| Revision as of 15:20, 16 May 2010 view sourceValenciano (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers63,102 edits rv vandalism by 82.23.100.65 (talk)← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:37, 16 May 2010 view source 86.173.56.228 (talk)No edit summaryTag: repeating charactersNext edit → | ||
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| {{Other uses}} | |||
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| {{use dmy dates}} | |||
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| {{Very long|date=December 2009}} | |||
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| {{Infobox political party | |||
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| |country = the United Kingdom | |||
| |name_english = British National Party | |||
| |name_native = | |||
| |logo = ] | |||
| |leader = ] | |||
| |chairman = | |||
| |secretary_general = | |||
| |leader1_title = Deputy Chairman | |||
| |leader1_name = ] | |||
| |foundation = 1982 | |||
| |dissolution = | |||
| |membership = 11,820 | |||
| |headquarters = PO Box 14<br>]<br>SY21 0WE | |||
| |youth_wing = ] | |||
| |ideology = ] | |||
| <br />]<!-- | |||
| --><ref name="bnpelection2004"/><!-- | |||
| --><ref name="thurlow2000"/><!-- | |||
| --><ref name="autogenerated1996"/><!-- | |||
| --><ref name="informaworld.com"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Copsey|first=Nigel |title=Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|date=September 2009|edition=2nd|accessdate=19 October 2009}}</ref><!--], | |||
| --><!-- | |||
| --><ref name="bnplondonbomb">{{cite journal|last=Wood|first=C|month=December | year=2008|title=British National Party representations of Muslims in the month after the London bombings: Homogeneity, threat, and the conspiracy tradition |journal=British Journal of Social Psychology|url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpsoc/bjsp/2008/00000047/00000004/art00009|volume=47|issue=4|accessdate=15 January 2009|doi=10.1348/014466607X264103|page=707|last2=Finlay|first2=W. M. L.}}</ref><!-- | |||
| --><br />]<!-- | |||
| --><ref>Golder, Matt "." ''Comparative Political Studies'' 36.4 (2003): 432-466. DOI: 10.1177/0010414003251176. Retrieved 9 February 2007.</ref><ref>Evans, Jocelyn A J. "" ''Comparative European Politics'' 3.1 (2005): 76–101. Retrieved 9 February 2007.</ref><!-- | |||
| --><br />]<br />]<!-- | |||
| --><ref>Bonnett A. "" ''The Journal of Historical Sociology'' 11.3 (1998): 316–40. Retrieved 9 February 2007.</ref><!-- | |||
| --><ref>Back, Les, Michael Keith, Azra Khan, Kalbir Shukra, and John Solomos "" ''The Political Quarterly'' 73.4 (2002): 445–54, DOI: 10.1111/1467-923X.00499. Retrieved 9 February 2007.</ref><!-- | |||
| --><ref>Gerstenfeld, Phyllis B., Diana R. Grant, and Chau-Pu Chiang "" ''Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy'' 3.1 (2003): 29-24, DOI :10.1111/j.1530-2415.2003.00013.x. Retrieved 9 February 2007.</ref><!-- | |||
| --><br />] | |||
| |position = ]<!-- references for this are in the lead section --> | |||
| |international = | |||
| |european = ]<ref>{{Cite book | title = BNP in alliance with nationalists | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8356284.stm | publisher = BBC News | date = 12 November 2009 | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> | |||
| |europarl = ] | |||
| |colours = ], ], ] | |||
| |website = | |||
| |colorcode = {{British National Party/meta/color}} | |||
| |seats3_title = ] | |||
| |seats3 = {{Infobox political party/seats|2|72|hex=#2222FF}} | |||
| |seats4_title = ] | |||
| |seats4 = {{Infobox political party/seats|1|25|hex=#2222FF}} | |||
| |seats5_title = ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/election2010/council/html/region_99999.stm |title=Local Council Political Compositions |author=BBC News |date=10 May 2010 |work= |publisher= |accessdate=09 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/uklocalgov/makeup.htm. Retrieved 8 December 2009..stm |title="Local Council Political Compositions" |author=Keith Edkins |date=10 May 2010 |work= |publisher= |accessdate=09 May 2010}}</ref>{{Verify credibility}} | |||
| |seats5 = {{Infobox political party/seats|28|21871|hex=#2222FF}}<!--The BNP do NOT have 19 seats. The BBC source only lists contested seats, not the overall total -->{{Verify credibility}} | |||
| }} | |||
| The '''British National Party''' ('''BNP''') is a ] political party formed as a splinter group from the ] by ] in 1982. The party restricted membership to people of ] ] origin until 2009, when it was challenged in the courts on grounds of racial discrimination.<ref>"", ''The Independent'', 16 October 2009.</ref><ref></ref> After a vote by members in a February 2010 extraordinary general meeting the party dropped this policy, with chairman Nick Griffin saying that the party will now "accept anyone as a member providing they agree with us that this country should remain fundamentally British".<ref></ref> The High Court has found that the new constitution is still "likely to commit unlawful acts".<ref></ref> | |||
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| The BNP seeks to restore the overwhelmingly white ethnicity of Britain that existed prior to 1948{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} through legal means, including "firm but voluntary incentives for immigrants and their descendants to return home",<ref name = "BBC-Rebuilding">British National Party: ''Rebuilding British Democracy'' general election manifesto 2005 online at </ref> and the repeal of anti-discrimination legislation. The party is ostracised by mainstream political parties in the UK.<ref>{{cite news | title = European elections 2009: BNP successes 'horrific' say main parties | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/5474602/European-elections-2009-BNP-successes-horrific-say-main-parties.html | publisher = '']'' | date = 8 June 2009 | accessdate = 22 October 2009 | location=London | first1=Andrew | last1=Porter | first2=John | last2=Bingham}}</ref> | |||
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| There's a bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| In the ], the party received 0.7% of the vote but had no candidates elected to Parliament. In the 2006 English local elections, the party doubled its number of seats in England. The BNP finished fifth in the ] with 5.2% of the vote and secured one of the ]'s 25 seats.<ref name="BBC2008">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7219747.stm |publisher=] |date=3 May 2008 |title=Profile: Richard Barnbrook |accessdate=2 October 2008 }}</ref> They won their first county council seats in 2009<ref>Tony Travers: , guardian.co.uk, 5 June 2009</ref> together with two seats in the ].<ref>Wainwright, Martin , guardian.co.uk, 8 June 2009</ref> During the ] the BNP received 1.9% of the vote, but failed to win any seats.<ref></ref> | |||
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| There's a frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| The party's media profile has increased under its current leader ], a former national organiser of the National Front.<ref>BBC News </ref> | |||
| There's a frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| {{TOC limit|3}} | |||
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| ==History== | |||
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| ===Background, National Front outgrowth=== | |||
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| ]s, demonstrating outside a factory.|] march from the 1970s. The movement from which the BNP would emerge by 1982.]] | |||
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| The ''British National Party''{{#tag:ref|The name British National Party had been used in politics previously by four organisations. The two most notable examples were the ] party, created by Mosleyites who eventually became the ] and a group in the ] initiated by ] which became part of the ]. Tyndall was a leading member of the 1960s BNP and a founder of the present party.|group=note}} was founded in 1982 by ], following a split within the ] movement which had occurred two years previously.<ref name="cook">{{harvnb|Cook|2000|p=88}}</ref> At its foundation, they were joined by a faction of the disintegrating ] led by ]. Tyndall had entered the National Front in 1967 with various members of the ] and had become its chairman by the early 1970s. | |||
