took place.
Mr Griffin had defended his right to speak in the county, telling the EDP that most opponents were “silly students and elderly University of East Anglia lecturers who do not represent the people of Norfolk”.
The BNP members' list, which was leaked in November, revealed the party has 12,000 members nationwide, including 220 from Norfolk.
Eastern Daily Press
We're pleased - and proud - to say that Norfolk Unity broke this story on Thursday evening. Thanks "SC".
The BNP - which has made repeated claims that it has nothing to hide as a legitimate political party - attempted to book a function room at a pub near Norwich under the pseudonym Broadland Historical Society.
An email, seen by the EDP, was sent to members planning to attend the meeting at the White Horse in Trowse on Sunday. It said: “We are in the downstairs meeting room. Use the entrance in the car park… The meeting has been booked under the name Broadland Historical Society. Please be discreet when in the bar area.”
Yesterday, Andrew Coleman, landlord at the White Horse, said he had cancelled the booking the moment he had been warned of the group's true intentions. He plans to put up posters explaining the decision in case any party members have not been informed and arrive on Sunday.
He said: “A lot of groups use our facilities and, when they made the booking, this seemed like a perfectly legitimate organisation.
“We can't get involved in these kinds of politics, particularly as they weren't open and honest about it from the start. It's not the type of people you want your pub to be associated with.
“I've always treated bookings on face value but now I am going to be a lot more suspicious and check out anything which doesn't seem quite right. The worrying thing is that the meeting would have taken place behind closed doors so, if I hadn't been tipped off about this, I would never have known. It's quite possible they're making similar bookings with other businesses without knowing what's going on under their own roof.”
The BNP did not respond to media inquiries yesterday. Its media office telephone was constantly engaged and emails went unanswered.
The meeting was due to be attended by the party's eastern area regional organiser Eddy Butler to discuss upcoming European and county council elections.
Last year, police were called to a BNP meeting at Stoke Holy Cross, near Norwich, attended by controversial leader Nick Griffin. Villagers had already objected to his presence and vandals struck, smashing windscreens and damaging cars with paint, while the meeting took place.
Mr Griffin had defended his right to speak in the county, telling the EDP that most opponents were “silly students and elderly University of East Anglia lecturers who do not represent the people of Norfolk”.
The BNP members' list, which was leaked in November, revealed the party has 12,000 members nationwide, including 220 from Norfolk.
Eastern Daily Press
We're pleased - and proud - to say that Norfolk Unity broke this story on Thursday evening. Thanks "SC".
15 January 2009
Lying Norfolk BNP cons popular Trowse pub
Ever heard of the plausible-sounding Broadland Historical Society?
Nor had we.
That's because it's a lying piece of fiction created by the BNP to con its way into a popular Trowse public house.
Earlier this evening Norfolk Unity called the pub to confirm that a booking had been made for 3.00 p.m. Sunday in the name of the Broadland Historical Society. The lady we spoke to confirmed that it had.
She was deeply shocked to learn that the phony Broadland Historical Society is the BNP. She told us that the "Broadland Historical Society" had used the pub on previous occasions, and that the proprietors never suspected they were playing host to the racist BNP.
An email inviting BNP members and friends along warns: Please be discreet when in the bar area.
The BNP had booked the pub to host a meeting with BNP "elections guru" Eddy Butler, at which the Euro and county council elections were to be discussed - which tells us that the BNP intend to stand candidates in Norfolk. DVDs, badges and other merchandise was also to be sold.
Norfolk Unity is 100% certain that the pub's proprietors knew nothing of the BNP's deceit and we're fairly certain that future bookings on the part of the BNP won't be welcomed.
In fact, as I write I've just heard that the BNP's booking has been cancelled.
Result!
Nor had we.
That's because it's a lying piece of fiction created by the BNP to con its way into a popular Trowse public house.
Earlier this evening Norfolk Unity called the pub to confirm that a booking had been made for 3.00 p.m. Sunday in the name of the Broadland Historical Society. The lady we spoke to confirmed that it had.
She was deeply shocked to learn that the phony Broadland Historical Society is the BNP. She told us that the "Broadland Historical Society" had used the pub on previous occasions, and that the proprietors never suspected they were playing host to the racist BNP.
An email inviting BNP members and friends along warns: Please be discreet when in the bar area.
The BNP had booked the pub to host a meeting with BNP "elections guru" Eddy Butler, at which the Euro and county council elections were to be discussed - which tells us that the BNP intend to stand candidates in Norfolk. DVDs, badges and other merchandise was also to be sold.
Norfolk Unity is 100% certain that the pub's proprietors knew nothing of the BNP's deceit and we're fairly certain that future bookings on the part of the BNP won't be welcomed.
In fact, as I write I've just heard that the BNP's booking has been cancelled.
Result!
24 December 2008
‘The BNP has changed’ - Supporters’ blogs tell a different story
Ever heard of synchronicity? We were putting together our last post of 2008 when we came across virtually the same thing on the excellent Harry's Place website - so we've used that instead!
In a great post Edmund Standing demolishes the BNP's claim that it's made up of people "just like you". It ain't - if you saw just a small part of the filth the BNP's keyboard army leaves in our comments section you'd see that they're just a collection of inadequates, Nazis, racists and foul mouthed morons who can't even spell.
Over to Edmund:
Previously, I have looked at BNP supporters and their activities on YouTube. In this post, I turn my attention to some of the many blogs run by BNP members and supporters and things get no better here.
‘Thurrock Patriots‘ is a blog run by three BNP supporters. Upon opening the page, the visitor is greeted by a browser-slowing combination of a slide show of images of BNP newsletters and leaflets, including local BNP rag ‘The Thurrock Patriot’, and a streaming video of Nick Griffin. The current title banner features a festive theme, including an image of a ‘golly’.
For the Thurrock Patriots there are many pressing issues that need addressing, and polls aimed at their readers ask questions such as ‘Should the Racist Black Police Association be thrown out of Britain?’ and ‘Is Porn Tube a good thing?’ Then there are these polls:
‘Golly’ dolls have become something of a cause célèbre for the BNP, and recent news items have excitedly reported that, for example, Hastings BNP has sold out of its stock. The BNP’s ‘Excalibur’ outfit also sells ‘golly pens’: ‘A sure fire talking point, to spark a conversation on how innocent cultural expressions are censored by the mad political correctness of the far left’.
