Barnbrook a non-person?

Just a few days before his hearing before the Standards Board and a week before the BNP's annual Derbyshire love-in for racists news has been reaching us that the party's much lauded Greater London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook is in deep trouble with the paranoic British National Party leadership.

In Orwellian moves typical of Nick Griffin and his Stalinist style of leadership the BNP has ceased making positive mentions of the man who, until the election of Griffin and ex-Nazi Andrew Brons to the European Parliament, had been the BNP's most prominent elected politician, and - more ominously - has removed a link to Barnbrook's blog from the main BNP website.

In fact the blog has disappeared altogether, replaced with a photo of Barnbrook captioned with the sinister words "Under reconstruction".

Since Griffin's election to the Euro Parliament a cabal of Griffin yes-men has been put in place to run the party during the leader's frequent absences, and it appears there has been widespread resentment at the influence of these lackies, who include the idiotic Mark Collett and shady South African emigre and former spook Arthur Kemp.

There is also on-going disquiet that yet again the party is to be fined for failure to file its accounts on time, internal BNP financial practices that give rise to suspicions of fraud, and - last but not least - some of the more savvy members have finally worked out that despite the lucky chance that saw Griffin and Brons elected to Europe, the party's performance was dismal in both the European and County Council elections.

This was driven home when the Griffin-selected candidate for the Norwich North by-election, the fake "reverend" Robert West, scraped only a morale destroying 2.7% of the vote, and in three notable local by-elections in recent weeks where its vote plummeted by a half to two thirds.

Richard Barnbrook seems to have become associated with BNP dissidents who believe that Griffin should step aside from the leadership, and his punishment (so far) seems to be that of being made persona non grata.

Griffin runs the BNP with the same degree of paranoia that he once ran the National Front, divisions and purges following the man around like a dog on a lead. Making Barnbrook a non-person could be the harbinger to yet another round of Griffin-inspired expulsions, but we doubt that Barnbrook himself will be touched unless a plausible excuse can be found to sell his departure to the gullible BNP membership.

We are, though, expecting the fun to begin at regional and branch level very soon as Griffin's men identify and isolate the dissenters.

BNP in a Hitler rant row

British National Party backers have been accused of launching a phone campaign of Nazi abuse against anti-fascist campaigners.

Anti-racist group Unite Against Fascism (UAF) claim BNP supporters are deluging activists with sinister phone messages. They say the threatening calls have included a man growling “Heil Hitler” down the phone, a recording of Bavarian-style German marching music and a pro-BNP rant.

All the activists targeted are involved in a planned picket of the BNP’s annual Red White and Blue festival in Codnor, Derbyshire, on August 15.

The far-right party denies sympathising with Hitler’s Nazis – despite leader Nick Griffin having a conviction for inciting racial hatred by denying the Holocaust.

UAF activist “Tim” said: “I got a message saying, ‘We are the BNP’, while others contain a Hitler speech.”

BNP deputy leader Simon Darby said: “Nobody would ring people up and play that down the phone.”

Daily Star

Huge BNP turnout to support West - 20 descend on derelict pub - intimidated by 3 anti-fascists

The BNP's top-secret RV point
Three HOPE not hate campaigners surprised and angered the BNP in Norwich on Saturday when they arrived to monitor what the BNP supposed was a secret meeting point at the Duke of Norfolk pub in Mousehold Lane. Unknown to the fascists, who snuck into the area for a leaflet and canvass session, the closed public house had been watched since early that morning.

The arrival of the fake "reverend" Robert West - the BNP's candidate in the Norwich North by-election - prompted the three anti-fascists to move in closer, and it was several minutes before the BNP noticed we were clicking away.

The penny drops
We approached the ropey reverend to ask who ordained him, but the prefabricated prelate went all sheepish on us and demanded that we address him as "reverend". We decided to address him as "fake".

Would you buy a used crucifix from this man?
We also asked him about Leader Nick's call for the sinking of refugee boats, because we couldn't find the verse in the Bible which states: "Blessed are those who torpedo black people on the high seas, for they shall inherit the Earth."