| There's a tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| There's a flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| The party also organised public marches in an attempt to further raise their profile amongst the electorate, though this sometimes led to violent clashes with political opponents.<ref name="twotwoseven">{{harvnb|Robin|1989|p=227}}</ref> Left-wing groups set up the ] campaign against the NF.<ref name="twotwoseven"/> After a poor showing at the ], internal factional division heightened within the NF. This culminated in Tyndall leaving the party and chairman post in 1980,<ref name="betz">{{harvnb|Betz|1998|p=145}}</ref> founding the ''New National Front'', which became the BNP two years later.<ref>{{harvnb|Barberis|2005|p=191}}</ref> | |||
| There's a flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| There's a flea | |||
| There's a flea | |||
| There's a flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| There's a speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| ===Tyndall leadership, early years=== | |||
| There's a speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log on the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| According to '']'', the politicial magazine edited and produced by Tyndall, the split within the movement was not initially intended to be a permanent one.<ref name="betz"/> During the ] itself, the party fielded 53 candidates,<ref name="eightthree">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/programmes/2001/bnp_special/roots/1979.stm|title=BNP: under the skin, 1979-1983|author=BBC |date=25 November 2001|accessdate=4 January 2010 | work=BBC News}}</ref> enough to qualify for a televised party political broadcast. The broadcast featured chairman Tyndall, flanked by two British flags. The footage shown included images of the ], one of the ] during the early 1980s; in this case a violent riot between predominantly black local residents and the police.<ref name="harri">{{harvnb|Harrison|1983|p=155}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|According to academic Martin Harrison in ''The British General Election of 1983'', the BNP's broadcast "emphasis was less heavily anti-black than the National Front's".|group=note}} All candidates combined, the BNP achieved only 14,621 votes in the general election, marginaly less than the NF's 27,065, who remained the most popular party of the far right.<ref name="butler">{{harvnb|Butler|1983|p=345}}</ref> | |||
| There's a speck | |||
| There's a speck | |||
| There's a speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| There's a teeny weeny something that's so small you can't see it | |||
| It was revealed afterwards that Deputy Chairman of the party, Ray Hill, had been working as a mole on behalf of the anti-fascist magazine '']''.<ref name="bnpbarb">{{harvnb|Barberis|2005|p=178}}</ref> During the mid-1980s, the party began to develop friendly relations domestically, with organisations such as the NF ]{{#tag:ref|There were overtures at a possible BNP and NF Flag Group reunification as the ''Nationalist Alliance''. It was ] of the NF Flag Group who attempted to engineer this.<ref name="copsey"/> It came to nothing after ], one of the NF Flag Group leaders with ], rejected the possibility explicitly in ''The Flag'' magazine. Wingfield had a long-standing grudge with BNP chairman Tyndall.<ref name="copsey">{{harvnb|Copsey|2004|p=30}}</ref>|group=note}} and, according to Barberis, the ] (a hard-edge faction of the Conservatives, soon disbanded).<ref name="bnpbarb"/> The BNP also made contacts on the continent, particularly with ] of the radical Odal Group, which succeeded the ].<ref name="bnpbarb"/> In 1986 Tyndall was imprisoned after being convicted of inciting racial hatred.<ref>{{harvnb|Szajkowski|2004|p=498}}</ref> While Tyndall was in prison he wrote the part-autobiographical, part-political ''The Eleventh Hour''. ] was the ''de facto'' leader during this time.<ref>{{harvnb|Eriksen|2006|p=99}}</ref> | |||
| On the speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| There's a what?!! | |||
| There's........all that stuff in the bottom of the sea | |||
| There's a teeny weeny something | |||
| There's a teeny weeny something | |||
| There's a teeny weeny something..... | |||
| On the speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea | |||
| Let's forget about that teeny weeny something and we'll... | |||
| ===Gains at local level, into the 1990s=== | |||
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| ] | |||
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| A report in '']'' during 1988 revealed that Deputy Chairman of the party Richard Edmonds, was involved with a newspaper called the ''"Holocaust" News'', published by the ''Centre for Historical Review''.<ref>{{cite news |url=|title=Holocaust hate sheet alarms British Jews|author=]|date= 6 March 1988|accessdate=4 January 2010}}</ref> The publication claimed that the ] as presented in state-sponsored accounts was an elaborate politically motivated hoax, instead it promoted various papers such as the '']'', the ''Ball Report'' and the '']''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} The BNP mobilised 200 people for a ''Rights for Whites'' demonstration resulting in the ]. The BNP claimed the demonstration was in support of white parents who withdrew their children from predominamtly Muslim schools.<ref name="dr">{{cite news |url=|title=|author=] |date=1 July 1989}}</ref> Around this time, the party saw a popularity growth in ] and relocated its bookshop to a heavily fortified headquarters at ], south east London.<ref>{{harvnb|Boothroyd|2001|p=22}}</ref> At the ], Tyndall and ], were noted candidates who unsuccessfully stood for election.<ref name="twothree">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/programmes/2001/bnp_special/roots/1992.stm|title=BNP: under the skin, 1992-1993|author=BBC |date=25 November 2001|accessdate=18 January 2010 | work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Barberis|2005|p=177}}</ref> | |||
| tweak the tail | |||
| flip the frog | |||
| move the bump | |||
| lose the log | |||
| fill up the hole.. | |||
| in the bottom of the sea... | |||
| ''cause no one wants a hole in the bottom of the sea!!!! | |||
| Following on from this, the BNP with candidate ]—a last minute replacement for ]—won its first ] seat in 1993 from Labour, during a local-by election for the ] in the ].<ref name="cook"/> The seat was fought on a ''Rights for Whites'' basis, in which it was spuriously claimed black families were being favoured for local housing initiatives.<ref name="bnpbarb"/> In 1991, a security force made up of nationalists drawn from ] firms was created to defend far-right activists, allegedly in response to a hammer attack at ] Library.<ref name="inde">{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/combat-18-memoirs-of-a-streetfighting-man-1142204.html|title= Combat 18: Memoirs of a street-fighting man |work=] |date=1 February 1998|accessdate=18 January 2010 | location=London | first=Nick | last=Ryan}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/online/issue30/lob30-10.htm|title= Combat 18 and MI5: some background notes |author=Lobster Magazine|year=1995|accessdate=19 January 2010}}</ref> The force firebombed the headquarters of ] newspaper the '']'' and by 1993 renounced democracy, transforming into ]<ref>{{harvnb|Atkins|2004|p=67}}. {{harvnb|McAuley|2003|p=152}}. {{harvnb|Cameron|2002|p=111}}. {{harvnb|Gabriel|1998|p=164}}. {{harvnb|Thurlow|1998|p=269}}.</ref> paramilitary ].<ref name="inde"/> That same year, the BNP banned membership in the group<ref name="twothree"/> and claimed it was ] infiltrated and "police-ran".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7736000/7736870.stm|title=Interview with the British National Party|author=] |date=19 November 2008 |accessdate=19 January 2010 | work=BBC News}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Nick Griffin who would later become BNP chairman, stated in ''Spearhead'' during 1999 that; members of Combat 18 had been a faction of the ] some years earlier, from which they were expelled, but never part of the BNP.<ref name="griffinspear">{{cite news |title= |author=Griffin, Nick |newspaper=Spearhead |date=June 1999 |url= }}</ref> He claims that "It has been known for some years that MI5 encouraged or even ordered the setting up of C18 in order to disrupt and discredit the BNP after its historic electoral success in Millwall in 1993" and also that '']'' confirmed the fact that Combat 18 was a state-sponsored 'honeytrap' right from the start (5/4/99)".<ref name="griffinspear"/>|group=note}} It was revealed around this time that another ''Searchlight'' mole, Tim Hepple had infiltrated the BNP, proving controversial in far-left circles.{{#tag:ref| | |||