Unfortunately for the Thurrock Patriots - who, like many racists, find ‘golly’ dolls amusing precisely because they are known to be offensive to many black people - they give the game away in a post entitled ‘No Carols in Corringham, It Might Upset The Wogs’. The ‘wogs’ referred to here are, of course, not dolls, but people.
Browsing through the Thurrock Patriots links section we find the usual - links to the BNP, David Duke, Lee Barnes, Thurrock BNP’s YouTube account which hosts a video by a neo-Nazi band - and we also find links to further blogs including one called ‘Unrepentant British Nationalism‘.
‘Unrepentant British Nationalism’ is run by a BNP supporter who explains why he votes for the BNP:
Owens’ website features various self-improvement tips for teenagers, and he claims that ‘Nationalist politics and competitive sports saved me from becoming a bigger loser than I am now, and it hurts me to say this’. So what advice might this self-confessed loser have to offer?
Well, there’s this sensible suggestion: ‘Don’t associate with criminals, losers, and defectives. These types will drag you down to their level’. The only problem being that this would involve his readers avoiding him and many other BNP members.
There’s also some advice on eugenics and avoiding ’sub-humans’:
The blog in question is ‘Covert Undercover Nuisance Tactics‘, which is run by BNP voters who are also fans of the neo-Nazi Blood & Honour Radio. The bloggers at CUNT think of themselves as somewhat amusing, as you can tell from the title of their blog. Other ‘amusements’ on offer at the blog include ‘Guess Who’s The Jew‘:
This particular BNP rodent has a pseudo-scientific theory about those who oppose the BNP and explains ‘Why I Find The Feeble Minded Left Disgusting And Pathetic‘:
Here’s what one of our ‘intellectual superiors’ had to say over there in response to a Hope Not Hate video:
The ‘Britain First!’ blog hates the police:
Given the BNP has a history of producing violent extremists, this is worrying stuff.
In 2007, for example, a three times failed BNP candidate, Robert Cottage, was jailed for 2 and a half years for possession of explosive chemicals which he was hoarding in anticipation of ‘the outbreak of civil unrest’. During the trial, Cottage’s wife testified that he ‘often boasted’ of wanting to shoot Tony Blair and Liberal Democrat peer Lord Greaves.
Then this year there has been the case of Nathan Worrell, whose affiliations included the BNP, and who was recently jailed for 7 years for possession of bomb making manuals and materials.
2008 is also the year that saw another British far-right extremist, Martyn Gilleard, convicted of ‘preparing for terrorist acts and possessing articles and collecting information for terrorist purposes’, having been found to be in possession of four nail bombs, as well as bullets, swords, axes, and knives.
A look around the blogs of BNP members and supporters is a fairly eye opening experience. Despite the party’s current attempt to paint itself as a mainstream ‘patriotic’ organisation, what we find in the writings of some of its grassroots supporters is blatant racism and anti-Semitism, rabid homophobia, talk of ‘untermenschen’ and people being ‘evolutionarily inferior’, and references to the use of ‘bombs and bullets’. So much for the BNP being a party of average people ‘just like you‘.
Harry's Place
In a great post Edmund Standing demolishes the BNP's claim that it's made up of people "just like you". It ain't - if you saw just a small part of the filth the BNP's keyboard army leaves in our comments section you'd see that they're just a collection of inadequates, Nazis, racists and foul mouthed morons who can't even spell.
Over to Edmund:
* * *
Previously, I have looked at BNP supporters and their activities on YouTube. In this post, I turn my attention to some of the many blogs run by BNP members and supporters and things get no better here.
‘Thurrock Patriots‘ is a blog run by three BNP supporters. Upon opening the page, the visitor is greeted by a browser-slowing combination of a slide show of images of BNP newsletters and leaflets, including local BNP rag ‘The Thurrock Patriot’, and a streaming video of Nick Griffin. The current title banner features a festive theme, including an image of a ‘golly’.
For the Thurrock Patriots there are many pressing issues that need addressing, and polls aimed at their readers ask questions such as ‘Should the Racist Black Police Association be thrown out of Britain?’ and ‘Is Porn Tube a good thing?’ Then there are these polls:
‘Golly’ dolls have become something of a cause célèbre for the BNP, and recent news items have excitedly reported that, for example, Hastings BNP has sold out of its stock. The BNP’s ‘Excalibur’ outfit also sells ‘golly pens’: ‘A sure fire talking point, to spark a conversation on how innocent cultural expressions are censored by the mad political correctness of the far left’.
Unfortunately for the Thurrock Patriots - who, like many racists, find ‘golly’ dolls amusing precisely because they are known to be offensive to many black people - they give the game away in a post entitled ‘No Carols in Corringham, It Might Upset The Wogs’. The ‘wogs’ referred to here are, of course, not dolls, but people.
Browsing through the Thurrock Patriots links section we find the usual - links to the BNP, David Duke, Lee Barnes, Thurrock BNP’s YouTube account which hosts a video by a neo-Nazi band - and we also find links to further blogs including one called ‘Unrepentant British Nationalism‘.
‘Unrepentant British Nationalism’ is run by a BNP supporter who explains why he votes for the BNP:
There is only one political party that’s willing to actually go against the grain and speak up for the down trodden indigenous population, and in my opinion that’s the BNP. UKIP, the English Democrats - I considered joining them both, but their continual bleating that they’re ‘not racist’ implies to me that they have no real backbone.Someone who does have backbone, according to the unrepentant one, is Joe Owens, whose site the blog promotes. Owens is a long time right wing extremist who, by his own admission, has served prison time for violence and weapons offenses, and was a suspect in the case of ‘a string of gangland killings’. Owens is a BNP supporter and has served as a ‘personal body guard’ for both Nick Griffin and Jean-Marie Le Pen, and through his website - ‘Pure Rage’ - he sees himself as ‘Guiding Today’s Angry White Youth’.
Owens’ website features various self-improvement tips for teenagers, and he claims that ‘Nationalist politics and competitive sports saved me from becoming a bigger loser than I am now, and it hurts me to say this’. So what advice might this self-confessed loser have to offer?
Well, there’s this sensible suggestion: ‘Don’t associate with criminals, losers, and defectives. These types will drag you down to their level’. The only problem being that this would involve his readers avoiding him and many other BNP members.