Needless to say West wasn't too interested in answering that point and went off to pretend to look through some BNP "literature" - a shoddy leaflet claiming that blacks are being housed ahead of whites by Norwich City Council (if they knew anything about Norwich North they'd know it's within the boundaries of Broadland District Council, and the housing policies of Norwich City Council have no effect in the constituency).

Those fellow fascists of West's who approached us all began with the "I'm not a racist" spiel then proceeded to justify blasting black people out of the water, one idiot talking about the New Testament's justification for Nick's sink 'em policy, then going on about the Old Testament when, quelle surprise, he found himself out-brained by a real Christian who'd done more than read the Bible's title.

While this was going on one or two of the motley assembly of 20 race haters were obviously losing it, and one of their goons suddenly jumped the wall separating us and attacked one of the HOPE not hate trio from behind, grabbing him around the neck, wrenching his arm behind his back and hustling him along the pavement.

Realising the camera's on him, West's goon backs off
When I pointed out he was committing a serious criminal offence the goon retorted "I can do what I fucking well like" - just as we saw outside Parliament the other week, when BNP goons ordered the public out of the way while they escorted Griffin and Brons to an egg-pelting party, and then again when they felled and trampled a black woman as they rushed their terror-struck Leader away from the scene.

The attack on our man prompted two of the BNP, including West, to call the police to claim that the three of us were victimising the 20 of them, and in minutes three police cars came blazing into the scene.

The lies quickly agreed to by the BNP didn't compute with the police, and the officer who interviewed us was quite ready to arrest the BNP goon. I've got to say I was in favour of it, but it would have meant hours at Norwich police station and the loss of our cameras, so our man declined to press charges.

Edith Crowther, who stood in King's Lynn Gaywood in the county council elections, explained that she had a degree in Arabic and that her goon mate was a "working class man from a poor council estate who doesn't know any better.."

What they're driving on poor council estates these days - West's thug and his 4x4
The kind of poor council estate where everybody owns a petrol-hungry 4x4 with a personalised numberplate, eh, Edith?

Crowther ("My husband sometimes lets me out of the house") was peremptorily told to stop talking to us. We can't say whether it was her husband who gave the order.

Motley collection - would-be BNP boat sinkers
The turnout for the BNP was pathetic. Despite a national call for help most of the twenty belonged to Norfolk BNP, with few of them from Norwich - and almost all of them had out-of-county accents. Until recently, while the rest of the BNP prepared to fight elections Norfolk BNP prepared to order lunch, but we still couldn't help but notice the absence of some of Norfolk BNP's biggest online loudmouths, who, like most of the BNP, are too ashamed to show their faces in public and prefer to do their politicking from the anonymity of a keyboard.

After that not much happened. Everybody, including us, had to give their details to the police, and that kept the BNP corralled on the pub car park for more than an hour. When told they were free to go, the BNP cars waited around while a number of mobile phone calls were made, leading the HOPE not hate trio to suspect that something else was being planned, then they made a number of unsubtle feints (we're not that stupid, West) and finally drove off in convoy.

As we had no chance of reaching our cars in time to follow, and as the police were still watching, we decided to call it a day at that point, happy that we'd acheived what we set out to do - but there's a way to go in the Norwich North by-election yet, and we're pretty sure we'll be meeting up again with the BNP and its deceitful devil-dodger some time very soon.

BNP activist rebailed over 'racist leaflets'

A BNP activist whose name was put to alleged racist leaflets distributed in Lancashire has been rebailed by police probing the incident. Tony Bamber (right), aged 53, of Greenbank Street in Plungington, Preston, was arrested late last year on suspicion of the publication and distribution of written material intended to stir up racial hatred, and the possession of racially inflammatory material.

It has now emerged three other men arrested over the distribution of leaflets in Lancashire which alleged Muslims were responsible for the heroin trade, will not be prosecuted. However, Bamber must answer bail again later this month.

More than 3,000 anti-Muslim leaflets were distributed in Tulketh, Preston, and in the Lancashire villages of Great Eccleston, St Michael's and Chipping, as well as Burnley.

Supporters of the British National Party, including leader Nick Griffin, demonstrated outside Burnley's police station last November following dawn raids which they described as "Gestapo-like". The BNP said two of four men held in the raids were BNP members in the local area.

The leaflet urged people to "heap condemnation" on Muslims and said they should "apologise" over claims they were responsible for 95% of the world's heroin trade.