| Hepple was the primary organiser of the Dewsbury incident in 1989.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=171}}</ref> However, Hepple also worked as a ''Searchlight'' mole amongst the radical left as an "agent provocateur".<ref name="spunklib"/> According to Larry O'Hara in ''At War with the Truth'', Hepple attempted to get ] to publish works by radical nationalists, with the intention of publishing an expose in ''Searchlight'' that they were "working with fascists"—thus leaving them open to attack from all sides.<ref name="spunklib">{{cite news |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20020523081701/http://www.spunk.org/texts/antifasc/sp000525.html|title=At War with the Truth: The True Story of Searchlight Agent Tim Hepple|author=Spunk Library |accessdate=20 January 2010}}</ref> This happened to ].<ref name="spunklib"/>|group=note}} | |||
| {{Quote box | |||
| | quote =There is no doubt that hundreds, probably thousands of Jews were shot to death in Eastern Europe, because they were rightly or wrongly seen as communists or potential partisan supporters. That was awful. But this nonsense about gas chambers is exposed as a total lie. | |||
| | source = ], '']'', 1997.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X8QQwU00Jk|title=Interview with Nick Griffin on The Cook Report |author=] |date=July 1997|accessdate=19 January 2010}}</ref> | |||
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| Political opponents claimed that "racist incidents" occurred around the BNP's headquarters at Welling and instigated a "close down the BNP" march in October 1993.<ref name="welling">{{cite web |url= http://www.dkrenton.co.uk/welling.html|title= Memories of Welling|author=DK Renton |date= |work= |publisher=DKRenton.co.uk |accessdate=22 January 2009}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|The march was organised by the ].<ref>{{harvnb|Dearlove|2000|p=108}}</ref> Thousands of people attended the demonstration, in which 2,600 police officers were also deployed.<ref name="hans">{{cite news |url=http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1993/oct/18/welling-disturbances|title=Welling: Disturbances|author=]|date=18 October 1993 |accessdate=30 January 2010}}</ref> A hardcore element associated with the active membership of SWP and Militant<ref name="swpmilitant"/> refused to accept police instruction to divert the march away from the BNP's headquarters itself, once it had gone past it. In the resulting riot twenty one police, and forty-one demonstrators were injured,<ref name="hans"/> leading to frontpage headlines of ''Masked mob stone police'' in the '']''.<ref name="welling"/><ref name="mailwelling">{{cite news |url=|title=Masked Mob Stone Police: 100 hurt as riot erupts on march|author=] | date=17 October 1993}}</ref>|group=note}} Elements among the demonstration, linked to ] and ] rioted with the police,<ref name="swpmilitant">{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/hardleft-violence-hurting-antiracist-organisations-1504398.html|title=Hard-left violence 'hurting anti-racist organisations' |work=]|date= 15 November 1993|accessdate=22 January 2010 | location=London | first=Jojo | last=Moyes}}</ref> leading to frontpage news coverage.<ref name="mailwelling"/> In 1995 Welling local council shutdown BNP headquarters.<ref>{{harvnb|Saggar|1998|p=136}}</ref> The same year relations were built up with ]'s ] from the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.buildingdemocracy.org/reports/Beyond_a_Dead_Mans_Deeds_color_web.pdf|title= Beyond A Dead Man's Deeds: The National Alliance After William Pierce|author= |date= |work= Center for New Community|publisher=BuildingDemocracy.org |accessdate=22 January 2009}}</ref> ] joined the party in 1995 and Tyndall allowed him to edit ''Spearhead''. Griffin stated in ''The Rune'', that approved presentations of the Holocaust was a "mixture of Allied wartime propaganda, extremely profitable lie, and latter witch-hysteria".<ref name="guardng"/> Consequently, the state prosecuted him under the Public Order Act at the instigation of ], a ] MP.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/legan/legan029.pdf|title= The British State versus Freedom of Expression: The Case of R. v. Griffin|author= David Botsford|date= |work= |publisher=] |accessdate=24 January 2009}}</ref> During the ], the ascent of ], the BNP's highest results were in the ] and ].<ref>{{harvnb|Eatwell|2004|p=67}}.</ref> | |||
| ===Griffin leadership, identity nationalism=== | |||
| By 1999 there had been some internal realignments within the party. Griffin supported by the likes of ], stood against Tyndall for leadership of the BNP in October.<ref name="eatw"/> Griffin won and began "modernising" the party,<ref name="eatw"/> changing the policy on non-European immigration from mandatory to voluntary ] and a move away from the ] focus, allowing them to stand for election.<ref name="Nationalism and Israel">{{cite web|url=http://www.bnp.org.uk/news_detail.php?newsId=1057|title=Nationalism and Israel |date=28 July 2006 |publisher=British National Party |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014195726/http://www.bnp.org.uk/news_detail.php?newsId=1057 |archivedate=14 October 2007}}</ref> A new monthly newspaper, ''The Voice of Freedom'', was initiated, as well as a journal ''Identity''.<ref name="eatw"/> During the ], ] and ] polled highest for the BNP,<ref name="geed">{{harvnb|Geddes|2002|p=194}}.</ref> a year in which ] occurred earlier.<ref name="geed"/> The BNP claimed in ''Freedom'' that "injustices" underpinned this in Oldham, such as the Home Improvement Grant issuing on average £3,509 to white families, while Pakistanis received £11,336.<ref>{{harvnb|Abbas|2005|p=56}}.</ref> Following ] the BNP made further political capital in this direction.<ref>{{harvnb|Abbas|2005|p=58}}.</ref> | |||
| ], present chairman of the BNP and an elected ].]] | |||
| At local level the BNP continued to progressively improve their electoral results from 2002—03.<ref name="eatwo"/> Including a strong showing at the ] mayoral election,<ref name="eatwo">{{harvnb|Eatwell|2004|p=75}}.</ref> as well as local council victories in ], ] and Burnley,<ref name="eatwo"/><ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2690555.stm| title=History of the BNP|publisher=BBC News | date=24 January 2003 | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> despite an extensive opposition campaign by the local news media, ], the ] parties and anti-fascists.<ref name="eatwo"/> Aired after the local, London and European elections of June 2004,<ref name="secretag">{{harvnb|Brinks|2006|p=91}}.</ref> the BBC and ''Searchlight'' created a documentary called ''The Secret Agent''.<ref name="secretag"/> The film featured ] infiltrating the BNP to create an expose. In it Griffin made comments critical of Islam and subsequently the state attempted to prosecute him and ]. After the documentary was broadcast ] froze the party's accounts.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3901621.stm|title=Barclays Bank bans BNP accounts|publisher=BBC News|date=16 July 2004 |accessdate=7 February 2007 }}</ref> The two were eventually acquitted of all charges by 2006.