There’s also some advice on eugenics and avoiding ’sub-humans’:
Young people must, at all cost, start breeding the untermenchen out. If we don’t they will breed us out. Start by looking for a healthy, tall, athletic and obviously attractive partner.And warnings about homosexuality:
You see, even though these are predominately-gay clubs, they still allow straights in. I wonder why? Girls in these clubs who are not Lesbos or bi–sexual, go to watch men at it, for a twisted thrill. Young naïve kids on drugs can easily be lured into this perversion, when it could easily have been avoided had they been educated. The amount of so–called gay or gay friendly clubs that have sprung up out of nowhere is frightening. Some even have transvestites as DJ’s.With views like these it should come as no surprise that another BNP supporting blog invited Owens to an online ‘chat’ session last month with viewers of the blog’s online TV show.
The blog in question is ‘Covert Undercover Nuisance Tactics‘, which is run by BNP voters who are also fans of the neo-Nazi Blood & Honour Radio. The bloggers at CUNT think of themselves as somewhat amusing, as you can tell from the title of their blog. Other ‘amusements’ on offer at the blog include ‘Guess Who’s The Jew‘:
Fed up of watching a film and trying to suss out who is jewish and who’s not? Well now you can find out with this new game. A celebrity will appear on each page. Cast your vote ( Jew or Not A Jew) on each page and see the results on right away!The CUNT forum also has a ‘Funny Stuff’ section, where you can find ‘jokes’ such as the following, which was applauded by the forum admin:
People keep saying that Americans are stupid! I totally disagree. Anyone that builds a city 10 metres below sea level in a hurricane zone and then fills it full of niggers is a fucking genius in my eyes.Believe it or not, the CUNT crew do actually have their fans, such as BNP blogger ‘Red Squirrel’ who runs the ‘Red Squirrel’s “Nut Cracking” Nationalism!’ blog. The Red Squirrel is proud to support the BNP (albeit anonymously) and states: ‘I am a member of the BNP, the Only Party willing and able to stand up for the Human Rights of The indigenous People of Britain’.
This particular BNP rodent has a pseudo-scientific theory about those who oppose the BNP and explains ‘Why I Find The Feeble Minded Left Disgusting And Pathetic‘:
For a start, they seek to elevate those who are uncivilised, crass and degenerate to the highest positions of society and seek to impose a feeling of inherent guilt upon those who are naturally their intellectual superiors.Presumably, people who laugh at ‘jokes’ about Jews and black people are, therefore, ’superior’, and we who oppose racism have ‘no backbones’ and are ‘untermenschen’. The Red Squirrel offers a link to another BNP supporting blog entitled ‘Britain Awake!‘
The Marxist mind sees those who are the weakest and the most unintelligent and inept as being superior in the moral sense to those who are by nature evolutionarily superior.
Here’s what one of our ‘intellectual superiors’ had to say over there in response to a Hope Not Hate video:
What a bunch of bell-ends, who do they think they are telling people who they should or shouldn’t vote for? One of them lives within striking distance of me, and will be getting ‘VOTE BNP’ punched into his scruffy little head if i bump into him!The ‘Britain First!’ blog continues in a similar vein on the usual topics of interest, and illustrates a recent post with this image:
The ‘Britain First!’ blog hates the police:
The police are scum, pure fucking scum, 10,000 tazers have been issued for use against British citizens, whilst our troops risking their lives in a foreign land are denied vital equipment. The video below highlights the type of work the police are now carrying out - beating the shit out of drunken whites! If this guy who received the kicking was a negro, there would be a riot and the police would suddenly start licking black arse!It hates them a lot:
The police are a pathetic bunch, they are not to be trusted, they’re always snivelling up to ethnics and queers. The McPherson report transformed the service into the shambles we have today. FUCK ‘EM!It is anti-Semitic:
The star of the show was Lee Barnes of course, he absolutely slayed everyone, especially the jug-headed zionist scumbag that goes by the name of melanie phillips! All phillips could muster was the same old boring self centred pro-jewish piffle!It also justifies homophobic murder:
A respectable father has been jailed for life for stabbing to death a faggot in a public toilet. Mark Malone, 30, of Clement Road, Walton-on-Thames, was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years at the Old Bailey.Of course, we’ve heard a similar line to this somewhere before - from Nick Griffin, head of the BNP, no less. Following the 1999 homophobic nail bomb attack on the Admiral Duncan pub by former BNP member and neo-Nazi terrorist David Copeland, Griffin had this to say:
30 fucking years?!
[…]
Homo’s flaunt their perversion in public, if they are attacked, they have only brought it upon themselves!
The TV footage of dozens of gay demonstrators flaunting their perversions in front of the world’s journalists showed just why so many ordinary people find these creatures so repulsive.Griffin isn’t the only BNP figure to have shown sympathy for Copeland’s murderous actions. A BNP supporter called Philip Bryant runs a blog named ‘Battle For Britain‘, which links to ‘Redwatch’, a site run by Blood & Honour which provides personal details of anti-racists and has been linked to several serious assaults. Back in 2006 he was singing the praises of the ‘moderate’ BNP:
Anyone who doubts that the BNP have successfully rid themselves of their ‘extremist’ label should visit their website regularly and in particular the BNPtv section … The BNP are the only hope indigenous white Britons have left. Those who still see them as racist nazi’s are allowing themselves to be misled by the MSM [mainstream media].However, on December 19th of this year, he had this to say about David Copeland:
I must admit that when Brixton nail bomber (I heard/felt the explosion from Streatham) David Copeland was finally caught I shed a tear (yes, I have tear ducts), not because I advocate violence as a means to an end, but because if every other avenue of protest is closed down the only avenue left open is Bullet and Bomb Street (I live nearby).Bryant isn’t the only BNP blogger talking about turning to terrorism. ‘The Nationalist News‘ is a BNP supporting blog run by ‘The Bournemouth Nationalist’, who identifies himself as a BNP member, claims it is ‘a political party with values and principles’, and seems to be descending into paranoia. In December last year, ‘The Bournemouth Nationalist’ had this to say:
The government are doing their level best to reduce people like me to download the ‘Anarchists Cookbook’ ( I don’t need to download it, I’ve memorized it) but it won’t work. I have Russian friends who know how to make bombs from condoms (strange, but true)!