A photograph of 21-year-old Rachel Whitear - who was found dead holding a syringe at her flat in Exmouth, Devon, in May 2000 - accompanied the literature. Miss Whitear's mother, Pauline Holcroft, of Ledbury, Herefordshire, later told the Lancashire Evening Post she was furious and condemned the way it referred to heroin addicts as "nasty pathetic parasites".

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: "A 41-year-old man from Nelson, a 44-year-old man from Darwen and a 57-year-old man from Nelson were all arrested on suspicion of the publication and distribution of written material intended to stir up racial hatred, and the possession of racially inflammatory material. However, they have now been told they will not face prosecution."

She added a 53-year-old man from Preston arrested on suspicion of the same offences was rebailed until later this month.

Lancashire Evening Post

Norwich North by-election

The BNP's candidate, The Holy Hypocrite



The Norwich North by-election has been called for Thursday July 23rd. The known candidates so far are:

Thomas BURRIDGE (Libertarian)
Bill HOLDEN (Independent)
Alan HOPE (Official Monster Raving Loony)
Craig MURRAY (Independent)
Chris OSTROWSKI (Labour)
April POND (Liberal Democrat)
Rupert READ (Green)
Chloe SMITH (Conservative)
Glenn TINGLE (UK Independence)
Robert WEST (BNP)

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 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.

Doubts over BNP man's title claims

There was confusion last night over whether Norwich North's British National Party (BNP) candidate has the credentials to call himself “reverend”.

The Rev Robert West is at the centre of a row over his ministerial moniker, which he claimed was genuine - even though he admitted he had no current connection to any Christian denomination.

When questioned, Mr West, who lives in Holbeach in Lincolnshire, said: “It's been dealt with once and I don't have to justify myself.”

He said he had explained himself and shown his ordination certificate on a TV show in recent months, and said he had been advised “not to go through it all again”.

He said he had been “ordained as an elder” of the Apostolic Church of Wales some years ago. He claimed the word “elder” in the New Testament came from a Greek word meaning “priest”.

Mr West, who will be bidding to win the vacant Norwich North seat once the by-election date has been announced, said: “Ordination means recognition. It's simply recognition of what you are. It recognises your gifts.”

Meanwhile, UKIP leader Nigel Farrage was in Norwich yesterday outlining how his party planned to reach out to traditional Labour voters and Tories disenchanted with David Cameron's Conservative Party.

Norwich Evening News

Have you faced discrimination? Your MEP, Nick Griffin, wants to pretend you have

High-minded notions of rooting out Euro-sleaze voiced by Nick Griffin at his oh-so-lucky election as an MEP already seem to have been forgotten as the Cyclopic one elects to tread more familiar BNP turf, and takes for his first "case" that of a "24 year-old former prison service employee" who attended a Fire Service recruitment open evening in Oldham, and who, according to a posting made by Griffin on his shiny new website, was sent away because "the gentleman concerned was white and he along with around 20 other white males and one white female were told that the fire service were only targeting people from the ethnic minorities and the gay community, and they were sent away and dismissed from the recruitment process".

Even on a first reading this seems improbable, and on a second impossible. If this had actually happened there would have been a clear breach of the law on the part of Greater Manchester Fire And Rescue Service, which covers Oldham, and GMFRS's representatives would have been reduced to making snap judgements on the ethnicity of the attendees, as well as improperly inquiring after their sexual orientation.

Can you imagine the justifiable uproar, the outraged Daily Mail headlines?

So far the outrage seems confined to Griffin's office manager, Tina Wingfield, who fulminates: “This is a worrying case of positive discrimination gone mad. Here we have an ideal applicant for the job of firefighter but he was barred from even applying because he is a white hetrosexual. This is a shocking state of affairs and that needs to be addressed.”

What needs to be addressed is the BNP's relationship with the truth.

An amused GMFRS spokesperson told us there was not the remotest possibility of any person being "sent away and dismissed from the recruitment process" because they happened to be white heterosexuals. He agreed that not only would such a move be negative and counter-productive, it would be a public relations disaster. The idea that this happened to 22 white heterosexuals at an informal open evening in Oldham was "ridiculous".

Nick's first Euro lie nailed?