<ref name="cleared">{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/6135060.stm|title=BNP leader cleared of race hate |publisher=BBC News|date= 10 November 2006 | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> The BNP branded the BBC "cockroaches" and claimed it had abused a tax-payer funded institution for politicised ends.<ref name="cleared"/> Following the ] bombings in London, the BNP released fliers with the slogan; "maybe now it's time to start listening to the BNP."<ref name="nowlab">{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/4674675.stm|title=BNP campaign uses bus bomb photo |publisher=BBC News|date= 12 July 2005 | accessdate=25 January 2010}}</ref> Griffin claimed it was the "cost of voting Labour",<ref name="nowlab"/> attacking the government for bringing the United Kingdom into an "illegal" ] and for its immigration policies.<ref name="nowlab"/> ] claimed in 2006, that support for the party stood at up to 7%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yougov.com/archives/pdf/omi060101069_1.pdf|title=]|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20061102183815/http://yougov.com/archives/pdf/omi060101069_1.pdf|archivedate=2 November 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1516300/BNP-set-to-win-seats-as-support-surges.html|title=BNP set to win seats as support surges|last=Jones|first=George|date=21 April 2006|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=29 September 2009 | location=London}}</ref> Large gains were made in the ], where the BNP more than doubled its number of councillers,<ref name="double"/> especially in former Labour heartlands.<ref name="guardianpolitics2006">{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1768175,00.html|title=BNP rears its head as Labour loses heartland seats|publisher=The Guardian|date=5 May 2006 | accessdate=25 January 2010 | location=London | first=Will | last=Woodward}}</ref> It became the second party on the ] council.<ref name="double">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4974870.stm|title=BNP doubles number of councillors|publisher=BBC News|date=5 May 2006 | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> | |||
| {{Copyedit|date=February 2010}} | |||
| {{Recentism|date=February 2010}} | |||
| ====''The Guardian'''s infiltration==== | |||
| On 21 December 2006, '']'' revealed that one of its journalists, Ian Cobain, had worked undercover in the BNP for seven months, and had become the party's central London organiser.<ref name="Cobain Inside">, by Ian Cobain, ''The Guardian'', 21 December 2006.</ref><ref> by Ian Cobain, ''The Guardian'', 21 December 2006.</ref> Among the accusations made by the paper was that the BNP used "techniques of secrecy and deception ... in its attempt to conceal its activities and intentions from the public". It asserted that the BNP operated with a "network of false identities" and organised rendezvous points to allow members to be directed to "clandestine meetings" elsewhere. Members of the party were directed to avoid "any racist or anti-semitic language in public". Cobain also claimed that the membership in central London had expanded beyond the party's traditional range, now including "dozens of company directors, computing entrepreneurs, bankers and estate agents, and a handful of teachers".<ref name="Cobain Inside" /> | |||
| In the aftermath of ''The Guardian'''s report, the campaign group ] called for the 'BNP ballerina' ] to be dismissed from the ], with UAF vice-chair ] claiming her views on immigration were "incompatible with a leading arts institution such as the English National Ballet" and that she had "used her position to support a party which fosters division".<ref name="BNP-ballerina-BBC">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6241763.stm|title=Storm grows over 'BNP ballerina'|date=8 January 2006|publisher=BBC News | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> However, Clarke defended her personal political opinion, stating that "the BNP is the only party to take a stand ".<ref name="BNP-ballerina-BBC" /> | |||
| The BNP was investigated by the ] on 12 April 2007 after ''The Guardian'' revealed that senior figures in the BNP had set up a front organisation in an attempt to raise money from sympathisers in the United States.<ref> ''The Guardian'', 12 April 2007. Retrieved 14 April 2007.</ref> | |||
| ====2007 split==== | |||
| Terry Farr, a councillor in Epping, resigned to spend more time developing his business after a suspension for writing abusive letters to ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/4287114.stm|title=BNP letter councillor suspended|date=27 September 2005|work=BBC News | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/1532030.breaking_news_bnp_councillor_resigns_from_district_council/ |title=BREAKING NEWS - BNP councillor resigns from district council (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series) |publisher=Guardian-series.co.uk |date=10 July 2007 |accessdate=27 February 2009}}</ref> In October 2007, James Lloyd, a BNP councillor, was disqualified from ] for not attending a single meeting in a six month period.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expressandstar.com/2007/10/16/bnp-man-kicked-out/ |title=BNP man kicked out|work=Express & Star|accessdate=19 September 2008}}</ref> | |||
| In December 2007, an internal dispute led to the resignation or expulsion of more than 60 of the party's local and national officials. | |||
| Several of its leading officials, including Councillor Sadie Graham and Kenny Smith (Head of Administration), had pressed for some months for the expulsion of three other senior officials—John Walker (National Treasurer), Dave Hannam (Deputy Treasurer) and Mark Collett (Director of Publicity)—who they accused of having brought the BNP into disrepute (the BNP later accused Graham and Smith of being "]" infiltrators.<ref>{{cite web | title=Nick Griffin's New Year Speech|url= http://www.bnp.org.uk/2007/12/31/%e2%80%9cwe%e2%80%99re-the-ones-who-modernised-the-bnp-%e2%80%93-and-we%e2%80%99re-the-ones-who-intend-to-keep-it-modernised%e2%80%9d-new-year%e2%80%99s-message-from-nick-griffin/|accessdate=14 February 2008}}</ref>) In December, frustrated by the failure of disciplinary proceedings, Graham and Smith launched a ] called "enoughisenoughnick" detailing their complaints against the trio.<ref>{{cite web | title=Enough Is Enough|url=http://enoughisenoughnick.blogspot.com|accessdate=3 January 2008}}</ref> In response, Graham and Smith were swiftly dismissed from their positions by Nick Griffin. During the dispute which followed, members of BNP Security seized a computer from Graham's home; Griffin claimed that they were recovering party property, while Graham claimed that it was her own. | |||
| A large number of BNP officials then resigned in support of Smith and Graham or were expelled. These included the head of the Young BNP,<ref name="voiceofchange1">{{cite web |work=Voice of Change website|title=About Voice of Change |month=January | year=2008|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20080122044433/http://www.voiceofchange.org.uk/about.php|accessdate = 28 March 2010}}</ref> the head of BNP Security Training, the National Fundraiser Bev Scott, the head of the party's merchandising operation Excalibur, the editor of the party's website and 5 out of the 13 regional committees{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} of the BNP. The leadership of the BNP asserted that the significance of the dispute was exaggerated and that it would quickly blow over.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Guardian|title=BNP at war amid allegations of illegal activity |date=22 December 2007|url= http://politics.guardian.co.uk/farright/story/0,,2231430,00.html|accessdate=3 January 2008 | location=London | first=Matthew | last=Taylor}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=BBC News|title=BNP divided after leadership row|date=19 December 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7152657.stm|accessdate=3 January 2008}}</ref> In late December 2007, the dissidents began to refer to themselves as the "Real BNP". They claimed that they would stay within the BNP and campaign for a change of leaders. | |||