Mark my words the pot is begining to boil and it wont be long before it boils right over and civil war breaks out, a war in which it will be ordinary British citizens (the peasants) against the newly legalised EU army (jack booted fascists of French, Polish, German, Spanish etc ancestory) and the political elite. Genuine migrants will unfortunately be targetted as the riotous Brits seek vengance against tyranny. Dangerous times lie ahead, be aware, make preparations. Or you could vote BNP at every opportunity and bring about a peaceful revolution with no loss of life, the choice is yours.Shortly after, he stated:
So perhaps next time there is an election we should learn from our cousins in Asia and Africa and consider whether the bomb, the bullet and the bayonet might be usefuls tools to be used, not against our fellow citizens of course but against the necks of our true enemies, the politicians, so that the increasingly aggrieved publics voice is actually heard and listened to next time.
Given the BNP has a history of producing violent extremists, this is worrying stuff.
In 2007, for example, a three times failed BNP candidate, Robert Cottage, was jailed for 2 and a half years for possession of explosive chemicals which he was hoarding in anticipation of ‘the outbreak of civil unrest’. During the trial, Cottage’s wife testified that he ‘often boasted’ of wanting to shoot Tony Blair and Liberal Democrat peer Lord Greaves.
Then this year there has been the case of Nathan Worrell, whose affiliations included the BNP, and who was recently jailed for 7 years for possession of bomb making manuals and materials.
2008 is also the year that saw another British far-right extremist, Martyn Gilleard, convicted of ‘preparing for terrorist acts and possessing articles and collecting information for terrorist purposes’, having been found to be in possession of four nail bombs, as well as bullets, swords, axes, and knives.
A look around the blogs of BNP members and supporters is a fairly eye opening experience. Despite the party’s current attempt to paint itself as a mainstream ‘patriotic’ organisation, what we find in the writings of some of its grassroots supporters is blatant racism and anti-Semitism, rabid homophobia, talk of ‘untermenschen’ and people being ‘evolutionarily inferior’, and references to the use of ‘bombs and bullets’. So much for the BNP being a party of average people ‘just like you‘.
Harry's Place
15 December 2008
Internet anti-fascism - YouTube
While there's nothing like getting on the door-knocker to oppose the BNP and other racist groups at election times, there's no doubting the increasing importance of the Web as a tool for organising and discussing strategy and the dissemination of accurate and up to date information to the general internet public.
Many unsung people are involved in the growing counter-offensive against the divisive lies and distortions of groups such as the BNP. One such is GHDF1, whose YouTube page we're pleased to highlight today.
At GHDF1 says, The BNP (British National Party) and their supporters constantly try to pretend that the only people who oppose the BNP are "Reds", ie - Communists. Like many statements made by the BNP that claim is NOT TRUE. As well as socialists, by definition all liberals oppose the BNP, all normal right wingers oppose the BNP, most people who aren't even interested in politics oppose the BNP, all real British patriots oppose the BNP, and all people who understand why we fought the Nazis in WW2 oppose the BNP.
And just to prove that:
From GHDF1's YouTube page:
Many unsung people are involved in the growing counter-offensive against the divisive lies and distortions of groups such as the BNP. One such is GHDF1, whose YouTube page we're pleased to highlight today.
At GHDF1 says, The BNP (British National Party) and their supporters constantly try to pretend that the only people who oppose the BNP are "Reds", ie - Communists. Like many statements made by the BNP that claim is NOT TRUE. As well as socialists, by definition all liberals oppose the BNP, all normal right wingers oppose the BNP, most people who aren't even interested in politics oppose the BNP, all real British patriots oppose the BNP, and all people who understand why we fought the Nazis in WW2 oppose the BNP.
And just to prove that:
From GHDF1's YouTube page:
The BNP (British National Party) and their supporters constantly try to pretend that the only people who oppose the BNP are "Reds", ie - Communists. Like many statements made by the BNP that claim is NOT TRUE. As well as socialists, by definition all liberals oppose the BNP, all normal right wingers oppose the BNP, most people who aren't even interested in politics oppose the BNP, all real British patriots oppose the BNP, and all people who understand why we fought the Nazis in WW2 oppose the BNP. For instance a leading member of the anti- BNP group Unite Against Fascism is the right-wing former Tory MP Sir Teddy Taylor, and a leading anti- BNP website called Unity Web Wing is run by a former Tory. Other well-known "Reds" who've publicly condemned the BNP include the Conservative Party leader David Cameron, and London's Tory Mayor Boris Johnson. On 8 April 2008 Boris Johnson said on TV (quote) "I utterly condemn and despise the BNP".
Celebrities who've publicly opposed the BNP include England goalie Dave Seaman, Sir Alan Sugar, Linda Lusardi, Torville and Dean, Billy Connolly, pop stars Dannii Minogue, Damon Albarn (Blur and Gorillaz), Lily Allen, Basement Jaxx, Faithless, Hard Fi, Panjabi MC, Coldcut, The Kooks, Rowetta, Jermaine Jackson, The Proclaimers, Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood, Jerry Dammers (The Specials) and The Sugababes, boxers Amir Khan, Jamie Moore and Lloyd Honeyghan, the Bishop of Stafford and TV chef Dave Myers from The Hairy Bikers. Soap stars who've publicly opposed the BNP include Sammy Winward (Katie Sugden in Emmerdale), Steve Halliwell (Zak Dingle in Emmerdale), Jane Cox (Lisa Dingle in Emmerdale), Chris Chittell (Eric Pollard in Emmerdale), Petra Letang (Naomi Julien from Eastenders), Julie Hesmondhalgh (Haley Cropper in Coronation Street), Michael Starke (Jerry Morton in Coronation Street), Tupele Dorgu (Kelly Crabtree in Coronation Street) and Tom Hudson (Paul Clayton in Coronation Street).
The BNP is a front organisation whose core members in private follow the the beliefs of the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, therefore all BNP supporters (whether they admit it or not) collaborate with Nazis, even if those supporters themselves don't even agree with Nazi ideas. One example of how warped the BNP are is that the BNP constantly claim anti- BNP activism is a "Red" plot because one anti- BNP campaigner called Gerry Gable stood as a Communist candidate 46 years ago, while the BNP website accuses people of being "Fascist" (!) for reminding people about the BNP's own MUCH more recent Fascist activities! Senior BNP officials Scott McLean and Steve Cartwright were for instance filmed leading a Nazi camp as recently as 2006 - so much for the BNP pretending to be "patriotic"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4UjmaCvR5E
More BNP thuggery exposed in The Sunday Times and in The Daily Mail...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4882320.ece
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1037188/Former-BNP-councillor-killed-appearing-court-attack-pub-landlord.html
14 December 2008
'I'm scared of the backlash'
Nathan Worrell's victims tape up their letterbox every night and have had a panic alarm fitted in their family home.
