The only time I came across the leader of the BNP was following the 2006 City Council Elections when I was helping out Jean Bowers in Birches Head. I went to the Wheatsheaf Pub in Stoke afterwards before the count with my brother. The pub was full of BNP supporters who were expecting big gains in the elections- they were to be disappointed. Sitting at a table enjoying a meal was the leader of the BNP surrounded by muscular, shaven headed men in suits. Griffin was eating a curry.
I tipped off the Guardian about Griffin’s multi cultural tastes and got £50 for my scoop.
The BNP were in the news again yesterday. A speedily arranged meeting was arranged in Essex following a decision by the courts which told the BNP that they were acting illegally in refusing membership to non whites. The party was ordered to amend its constitution to comply with race relations laws or face legal action by the Equality Commission. After the hearing on 28 January, the BNP rushed out letters to its 14,000 members in order to allow for the 14 days needed to alert them to the proposed changes.
The meeting was not without incident. As reported on the Harry’s Place blog.
“BNP security guards assaulted and expelled Dominic Kennedy, the Times journalist who was reporting the party’s meeting
.
Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, declared after the meeting: “We will carry on throwing The Times out until they report the truth. That’s all we ask.” The Times meets that request with journalistic scrupulousness and no little incredulity. If Mr Griffin wants the truth to be told about the BNP, we can recount it from direct observation. The BNP purports to be a legitimate party; yet its behaviour reveals it at every turn to be exploitative, cynical, xenophobic and thuggish.
“¦
Political parties by definition have a point of view. A newspaper’s responsibility is to report their actions and statements fairly but with critical detachment. When Mr Kennedy entered the BNP’s press conference, Richard Barnbrook, a BNP member of the London Assembly, demanded that he leave. Mr Barnbrook had taken exception to a profile of him published in Saturday’s edition of The Times. That was enough.
Mr Kennedy was not attending the meeting covertly. He had expressly been invited to report on it by Simon Darby, the party’s national press officer. On pointing this out, Mr Kennedy was physically ejected. His nose was grabbed, twisted and bloodied. A punch was thrown. He was pushed into a parked car outside the building.
“¦
The BNP now likes to pose as a normal British political party. In fact, they are no such thing. In this country, it is not normal for political parties to rough up journalists. In this country, it is not normal for people to disown racism for reasons of convenience, rather than conviction. In this country, it is not normal to hijack the birthday celebrations of a wounded soldier for electoral gain. The BNP like to boast their Britishness but seem to have forgotten the most essential British values: free speech and fairness, compassion and respect. Yesterday, the BNP showed they are many things, but not British”
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Well, the stuff served up in Weathershites isn’t real curry anyway, so presumably Griffin decided it was non-threatening.
A BNP meeting in a pub, and a cheep one at that, well there you go.I would think the curry would have gone some way of masking the smell of smeal of the fat biggated uphimself t**spot.
I totaly agree with the BNP having to change their policy of non whites.
Now lets turn our attention to the Black Police Officers Association, in order to balance the scales.
As for throwing a journalist out.
He was asked to leave (I beleive) and refused, then he was thrown out, sorted.
This is the “gutter press” after all, since when did they become bastions of truth.
They make a living out of twisting, exaggeration, sensationlising, and downright lies in order to sell papers.
Hey lets not forget the pensioner manhandled out of the Labour party, for dring to heckle the speaker, or Rose Adie the pensioner branded a racist for daring to criticise the NHS.
Treating this as a major crime is a bit like “pot calling kettle back” Mr Cawley
Were they in Weathershites on a weekday afternoon? It’s at that time in there and Last Orders that alot of their types seem to congregate, probably to see how many pints their benefits can get them.
Black Police Association has never had a colour bar. They admit, have and were set up by white police officers (Met commissioner in 1995). The same goes for all these ethnic minority associations, they don’t bar whites, it’s just that people like you Terry wouldn’t want to join.
No it was a Thursday night and every BNP members, mainly men, were turned out in suits.
As for the Times journalist. This is his account.
“One man grabbed my nose and tried to remove it from my face. I was seized and shoved out of the door towards a parked car. I threw my hands out to steady myself. A BNP thug snarled: “Don’t touch people’s cars mate.” Obviously, I offered no resistance.
I had gone to the Elm Park pub in Hornchurch to report on a press conference at which Nick Griffin, MEP for North West England and chairman of the British National Party, was to explain how his activists had just passed an historic membership reform.