| In January 2008 the group launched a new website called "Voice of Change—A New Dawn For the British National Party", announcing that "Voice of Change is an umbrella group to assist candidates who wish to stand as independent nationalists in the local elections in May 2008 and in any local by-elections throughout the year." They aim to challenge Nick Griffin's leadership, calling him "tyrannical", "arrogant" and stating that he is surrounded by "yes men". They did not directly disclose any policy differences with Griffin.<ref name="voiceofchange1"/> | |||
| The internal democracy of the BNP has been criticised by members for giving too much power to the Chairman and for not being widely available for the membership to consult.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/dewsbury-news/Auty-quits-after-BNP-leadership.4455958.jp |title=Auty quits after BNP leadership bid fails - Yorkshire Evening Post |publisher=Yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk |author=Richard Edwards |date= |accessdate=19 September 2008|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5kKpPK7Qw|archivedate=10 June 2009}}</ref> In 2007 a leadership challenge to Griffin by Colin Auty and previously by Colin Jackson resulted in resignations and expulsions of their supporters and 67 senior activists including many councillors resigning the whip after Councillor Nina Brown claimed that BNP Security had misled her into giving them the key to the home of fellow BNP councillor Sadie Graham in order to ransack it, searching for evidence of her support for Auty's leadership bid.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/dec/18/politics.thefarright |title=Spying claims rock BNP |work=The Guardian |author=Matthew Taylor and Hélène Mulholland |accessdate=19 September 2008 | location=London | date=18 December 2007}}</ref> | |||
| In September 2007, Robin Evans, a BNP councillor in Blackburn, walked out of the party, then wrote a letter to his former colleagues denouncing it as a party of drug-dealers and football hooligans. Evans remains a councillor, describing himself as a "national socialist".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1517025/Vote-BNP-and-youre-as-bad-as-they-are.html?mobile=true |title='Vote BNP and you're as bad as they are' |work=Daily Telegraph author=Melissa Kite |date= |accessdate=19 September 2009 | location=London}}</ref> | |||
| Another, BNP councillor, Maureen Stowe, in Burnley left the party after being repelled by its racist nature. She told the Guardian. "I became a BNP councillor, like most people who voted for me, by believing their lies".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2004/mar/24/localgovernment|title=Dazed and confused: How did avowed non-racist Maureen Stowe get herself elected as a BNP councillor?|author=Tash Shifrin|work=The Guardian|date=24 March 2004 | location=London | accessdate=26 March 2010}} - 81k</ref> | |||
| ====2008 membership list leak==== | |||
| On 18 November 2008, a membership list was leaked in breach of a court injunction.<ref name=guardian-2008-11-18 /> It contains details of more than 10,000 members,<ref name=guardian-2008-11-18> James Sturcke, Matthew Weaver and Ian Cobain, The Guardian</ref><ref>, Nico Hines, The Times</ref> with the names, home addresses and sometimes telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of BNP members including senior party officials, people aged under 18 (as parts of family membership), teachers, doctors, serving and former members of the military, police and prison officers (since 2004, police officers have faced dismissal if found to be members of the BNP),<ref name=guardian-2008-11-18 /> civil servants and members of the clergy, as well as people asking for discretion, due to employment concerns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9808105a-b6a5-11dd-89dd-0000779fd18c.html|title=Probe into officer on BNP list|date=20 November 2008|work=Financial Times|accessdate=12 December 2008}}</ref> At least one of those named had already disavowed his membership.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/11/18/bnp-membership-list-published-analysis-of-legal-position-for-blogs/|title=BNP Membership List Published: Analysis of Legal Position for Blogs|last=Wardman|first=Matt|work=The Wardman Wire |accessdate=18 November 2008}}</ref> The BNP-backed ] Solidarity has stated that anyone concerned that they will be victimised at work on account of appearing on the list will receive immediate protection upon joining. It has condemned those who are seeking to encourage such harassment and warned bosses that they will face immediate action if they act in breach of ] and/or employment law.<ref name=solidarity19-11-2008>{{cite web|url=http://solidaritytradeunion.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=132&Itemid=27 |title=Solidarity Offer of Union protection |publisher=Solidaritytradeunion.com |date= |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> | |||
| Nick Griffin has claimed that any party member dismissed from employment will be able to receive substantial compensation,<ref>, ''Metro'', 19 Novemner 2008</ref> although this has not been the case in any previous court cases. The BNP advised those named on the list to deny their membership and said that they would confirm that in writing if required.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://leejohnbarnes.blogspot.com/2008/11/bnp-fake-membership-list-issues.html |title=Lee John Barnes, BNP Legal Director |publisher=Leejohnbarnes.blogspot.com |date=18 November 2008 |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> The BNP claimed it contained the names of persons who had never been members of the BNP.<ref name="guardian-2008-11-18"/> Lee Barnes claimed that the list had been tampered with and that it was false.<ref></ref> | |||
| People affected by the disclosure include a DJ, Rod Lucas, who was dropped by the ] radio station. He defended his membership as being part of his research, saying that "I am an investigative radio journalist and am a member of over 20 political parties and pressure groups... It doesn't necessarily mean I agree with their views."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3484612/Rod-Lucas-dropped-by-TalkSPORT-after-BNP-links-emerge.html|title=Rod Lucas dropped by TalkSPORT after BNP links emerge|date=19 November 2008|accessdate=19 November 2008 | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London}}</ref> A drama teacher at a prep shool whose name was found on the list was revealed to have been a presenter in BNP videos and to have lectured BNP activists in public speaking, and had been dismissed from a previous position as a result of her BNP membership.<ref>{{Cite news| first = Neil |last=Sears| title = Teacher at prestigious prep school faces probe after her former job with BNP is exposed| work = Daily Mail| accessdate = 12 December 2008| date = 22 November 2008| url = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1088392/Teacher-prestigious-prep-school-faces-probe-job-BNP-exposed.html}}</ref> | |||