Such is the height of fear suffered by Mohammed Chowdhery and Susan Crofts, who were the target of Worrell's racial hatred. They described themselves as "on the frontline" of the racial divide in their community.
After the sentencing at Grimsby Crown Court, Mr Chowdhery (28) said: "It is not long enough. He will be out in three or four years. He will probably come out and still hold the same racist beliefs. We have had enough. He is not going to get the same backlash. He will do his time in prison and then come out, but we will have to put up with this for longer.
"My wife has to go to the shops and pass his house. It has affected her a lot, but our role is to protect our daughter, that's all that is important."
He said a number of friends and people in his community questioned why he went through with the allegations against Worrell. And he expressed his fears of reprisals among the associates of Worrell's racist groups.
Mr Chowdhery said: "If he had bomb-making materials in his home that is up to him, and to support the Ku Klux Klan is his business."
Mr Chowdhery was pessimistic about the action which needs to be taken to stamp out racism in North East Lincolnshire.
He said: "It is never going to stop. I am a Muslim. I have lived and worked in this country all my life, as did my father. We work hard. But a lot of people have this hatred and go on about it behind closed doors. You never know what is in their hearts."
He urged parents to take a greater role in preventing racist beliefs being nurtured in young people.
Mr Chowdhery said: "My main thing is to protect my daughter. I have lived with racism all my life, but I want to look after my daughter and protect her and my family from it."
He said in the 14 years in which he had lived and worked in Grimsby, he had seen a change in attitude towards foreigners.
He said: "Society has changed. I understand the problems, but I am scared more of the backlash."
This is Grimsby
Such is the height of fear suffered by Mohammed Chowdhery and Susan Crofts, who were the target of Worrell's racial hatred. They described themselves as "on the frontline" of the racial divide in their community.
After the sentencing at Grimsby Crown Court, Mr Chowdhery (28) said: "It is not long enough. He will be out in three or four years. He will probably come out and still hold the same racist beliefs. We have had enough. He is not going to get the same backlash. He will do his time in prison and then come out, but we will have to put up with this for longer.
"My wife has to go to the shops and pass his house. It has affected her a lot, but our role is to protect our daughter, that's all that is important."
He said a number of friends and people in his community questioned why he went through with the allegations against Worrell. And he expressed his fears of reprisals among the associates of Worrell's racist groups.
Mr Chowdhery said: "If he had bomb-making materials in his home that is up to him, and to support the Ku Klux Klan is his business."
Mr Chowdhery was pessimistic about the action which needs to be taken to stamp out racism in North East Lincolnshire.
He said: "It is never going to stop. I am a Muslim. I have lived and worked in this country all my life, as did my father. We work hard. But a lot of people have this hatred and go on about it behind closed doors. You never know what is in their hearts."
He urged parents to take a greater role in preventing racist beliefs being nurtured in young people.
Mr Chowdhery said: "My main thing is to protect my daughter. I have lived with racism all my life, but I want to look after my daughter and protect her and my family from it."
He said in the 14 years in which he had lived and worked in Grimsby, he had seen a change in attitude towards foreigners.
He said: "Society has changed. I understand the problems, but I am scared more of the backlash."
This is Grimsby
Neo-Nazi jailed for race-hate campaign
A "DANGEROUS" neo-Nazi who waged a racist campaign against a couple because they were mixed race has been sentenced to seven years in jail.
Nathan Worrell, 35, who signed his texts with "88" – a coded reference to Heil Hitler, as each word begins with the eighth letter of the alphabet – was found guilty at Grimsby Crown Court of possessing material for terrorist purposes and racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress.
Books and manuals containing "recipes" to make bombs and detonators using household items such as weedkiller, lighter fluid and sugar were found during a police raid at his flat.
Also found were numerous boxes of matches, 171 match heads, two tubs of weedkiller and three bottles of lighter fluid. A video by far-right group Combat 18 – also a coded reference to Adolf Hitler – showed how to prepare and make a bomb from household items.
Prosecutors said that unemployed Worrell, a member of the Ku Klux Klan and the British People's Party, was behind a campaign putting racist stickers on the gate and a nearby lamppost at the couple's home.
They bore offensive comments about mixed-race relationships and repatriation and police found piles of the stickers at Worrell's home.
Worrell, of Grimsby, who left Havelock Upper School aged 16, and has had no long-term employment since then, was described by police as "a dangerous individual who harbours extreme anti-Semitic views."
Det Chief Supt David Buxton from the Counter Terrorism Unit in Leeds said: "Literature found at his flat exposed his interest in creating explosives and even more concerning a number of items were recovered that could have been used to create these devices. We are thankful for his early arrest that has stopped Worrell from taking his interest further.
"Worrell's racial intolerance and his hatred for religion are more than obvious. Worrell showed he had the ability and readiness to use threats and intimidation to promote his beliefs and, because of this, his actions became of a terrorist nature.
"It is to my sadness that one family in particular have suffered at the hands of these extreme beliefs and the unforgivable actions of this man.
"No-one should be made to feel like an outsider in their own community because of their race or religion. I wish to thank them for their bravery during this investigation during what has been an extremely difficult time for them.
"Worrell had already crossed a line and was demonstrating the potential to move towards even more dangerous actions. Today's verdict and sentence recognises this and sends out a clear message that terrorism in any form will not be tolerated."
Worrell was arrested in January after police raided his flat looking for race-hate material. He denied the charges, but admitted in custody he occasionally "stickered" on his estate as there was no-one else in the area who was "like-minded". He claimed they were not aimed at anyone in particular.
Yorkshire Post
Nathan Worrell, 35, who signed his texts with "88" – a coded reference to Heil Hitler, as each word begins with the eighth letter of the alphabet – was found guilty at Grimsby Crown Court of possessing material for terrorist purposes and racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress.
Books and manuals containing "recipes" to make bombs and detonators using household items such as weedkiller, lighter fluid and sugar were found during a police raid at his flat.