Although I had been invited, one prominent BNP politician had taken exception to an article in Saturday’s edition of The Times. After he lost his temper with me I was quickly shoved and lifted out of the building, hit in the back and had my face squashed”.
I hold no brief for the Labour Party and I thought that their ejection from the 2005 Conference of Walter Wolfgang was despicable and it suggests to me that the main political parties don’t like dissent.
As for the BNP and dissent the idea that they are on the side of free speech simply doesn’t ring true. On assumption of power, no doubt the BNP rightly suspect an avalanche of investigation and criticism by the media. The actions against the Times journalist is a precursor
I just knew the old Black Police Officers Association trip would be brought up, yet again. Terry, do you realy think that the police force within this counrty would set up an association that bars anyone, no for god sake. As guest said it was set up be white policemen, I would imagin to encroage more police recrutment from the ethinic minoritys. Why would a white policeman want to join the association though, but in no way are they prvented from doing so. Come to think of it, why would anyone of any race, creed, skin tone or religen what to join the BNP unless they had something up with there brain, I meen have you seen that thing they call a menifesto. As for tossing members of the invited press out of meeting they have been asked to report on by an important party member by the nose, just becouse some outrageus, full of flimm flam and half baked rubbish like that w***er Barnbrook, well, it just shows what that bloody lot think of free speach.
Good justification there – “gutter press”.
I can just imagine the day of the court case.
“We assaulted him your honour because he belonged to the gutter press.” – says the defendant.
“Ah well, if that’s how it was, I surprised any one even mentioned it. Case dismissed!”
I’m just wondering what papers should have been allowed to attend, and which other should be excluded.
[quote=terry turbo]As for throwing a journalist out.
He was asked to leave (I beleive) and refused, then he was thrown out, sorted.
This is the “gutter press” after all, since when did they become bastions of truth.
They make a living out of twisting, exaggeration, sensationlising, and downright lies in order to sell papers.[/quote]
It’s called free speech Terry which is something I thought the BNP were always keen to defend. Obviously not by the actions they took against this journalist. Never mind Terry, one day you might put all the pieces together.
Webby, I have not made up the phrase “gutter press”, they have earned this title by the amount of people that have sued them.
I don’t know the full story as I was not there, but from some of the story’s they came out with against the BNP last year were anything to go by they should have known they would not be wellcommed with open arms.
The right to free speech belongs to everyone, whatever party.
I beleive that, and Guest I am not a BNP member.
Warren, why does it exist, if not to serve Black Police officers only?
What would happen if an officer wanted a White Officers Association?
You and I know that whoever sugested it would be drummed out of the force.
The fact that it exists is divisive, segragation never works.
Labour have done far worse than throw some journalist out.
Rose Adie -a pensioner- was branded, a scientist was driven to suicide, (maybe, the jurys not come out on that one yet) a war started with the loss of thousands of civilians and British personel on a lie.
Now tell me throwing a journalist out is that bad.
You can’t set up a White Police Officers’ Association because you’re not a policeman, so how does it concern you?
why do some people “assume” that because most of us despise the BNP and their treatment of this reporter, that it automatically follows that we support the Labour parties treatment of the people mentioned?
I for one most certainly DON’T,
and on a couple of occasions have made my feelings known in letters to the Sentinel and other places, I was also outraged at Alan Johnson (we share the same name but that is ALL we share)
for his treatment of the scientist (who’s name escapes me at the moment) who dared to tell the truth about cannabis,
but nasty Nick WAS a member of the NF, and I have seen the youtube video of Nick telling us what “might” happen when they “control” the British media,
one thing that is quite obvious is that should the day ever dawn when THEY get their way free speech will become a fond memory, and so will any democratic opposition,
and their actions towards this journalist only go to confirm this,
So why were you effectively opposing it in your post about the press then? Backpedalling?
You obviously have no idea what the BPA is about. Nothing to do with being divisive, its about making sure minorities within the force are treated fairly by the white majority. When that happens there’ll be no need for them. Whilst people like you are around there’ll always be a need.
Owd Potter, the man you’re thinking about is called David Nutt. I agree he did nothing but speak the truth and ws a victim of politics and tabloid “newspapers” who don’t want to see good policies to go through.
http://markreckons.blogspot.com/2009/11/evan-harris-accuses-alan-johnson-of.html
The media barons want to undermine evidence-based policy so that they can scaremonger and sell more copies. They call us “unpatriotic” but they are the ones who want this country to fail. They are also bigging up the BNP.
http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/7469
I hate the lot of them. Scum who are trying to wreck this country so as to make more money.