| Following an investigation by Welsh police and the ], two people in Nottinghamshire were arrested in December 2008 for breach of the ] concerning the leak.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/dec/05/bnp-leak-arrests|title=Two held over BNP membership leak|work=The Guardian|date=5 December 2008 | location=London | first=Angela | last=Balakrishnan | accessdate=26 March 2010}}</ref> These were later revealed to be 37-year-old Matthew Single (an unemployed engineer) and his 30-year-old wife Sadie Graham-Single, of ], Nottinghamshire.<ref name="manfined">{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/8231475.stm | title = Ex-BNP man fined over names leak | accessdate = 5 September 2009 | date = 1 September 2009 | publisher = BBC News | location = United Kingdom | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5jYzMxUWR | archivedate = 5 September 2009 | quote = A former member of the British National Party has been fined £200 after admitting publishing names and contact details of 10,000 party members online... Judge John Stobart said the fine was "low" because Single was on benefits. A BNP spokesman branded the sentence "an absolute disgrace" and said Single should have been jailed. District Judge Stobart also ordered Single to pay £100 towards the cost of the prosecution... The charges were dropped against Single's wife, Sadie Graham-Single. Single, an unemployed engineer, was accused in November 2008 of leaking the BNP's membership list in an online blog.}}</ref> The former was charged, convicted and fined £200, and was ordered to pay £100 towards the cost of prosecution. The latter had all charges dropped completely. The judge himself said it was "ridiculous" that he could only fine people for such a serious crime, adding: "It came as a surprise to me, as it will to many members of the party, that to do something as foolish and as criminally dangerous as you did will only incur a financial penalty."<ref name="tightenlaws">{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8239596.stm | title = Calls to tighten data abuse laws | accessdate = 5 September 2009 | date = 5 September 2009 | publisher = BBC News | location = United Kingdom | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5jZ0ZdTiC | archivedate = 5 September 2009 | quote = Laws should be tightened to give judges the option to jail people found guilty of serious abuses of personal data, the UK's Information Commissioner has said. Christopher Graham said penalties under the Data Protection Act were "pathetic" and urged tougher laws by next April. His comments came after a judge said it was "ridiculous" he could only fine a former British National Party activist for leaking its membership list online. Mr Graham is preparing a dossier to present his case to ministers.}}</ref> | |||
| The leniency of the fine itself was a reflection of the fact that Single was on government benefits but was criticised at the time both by a BNP spokesman (who described it as "an absolute disgrace") and by a detective sergeant (who said he was "disappointed" with the outcome).<ref name="manfined" /> In the days that followed, the Information Commissioner ] described the penalties for breaches of the ] as "pathetic", and announced his intention to allow judges to impose tougher penalties.<ref name="tightenlaws" /> | |||
| ====British Army immigrant issue==== | |||
| The BNP is opposed to allowing British Army ] the right of settlement in the United Kingdom. On 12 May 2009, in a radio broadcast on BBC's '']'', Griffin told presenter ] that on the issue of allowing retired Gurkhas the right to settle in Britain: "We don't think the most overcrowded country in Europe, can realistically say, 'Look, you can all come and all your relatives.{{'"}} Griffin went on to say, "When the Gurkhas signed up—frankly as mercenaries—they expected a pension which would allow them to live well in their own country."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00kctbm |title=BBC iPlayer |publisher=bbc.co.uk |date= |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref><ref name="Daily Mirror">{{cite web|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/13/bnp-keep-the-gurkhas-out-of-here-115875-21354308/|title=BNP: Keep the Gurkhas out of here |publisher=Daily Mirror|date=13 May 2009|accessdate=17 May 2009}}</ref> Later in the month, Nick Griffin told Sky News if he could swap 100,000 al Qaeda-supporting Muslims for the Gurkhas it "would be a good exchange".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/BNP-Chairman-Nick-Griffin-Pulls-Out-Of-Royal-Garden-Party-Gurkhas-A-Good-Swap-For-Muslims/Article/200905415290010 |title=Sky News BNP |publisher=News.sky.com |date= |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> | |||
| There has been controversy concerning a statement to the newspaper '']'' by actress ], condemning a leaflet which had allegedly been distributed by BNP candidate Adam Walker with a picture of a dead Gurkha soldier crossed out and attacking her campaign for settlement.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} Both Walker and the BNP have condemned this as a forgery, and the BNP have published a statement they attribute to Lumley and the Gurkha Justice Campaign, retracting the criticism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bnp.org.uk/2009/05/joanna-lumley-and-the-gurkha-justice-campaign-issue-official-reaction-to-lying-sun-smear/|title=Joanna Lumley and the Gurkha Justice Campaign Issue Official Reaction to Lying Sun Smear|date=19 May 2009|publisher=British National Party|accessdate=29 May 2009}}</ref> ''The Sun'' later retracted the allegation and accepted that neither the BNP nor Walker were responsible for the leaflet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2528210/BNP-election-leaflet-clarification.html|title=BNP election leaflet clarification |publisher=The Sun|date=10 June 2009|accessdate=13 July 2009}}</ref> | |||
| On 17 May 2009, '']'' wrote that the BNP's leader, Nick Griffin, had branded ], a black ]-born British Army recipient of the ] an "immigrant" whose bravery was simply "routine". The ''Telegraph'' alleged that the BNP website called Beharry VC's award of the Victoria Cross "positive discrimination by the ]-mad government".<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/5336891/BNP-war-hero-Johnson-Beharry-only-got-medal-because-he-is-black.html|title=BNP: war hero Johnson Beharry only got medal because he is black |publisher=Telegraph|date=17 May 2009|accessdate=17 May 2009 | location=London | first=Ben | last=Leach}}</ref> Beharry was awarded his Victoria Cross in 2005 for action in Iraq, when he returned to his burning armoured personnel carrier three times, under sustained enemy fire, to lift out his wounded comrades from the vehicle.<ref name="Ministry of Defence">{{cite web|url=http://www.operations.mod.uk/telic/ophons05/beharry.htm|title=Private Johnson Gideon Beharry - Victoria Cross |publisher=Ministry of Defence|date=18 March 2005|accessdate=17 May 2009}}</ref> The BNP has denied some of these allegations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bnp.org.uk/2009/05/johnson-beharry-latest-media-lie-against-bnp/|title=Johnson Beharry: Latest Media Lie against BNP|date=17 May 2009|publisher=British National Party|accessdate=29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ====Question Time appearance==== | |||
| {{Main|Question Time British National Party controversy}} | |||
| Following the BNP's performance in the 2009 European elections, the BBC controversially changed their policy on the BNP and invited Griffin onto the 22 October 2009 edition of ]. | |||
| ====BNP and theatre==== | |||
| In March 2010, '']'' by Anders Lustgarten received its world premiere at the ]. The play deals directly with the rise of the BNP in Barking and questions New Labour's apparent responsibility for this in its abandonment of the white working class. The play received widespread press coverage, including an article in ''The Independent'' which reported on a wave of shows putting anti-BNP politics on the stage.<ref>Claire Allfree, , ''The Independent'', 9 March 2010</ref> | |||
| ==Structure== | |||
| The chairman of the BNP has final say in all policy matters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bnp.org.uk/resources/constitution_8ed.pdf |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070629010001/http://www.bnp.org.uk/resources/constitution_8ed.pdf |archivedate=29 June 2007 |title=BNP Constitution Section 3 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> There are then fifteen further members of the 'party leadership', who have responsibility for various areas of its operations. These executive positions work alongside the Advisory Council, the party's senior policy body. This group meets at least three times a year. Its role is to "inspect the party's accounts, ensuring proper conduct of the party's finances, and to act as a forum for the party's leadership to discuss vital issues and carve out the party's agenda".<ref name = "BNP-Party">. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref> The ''Trafalgar Club'' is the party's fundraising arm.<ref>, BNP website. Retrieved 7 February 2008.</ref> | |||