Also found were numerous boxes of matches, 171 match heads, two tubs of weedkiller and three bottles of lighter fluid. A video by far-right group Combat 18 – also a coded reference to Adolf Hitler – showed how to prepare and make a bomb from household items.
Prosecutors said that unemployed Worrell, a member of the Ku Klux Klan and the British People's Party, was behind a campaign putting racist stickers on the gate and a nearby lamppost at the couple's home.
They bore offensive comments about mixed-race relationships and repatriation and police found piles of the stickers at Worrell's home.
Worrell, of Grimsby, who left Havelock Upper School aged 16, and has had no long-term employment since then, was described by police as "a dangerous individual who harbours extreme anti-Semitic views."
Det Chief Supt David Buxton from the Counter Terrorism Unit in Leeds said: "Literature found at his flat exposed his interest in creating explosives and even more concerning a number of items were recovered that could have been used to create these devices. We are thankful for his early arrest that has stopped Worrell from taking his interest further.
"Worrell's racial intolerance and his hatred for religion are more than obvious. Worrell showed he had the ability and readiness to use threats and intimidation to promote his beliefs and, because of this, his actions became of a terrorist nature.
"It is to my sadness that one family in particular have suffered at the hands of these extreme beliefs and the unforgivable actions of this man.
"No-one should be made to feel like an outsider in their own community because of their race or religion. I wish to thank them for their bravery during this investigation during what has been an extremely difficult time for them.
"Worrell had already crossed a line and was demonstrating the potential to move towards even more dangerous actions. Today's verdict and sentence recognises this and sends out a clear message that terrorism in any form will not be tolerated."
Worrell was arrested in January after police raided his flat looking for race-hate material. He denied the charges, but admitted in custody he occasionally "stickered" on his estate as there was no-one else in the area who was "like-minded". He claimed they were not aimed at anyone in particular.
Yorkshire Post
11 December 2008
Named and shamed: BNP squirms under the spotlight
As the British National Party was preparing for the official launch of its campaign to get Nick Griffin elected to the European Parliament, the wheels were about to come off the party’s wagon big time.
The BNP had ended its annual conference in Blackpool on 15-16 November bemoaning the “deliberate media blackout” of the event. But Nick Griffin, the party leader, was hoping for publicity for the announcement the following Tuesday that he would head the BNP list for the European elections in the North West, where it has a realistic chance of winning a seat.
But Griffin’s campaign launch was completely overshadowed by the discovery that a list of BNP “members” had been posted on an internet blogsite. It included home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and interesting notes about their jobs, hobbies, whether they were activists or party donors and concerns about individuals who might prove an embarrassment to the party, including a prominent activist with unspecified convictions.
It unleashed a media feeding frenzy. The national papers and radio and television stations pored over the names searching for minor celebrities, service personnel, teachers, doctors and anyone else who might spark a “shock horror” reaction in readers. There were former members of all the three main political parties, which was no great surprise. Two members of Queen Elizabeth’s staff were said to be on the list, though one turned out to be retired and the other said he had never actually joined.
And that was the problem. The list contained 12,801 names compared to the BNP’s current membership of around 9,300, down from 9,784 at the end of 2007. So there were at least 3,500 who were lapsed members or people who had merely shown some interest.
Several newspapers produced maps and all kinds of statistical analysis. Local papers counted all the members in their readership area. But it meant little because the list was unreliable.
The names appeared largely to date from late 2007 with a few more recent additions. Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, seized on the date to blame a “former head of administration of the party”, who had kept a “membership and skills list”. This was Kenny Smith, one of the leaders of last winter’s unsuccessful internal rebellion in the BNP.
Since then, Smith has become a convenient scapegoat. When the BNP’s 2007 accounts embarrassingly failed to pass audit, Griffin wrote, “Accurate accounting for this year is problematic owing to the point-blank refusal of the former head of Administration to account for large amounts of expenditure”. Smith was also blamed for failings with the 2006 accounts and their lateness, which resulted in a fine.
Smith strenuously denied leaking the list and grabbed another chance to hit out at Griffin. “Whatever the reasons for the publication of the list, ordinary BNP members should not have to suffer because of the crass incompetence, flawed personality and arrogance of the Party Leader.”
It does seem unlikely that Smith and his supporters were responsible for the publication of the list, in contravention of a court injunction and legal proce-edings by the BNP which have already cost them money. The BNP has never been very good at data security and such lists were undoubtedly held and circulated by several senior members. It is not the first time such a list has leaked, though never before in such spectacular form.
A more likely explanation is that it has come from a senior BNP member with a more recent grudge against the party. There are plenty of possibilities. Griffin runs his party in an autocratic manner and stamps firmly on any dissent. The annual party conference debates motions supposedly put forward by the party’s regions, but in fact selected by its central Advisory Council. Although it is possible to force a leadership election, every obstacle is put in the way of a challenger. And although the party website allows comments, only those supporting the party’s line are posted and anyone expressing hostile sentiments has their website registration cancelled.
Whoever did it, Griffin had to act fast to save his embattled party. A few members insisted that the leak only confirmed their allegiance, many others were worried. Police officers are prohibited from BNP membership and joining the party could constitute gross misconduct leading to dismissal. Officers have already been suspended and several police services are combing the list carefully.
Others too feared for their jobs. It is interesting to consider why someone in a sensitive position, perhaps working in teaching, local government, the civil service or the NHS, should join a party that they clearly realise is so disreputable that it would cause them to be ostracised.
Here the BNP apparently scored a bit of a coup. “One of this country’s top employment law firms … has offered pro bono – free – representation to any person who is threatened by their employers as a result of the ‘leaked membership list’ smear,” announced the party website. The firm was not named. Solicitors often work pro bono, partly mindful of the good publicity this generates, but these solicitors must have realised that helping the BNP for free was more shameful than charitable.
In reality it would be difficult to sack an employee with more than a year’s service simply for belonging to the BNP unless the employer can show that membership is incompatible with the individual’s job or has a negative impact on colleagues, customers and the local community, and that there is a clear policy spelling this out. It was under this principle that Serco dismissed the former BNP councillor Arthur Redfearn from his job as a driver transporting vulnerable adults and children to schools and day centres, a decision upheld by the Appeal Court.
Protection of the law was not enough for the BNP’s self-styled “legal eagle”, however. Writing on his blog the day the story broke, Lee Barnes advised: “For those people who have been named on the list all you need to do is deny you are a member if asked. Your employer cannot ascertain whether you are actually a real member of the BNP, and we will confirm that you are not a member if you ask us.” In other words the BNP was prepared to back up its members’ lies with more of its own.