PS-
Please don’t call this government Labour, they are no such thing. They are nothing but Tories who have shamed the workers by bailing out banker scum.
Whats the point of posting an answer if you don’t read it.
I said “if an officer” not me.
Another no name?
AH yes DR David Nutt, he was only telling the truth, but then lots of people already know that what he was saying is in fact true,
But I, and many people believe there is another reason why ANY government doesn’t want to know when it comes to allowing ADULTS to make up their own minds when it comes to such things,
for a start there is the years and years of deeply ingrained brainwashing of the public on the subject (drugs-BAD, alcohol-GOOD) that we have had from ALL governments, and of course it has nothing to do with multi billion pounds of revenue that ALL governments get from the “wet” drug,…no…no its because they are concerned about our health and well being,
but that’s another topic,
AND for the record I AM NOT in favour of the taking of ANY drug, legal or otherwise, but I DO believe they should all be treated the same,
and as for the press and its handling of the BNP, well, much as I despise them (the BNP) I believe they have as much right to be heard “fairly” as anyone else,
the old “give them enough rope” adage,
by all means engage them in debate and defeat their arguments,
as for “NEW” Labour I count myself among the many who feel let down and betrayed by them, and will probably not so much be voting FOR them, but against the alternative/s, I may, however decide to vote Lib Dem this time, I like many people used to see a vote for the Lib Dems as a wasted vote,
I certainly could NEVER bring myself to vote Tory, and the BNP have as much chance of getting my vote as I have of winning the jackpot on the lottery…….and I DON’T DO the lottery,
I am reminded of something I heard or read somewhere, “it doesn’t matter WHO we vote for, the government always gets in”
Terry why do you keep banging on about this? It’s getting old. In a society where there are minorities there will always be associations set up to improve opportunity, make people aware, compare notes etc.
As Warren said it doesn’t bar white officers, it was merely set up to ensure that Black and Asian officers had access to equal opportunities which they weren’t receiving prior to its inception.
Well said Tideswellman, what the majority fail to see is that they continually bleat about ethnic minorities not getting involved etc, but then as soon as someone from a diverse group does say something they harp on about ‘its a lone voice….if more from this group stated whatever more could be done’
There needs to be recognition that when a lone voice does state something and is then shot down in flames it sure as hell is going to have a negative effect on others from that group, who will then remain silent. Equal opportunities work both ways.
Because no matter how many times you tell Terry something it doesn’t seem to sink in. These “ethnic” associations don’t have any race bars, it’s just the name gives people like him something to whine about over equality.
I agree, I despise the BNP and I could hardly be considered a Labour supporter, far from. It’s a mindset these people have that if you believe in equality and fairness then you’re automatically some sort of tree-hugging leftie. REality is that we’re the normal people and they’re the loonies, worshipping a piece of cloth, hoping the world will stop still for them and yearning for a past that was before their parents’ lifetime.
Point being?
Because you’re always looking for an anti-white bias where none exists.
Terry, see below for a quote from the National Black Police Association
‘The NBPA is open to all in policing on application and there is no bar to membership based on colour ‘
Its called equality, a belief that ALL people should be treated equally.
Sun ….in
Broadsheets….out
Gutter press? I can’t honestly remember the last time The Times, Telegraph, Guardian or Independent got sued. Is that perhaps because they aim themselves at an audience with an IQ in 3 figures and actually print news?
The papers that get sued are the tabloids mainly because they print untrue sensationalist celebrity stories because that’s what their readership wants. They are what are generally referred to as the gutter press, not The Times.
Again Terry, making points without any real facts to back them up.
Terry, if they did set up a White Police Officers Association, you bet your bottom doller it would be open to non-white members. Its all BNP hogwash, the Police Officers Association, crowbared in by BNP members and surpoters every time they are backed into a conner on this subject. As for not being a members of the BNP, we know your not dude, but I’m thinking thy’ protests a little to much.
The only people who see a problem with a white police association seem to be whites intent on stirring up hatred against the BME, you know the sort, the type who like the BNP. Like Terry, who’s always going on about the BPA despite having been told on several occasions they allow white members and who it’s clear has never bothered to check for himself as that would undermine his own views.