| The party is organised on a regional basis, with 12 regions, based upon the ] constituencies within the UK,<ref name = "BNP-Party"/> each with an organiser.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bnp.org.uk/organisation/regions.htm |title=British National Party - Chairman Nick Griffin - Working to secure a future for British children |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070101160507/http://www.bnp.org.uk/organisation/regions.htm |archivedate=1 January 2007}}</ref> The party also organises four groups that deal with specific areas of activity i.e. Land and People (which deals with rural affairs), Pensioners' Awareness Group, the Friends of European Nationalism (a New Zealand-based organisation) and the Ethnic Liaison Committee, which co-ordinates work with non-whites.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bnp.org.uk/organisation/circles.htm|title=Circles and Associations |publisher=British National Party |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071015092439/http://www.bnp.org.uk/organisation/circles.htm |archivedate=15 October 2007}}</ref> The BNP also has 16 specifically defined party officials, with the current holders of the major offices being as follows: | |||
| * Chairman – ] | |||
| * Deputy Chairman – ] | |||
| * Director of Administration – ''vacant'' | |||
| * National Treasurer – ] | |||
| * Legal Director – ] | |||
| * Editor of ''Identity'' – ] | |||
| * Editor of ''Voice of Freedom'' – ] | |||
| * Head of Publicity – Vacant | |||
| * Head of Young BNP – John Salvage | |||
| In addition ] is head of the BNP's education and training department<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=hate_factory |title=Article in Searchlight Magazine |publisher=Searchlightmagazine.com |date= |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> and editor of the BNP's website.<ref>{{cite web|http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=template&story=239|title=searchlight magazine September 2008 |publisher=searchlightmagazine.com|date=12 September 2008 |accessdate=31 October 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ==Policies== | |||
| {{Nationalism sidebar}} | |||
| ===Economic policy=== | |||
| The economic policy of the party has developed over time. From the 1990s the party reflected ] and ], although in comparison with other radical nationalist parties, the BNP focuses less on ].<ref name="routledge">{{harvnb|Davies|2002|p=149}}.</ref> The BNP would prefer economics to be driven by the interests of the nation and state, rather than the other way around.<ref name="routledge" /> It has called for British ownership of its own industries and resources as well as the "subordination of the power of the City to the power of the government".<ref name="routledge" /> It has also promoted the regeneration of farming in the United Kingdom, with the object of achieving maximum ] in food production.<ref name="routledge" /> Presently the United Kingdom is the fifth highest donor of ]—the BNP has advocated ending this to greater aid the needy at home and finance immigrants who volunteer to be ].<ref name="routledge" /> | |||
| In 2002, the party criticised corporatism due to the "mixture of big capitalism and state control", claiming to be more favourable to the "] tradition established by home-grown thinkers" favouring small, privately owned business.<ref name="eatw">{{harvnb|Eatwell|2004|p=69}}.</ref> In its 2005 manifesto, the BNP declared its opposition to "], ], ] and ]".<ref name="bbcmanifesto">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/BNP_uk_manifesto.pdf|publisher=BBC.co.uk|title=BNP General Election Manifesto 2005|accessdate=19 October 2009}}</ref> The BNP rejects the notion of ] and "submitting to the dictates of the international marketplace" which "has no loyalty to this country".<ref name="bbcmanifesto" /> The BNP has claimed that it is possible for a national economy to thrive outside of the ] model, pointing to 21st century examples such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore.<ref name="bbcmanifesto" /> In the manifesto the BNP claims that while immigration increases the ] due to providing cheap labour, it decreases the ]—the latter of which the BNP claims, as economic nationalists, is most representative of the economic well-being of British people and the figure they would strive to improve.<ref name="bbcmanifesto" /> | |||
| The manifesto states that the United Kingdom has a much higher level of economic inequality between rich and poor, when compared to neighbouring first world countries. Though the party has recognised "old-style socialist methods" of simply taxing income away from the rich "turned out to have harmful effects", it would instead seek "non-destructive means to reduce income inequality".<ref name="bbcmanifesto" /> Central to the BNP's economic policies are greater share ownership and the establishment of ]. The party advocates the provision of extra resources for "especially gifted children" and the reversal of closures of special needs schools.<ref name="bbcmanifesto" /> It has proposed that repossessed homes should become council houses, to prevent these being sold off cheaply to undercut private sellers, and to provide housing for those who need it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bnp.org.uk/2008/09/repossessions-should-become-council-houses/ |title=Repossessions should become council houses |publisher=BNP.org.uk |accessdate=2 February 2019 |date=16 September 2008 |author=Martin Wingfield}}</ref> It has been supported by nationalist trade union ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.solidaritytradeunion.net/news-mainmenu-52/132-19112008-bnp-membership-list-leak|title= BNP membership list leak |publisher=SolidarityTradeUnion.net|accessdate=3 February 2010 |date=19 November 2009 |author=}}</ref> The BNP has also sought to make ] and ] an issue in an attempt to broaden its appeal.<ref></ref> | |||
| ===Social and cultural policy=== | |||
| The BNP proposes to reintroduce ], and to make ] available for paedophiles, terrorists and murderers.<ref name="bbcmanifesto" /> In addition to increasing military defence spending, the BNP plans to reintroduce compulsory national service. The BNP proposes that men should keep a rifle and ammunition in their homes.<ref name="bbcmanifesto" /> It proposes "to end the conflict in Ireland by welcoming Eire{{sic}} as well as Ulster as equal partners in a federation of the nations of the British Isles".<ref>, BNP Website. Retrieved 4 October 2008.</ref> | |||
| The party supports animal welfare (such as the banning of ] and ] slaughtering and the phasing out of factory farming) and environmental policies, supporting ] in its fight against Japanese whaling ships and the RSPCA's campaign against the docking of dogs' tails.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4670574.stm |title=Profile: Nick Griffin |publisher=BBC News |date=10 November 2006 |accessdate=21 September 2008 }}</ref> | |||
| ====Racial and immigration policies==== | |||
| At its founding, the BNP was explicitly racist. In October 1990, the BNP was described by the ] committee on racism and xenophobia as an "openly Nazi party ... whose leadership have serious criminal convictions{{sic}}".<ref name="bnputs">{{cite news | title = BNP: under the skin | author = | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/programmes/2001/bnp_special/roots/1984.stm | publisher = BBC | date = | accessdate = 4 June 2007}}</ref> When asked in 1993 if the BNP was racist, its deputy leader ] said, "We are 100 per cent racist, yes".<ref name="bnputs"/> Founder John Tyndall proclaimed that "'']'' is my bible".<ref> ''The Observer'', 24 August 2003. Retrieved 5 February 2008.</ref> When ] became chairman in 1999, the party began to change its stance with regard to racial issues. Griffin claims to have repudiated racism, instead espousing what he calls "]". He claims that his core ideology is "concern for the well-being of the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish ethnic nations that compose the United Kingdom". | |||