The BNP also played the victim card as hard as it could. There were ridiculous accusations from Griffin and Simon Darby, the party’s deputy leader and press officer, that “call centres” were being used to make threatening phone calls to BNP members. The media sought out members who expressed fears that they or their families would be attacked.
We would condemn absolutely anyone who thinks the way to fight the BNP is by physical attacks on individuals or their property. But history shows it is the racists who call for violence against opponents. The vicious hate website Redwatch posts photographs and personal details of hundreds of people, many supplied by BNP organisers and activists, as a way of intimidating their political opponents. Some have had threatening phone calls and abusive letters as a result. Others have been attacked. They include two teachers whose car was firebombed outside their home in Leeds in a case of mistaken identity, and Alec McFadden, president of Merseyside Trades Council, who two years ago was confronted on his doorstep by a man wielding a knife and slashed repeatedly across his face in front of his two young daughters.
Indeed Darby’s initial reaction to the publication of the list appeared to be a threat of violence. If the culprit was found, Darby declared, “it will turn out to be one of the most foolish things they have done in their life” and “I wouldn’t be sleeping very well tonight”. Griffin had to leap in to explain that Darby was only threatening legal action with a potential prison sentence.
Griffin, a conspiracy theorist par excellence, claimed the list had been leaked to coincide with a hearing of the General Teaching Council (GTC), which he expected would stop a BNP member from working as a teacher. “Had that been the result,” Griffin wrote, “the verdict would have been a big news story, which would have set things up perfectly for the follow-up publicity storm about thousands of BNP members being ‘exposed’ which would have broken over the rest of the week.”
In the event the GTC postponed the hearing, but the publicity storm happened anyway and Griffin worked desperately on spinning it in the BNP’s favour. “Nothing could show better just how frightened the liberal ‘elite’ now are of our coming breakthrough,” declared Griffin in an “urgent message” two days after the story broke.
“The publicity about the high quality of our membership has massively improved our image,” he claimed. “The whole affair has blown up in the faces of the plotters and the anti-British traitors. The public are more eager for our message than ever, and many of our new website visitors will keep coming back, become committed nationalists, and join our ranks.”
“High quality” would not describe the two men sentenced in Blackburn at the end of the week for sexual activity with 14-year-old girls. Ian Richard Hindle, 32, and Andrew Paul Wells, 49, had exploited the girls’ vulnerability, police said, welcoming the total of five years and three months imprisonment the pair received. Their BNP connection did not emerge in court or in a local newspaper report, but both their names can be found on the list. Wells is also a convicted football hooligan and has acted as a bodyguard to Griffin. (See pages 18-19 for more details of criminals and extremists in the BNP.)
The BNP may gain a few members out of the thousands who visited its website, assuming they accept Griffin’s assurances that the party’s “investment in new technology and procedures” will stop any more leaks. What the party finds hard is keeping members. Less than 40% of members renew after the first year, the party itself admits.
We have been contacted by people on the list who say they joined but quickly became disillusioned when they found out the truth, which is that the BNP is still a racist party infested with thugs and Holocaust deniers. The presence of a few managers, IT professionals and ex-servicemen will not change that, just like two years ago when it was revealed that a principal dancer with the English National Ballet was a BNP member, despite the BNP milking the connection for all it was worth.
© Searchlight Magazine 2008
The BNP had ended its annual conference in Blackpool on 15-16 November bemoaning the “deliberate media blackout” of the event. But Nick Griffin, the party leader, was hoping for publicity for the announcement the following Tuesday that he would head the BNP list for the European elections in the North West, where it has a realistic chance of winning a seat.
But Griffin’s campaign launch was completely overshadowed by the discovery that a list of BNP “members” had been posted on an internet blogsite. It included home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and interesting notes about their jobs, hobbies, whether they were activists or party donors and concerns about individuals who might prove an embarrassment to the party, including a prominent activist with unspecified convictions.
It unleashed a media feeding frenzy. The national papers and radio and television stations pored over the names searching for minor celebrities, service personnel, teachers, doctors and anyone else who might spark a “shock horror” reaction in readers. There were former members of all the three main political parties, which was no great surprise. Two members of Queen Elizabeth’s staff were said to be on the list, though one turned out to be retired and the other said he had never actually joined.
And that was the problem. The list contained 12,801 names compared to the BNP’s current membership of around 9,300, down from 9,784 at the end of 2007. So there were at least 3,500 who were lapsed members or people who had merely shown some interest.
Several newspapers produced maps and all kinds of statistical analysis. Local papers counted all the members in their readership area. But it meant little because the list was unreliable.
The names appeared largely to date from late 2007 with a few more recent additions. Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, seized on the date to blame a “former head of administration of the party”, who had kept a “membership and skills list”. This was Kenny Smith, one of the leaders of last winter’s unsuccessful internal rebellion in the BNP.
Since then, Smith has become a convenient scapegoat. When the BNP’s 2007 accounts embarrassingly failed to pass audit, Griffin wrote, “Accurate accounting for this year is problematic owing to the point-blank refusal of the former head of Administration to account for large amounts of expenditure”. Smith was also blamed for failings with the 2006 accounts and their lateness, which resulted in a fine.
Smith strenuously denied leaking the list and grabbed another chance to hit out at Griffin. “Whatever the reasons for the publication of the list, ordinary BNP members should not have to suffer because of the crass incompetence, flawed personality and arrogance of the Party Leader.”
It does seem unlikely that Smith and his supporters were responsible for the publication of the list, in contravention of a court injunction and legal proce-edings by the BNP which have already cost them money. The BNP has never been very good at data security and such lists were undoubtedly held and circulated by several senior members. It is not the first time such a list has leaked, though never before in such spectacular form.
A more likely explanation is that it has come from a senior BNP member with a more recent grudge against the party. There are plenty of possibilities. Griffin runs his party in an autocratic manner and stamps firmly on any dissent. The annual party conference debates motions supposedly put forward by the party’s regions, but in fact selected by its central Advisory Council. Although it is possible to force a leadership election, every obstacle is put in the way of a challenger. And although the party website allows comments, only those supporting the party’s line are posted and anyone expressing hostile sentiments has their website registration cancelled.
Whoever did it, Griffin had to act fast to save his embattled party. A few members insisted that the leak only confirmed their allegiance, many others were worried. Police officers are prohibited from BNP membership and joining the party could constitute gross misconduct leading to dismissal. Officers have already been suspended and several police services are combing the list carefully.
Others too feared for their jobs. It is interesting to consider why someone in a sensitive position, perhaps working in teaching, local government, the civil service or the NHS, should join a party that they clearly realise is so disreputable that it would cause them to be ostracised.
Here the BNP apparently scored a bit of a coup. “One of this country’s top employment law firms … has offered pro bono – free – representation to any person who is threatened by their employers as a result of the ‘leaked membership list’ smear,” announced the party website. The firm was not named. Solicitors often work pro bono, partly mindful of the good publicity this generates, but these solicitors must have realised that helping the BNP for free was more shameful than charitable.
In reality it would be difficult to sack an employee with more than a year’s service simply for belonging to the BNP unless the employer can show that membership is incompatible with the individual’s job or has a negative impact on colleagues, customers and the local community, and that there is a clear policy spelling this out. It was under this principle that Serco dismissed the former BNP councillor Arthur Redfearn from his job as a driver transporting vulnerable adults and children to schools and day centres, a decision upheld by the Appeal Court.
Protection of the law was not enough for the BNP’s self-styled “legal eagle”, however. Writing on his blog the day the story broke, Lee Barnes advised: “For those people who have been named on the list all you need to do is deny you are a member if asked. Your employer cannot ascertain whether you are actually a real member of the BNP, and we will confirm that you are not a member if you ask us.” In other words the BNP was prepared to back up its members’ lies with more of its own.
The BNP also played the victim card as hard as it could. There were ridiculous accusations from Griffin and Simon Darby, the party’s deputy leader and press officer, that “call centres” were being used to make threatening phone calls to BNP members. The media sought out members who expressed fears that they or their families would be attacked.
We would condemn absolutely anyone who thinks the way to fight the BNP is by physical attacks on individuals or their property. But history shows it is the racists who call for violence against opponents. The vicious hate website Redwatch posts photographs and personal details of hundreds of people, many supplied by BNP organisers and activists, as a way of intimidating their political opponents. Some have had threatening phone calls and abusive letters as a result. Others have been attacked. They include two teachers whose car was firebombed outside their home in Leeds in a case of mistaken identity, and Alec McFadden, president of Merseyside Trades Council, who two years ago was confronted on his doorstep by a man wielding a knife and slashed repeatedly across his face in front of his two young daughters.
Indeed Darby’s initial reaction to the publication of the list appeared to be a threat of violence. If the culprit was found, Darby declared, “it will turn out to be one of the most foolish things they have done in their life” and “I wouldn’t be sleeping very well tonight”. Griffin had to leap in to explain that Darby was only threatening legal action with a potential prison sentence.
Griffin, a conspiracy theorist par excellence, claimed the list had been leaked to coincide with a hearing of the General Teaching Council (GTC), which he expected would stop a BNP member from working as a teacher. “Had that been the result,” Griffin wrote, “the verdict would have been a big news story, which would have set things up perfectly for the follow-up publicity storm about thousands of BNP members being ‘exposed’ which would have broken over the rest of the week.”
In the event the GTC postponed the hearing, but the publicity storm happened anyway and Griffin worked desperately on spinning it in the BNP’s favour. “Nothing could show better just how frightened the liberal ‘elite’ now are of our coming breakthrough,” declared Griffin in an “urgent message” two days after the story broke.
“The publicity about the high quality of our membership has massively improved our image,” he claimed. “The whole affair has blown up in the faces of the plotters and the anti-British traitors. The public are more eager for our message than ever, and many of our new website visitors will keep coming back, become committed nationalists, and join our ranks.”
“High quality” would not describe the two men sentenced in Blackburn at the end of the week for sexual activity with 14-year-old girls. Ian Richard Hindle, 32, and Andrew Paul Wells, 49, had exploited the girls’ vulnerability, police said, welcoming the total of five years and three months imprisonment the pair received. Their BNP connection did not emerge in court or in a local newspaper report, but both their names can be found on the list. Wells is also a convicted football hooligan and has acted as a bodyguard to Griffin. (See pages 18-19 for more details of criminals and extremists in the BNP.)
The BNP may gain a few members out of the thousands who visited its website, assuming they accept Griffin’s assurances that the party’s “investment in new technology and procedures” will stop any more leaks. What the party finds hard is keeping members. Less than 40% of members renew after the first year, the party itself admits.
We have been contacted by people on the list who say they joined but quickly became disillusioned when they found out the truth, which is that the BNP is still a racist party infested with thugs and Holocaust deniers. The presence of a few managers, IT professionals and ex-servicemen will not change that, just like two years ago when it was revealed that a principal dancer with the English National Ballet was a BNP member, despite the BNP milking the connection for all it was worth.
© Searchlight Magazine 2008
BNP Councillor thrown out of Barking Town Hall
Barking and Dagenham BNP councillors - the only ones applauding their performanceCouncillor Lawrence Rustem (second right) was asked to say sorry for his previous statement that teaching sex education to children before secondary school was akin to paedophilia. But rather than withdraw his statement, Rustem instead launched into a long rant about the Labour government and immigration declaring that he would 'answer the question the way I want to answer it.'
When even calls from his own party members to 'shut up' were ignored, Rustem was escorted from the chamber. Not willing to leave it there, he turned on a Labour councillor and offered him 'outside for a dance.' The offer was understandably declined.
Other highlights from the meeting included the BNP group leader Robert Bailey calling a Labour councillor a Nazi and Richard Barnbrook boasting about his rugby skills. Other vital matters raised by the BNP concerned the supply of Halal meat in schools and the plight of the 'native minority' in the 'Labour borough of Ealing'.
Paralysis
As I left the pubic gallery, people around me complained about the 'squabbling' that always takes place at these meetings. And as I stepped outside a clearly distraught woman turned on the assembled BNP councillors and screamed at them for failing to talk about 'the kids'. Ignoring calls from Richard Barnbrook for her to return, she quickly walked off down the street, crying as she went.
This was my first time in Barking and Dagenham and whatever grief or worries she was feeling I cannot tell you. But from watching the paralysis caused by the BNP in the council chamber last night, I can see little chance of her concerns being met any time soon.
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