| When asked about the BNP's position towards Jews in the 1992 General election manifesto, it responded: | |||
| {{bquote|The simple answer is that we have no quarrel with the ordinary Jew who goes about his own business and does not attempt to influence national affairs in the interests of his racial group. We '''do''' have a quarrel with certain Jews, in particular '''Zionists''', whose activities in pursuit of the interests of their own co-racialists here and around the world can sometimes bring them into conflict with British interests. We are especially opposed to those Jews who place their allegiance to Zionism, and to the state of Israel, above any allegiance to Britain...We believe it wrong for Jews to be attacked merely because they are Jewish. Equally, however, we believe it wrong for Jews to be immune from all criticism merely because they are Jewish. There are some in our society who actually would approve of such immunity on the party of the Jews, and we believe that to be dangerous.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tyndall|first=John |title=Fight Back! ''The Election Manifesto of the British National Party''|publisher=British National Party|date=1992|}}</ref>}} | |||
| The BNP's constitution required that all members must be members of the "Indigenous Caucasian" racial group. Despite changes the courts have ruled that membership must stay closed until the constitution complies with the Race Relations Act <ref name="New BNP rules rejected by court">{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8564742.stm | work=BBC News | title=New BNP rules rejected by court | date=12 March 2010 | accessdate=27 April 2010}}</ref> The party does not regard non-white people as being British, even if they have been born in the UK and are naturalised British citizens. Instead, Griffin has stated that "non-Europeans who stay", while protected by British law, "will be regarded as permanent guests".<ref name=racereality>Griffin, Nick . Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref> | |||
| The party has stated that it does not consider the Jewish, Hindu or Sikh religions to have a significantly detrimental or threatening effect, having several members with Jewish ancestry, but does not accept practising Sikhs or Hindus as culturally or ethnically British.<ref name=Blake2005>{{cite web |url=http://www.bnp.org.uk/news_detail.php?newsId=390 |title="Asians" in Britain: A personal message from the BNP's webeditor |last=Blake |first=Steve |date=12 July 2005 |publisher=British National Party |quote=ndigenous Britons, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and the many other ethnic and culturally different groups.... |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014195804/http://www.bnp.org.uk/news_detail.php?newsId=390 |archivedate=14 October 2007}}</ref> In pursuit of the policy, the BNP has previously worked with extremists from the Sikh and Hindu communities in an anti-Islamic campaign<ref> ''The Observer'', 23 December 2001. Retrieved 7 February 2008.</ref> and actively tried to win Jewish votes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/apr/10/thefarright.race|title=BNP seeks to bury antisemitism and gain Jewish votes in Islamophobic campaign|work=]|date=10 April 2008|accessdate=22 April 2008|first=Matthew|last=Taylor | location=London}}</ref> | |||
| The BNP is opposed to mixed-race relationships on the stated ground that racial differences must be preserved; the party said that "when whites take partners from other ethnic groups, a white family line that stretches back into deep pre-history is destroyed."<ref name=bnpfaq>, bnp.org.uk, Retrieved on 4 July 2009</ref> Nick Griffin stated: "...while the BNP is not racist, it must not become multi-racist either. Our fundamental determination to secure a future for white children is restated, and an area of uncertainty is addressed and a position which is both principled and politically realistic is firmly established. We don't hate anyone, especially the mixed race children who are the most tragic victims of enforced multi-racism, but that does not mean that we accept miscegenation as moral or normal. We do not and we never will".<ref name=racereality/> | |||
| The party did however have a half-Turkish Cypriot, half-English councillor in ].<ref> ''BBC News''</ref><ref> ''Guardian Unlimited'', 10 December 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2008.</ref> In 2006, ], a grandson of an Armenian refugee (also of partial Greek ancestry), was chosen as a council candidate in ]. ], the BNP's first councillor in Birmingham, has denied claims made by her stepmother, Glenys, that Sharon is mixed race; her black father, Radwell Ebanks, having been born in Jamaica.<ref>''BNP councillor denies that her father is black'' The Express 19 June 2006; Tom Price</ref> BNP member ] has a mixed-race daughter by a Cuban-Chinese dancer.<ref>''The art-school liberal who now won't allow blacks in his party,'' ]; 1 June 2008</ref> | |||
| The BNP supported ] lecturer ], who was suspended from his post after stating that the ] "has demonstrated to me beyond any reasonable doubt there is a persistent gap in average black and white average intelligence".<ref>Joe Priestley, , BNP Website, 3 April 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite news | |||
| | last = Halpin | |||
| | first = Tony | |||
| | title = Lecturer is suspended for 'racist' IQ claims | |||
| | work = The Times | |||
| | date= 24 March 2006 | |||
| | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/student/news/article694940.ece | |||
| | accessdate = 13 August 2007 | location=London}}</ref> Ellis called the BNP "a bit too socialist" for his liking and described himself as "an unrepentant ]" who would support "humane" repatriation.<ref> ''The Observer'', 5 March 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2008.</ref> In April 2006, ] confronted the party's national press officer, ] (it has been claimed that this is a pseudonym for ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legalspring.com/articles/uk-legal/20040603/905449_BNPs-spokesman-Stua.html |title=BNP's spokesman Stuart Russell: peaceful protesters are all "fascists" |publisher=Legalspring.com |date= |accessdate=27 February 2009}}</ref>) with a tape of a telephone conversation the previous year. On the tape, Edwards could be heard to say that "the black kids are going to grow up dysfunctional, low IQ, low achievers that drain our welfare benefits and the prison system and probably go and mug you."<ref>{{cite web|author=27 April 2006 |url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=BRKk2K3fMk0 |title=Youtube.com |publisher=Youtube.com |date=27 April 2006 |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> He responded: "If I thought I was going to be recorded ... I would not have used such intemperate language, but let’s be honest about it, the facts are there".<ref> ''The Sunday Times'', 30 April 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2008.</ref> | |||
| ====Criticism of Islam==== | |||
| The party states that "The BNP has moved on in recent years, casting off the leg-irons of conspiracy theories and the thinly veiled anti-semitism which has held this party back for two decades. The real enemies of the British people are home grown Anglo-Saxon Celtic liberal-leftists ... and the Crescent Horde—the endless wave of Islamics who are flocking to our shores to bring our island nations into the embrace of their barbaric desert religion".<ref name="Nationalism and Israel"/> | |||
| Consequently, the party has shifted allegiance in conflicts involving Israel. Its head of legal affairs, Lee Barnes, wrote on the party's website about the ]: "As a Nationalist I can say that I support Israel 100% in their dispute with ]. In fact, I hope they wipe Hezbollah off the Lebanese map and bomb them until they leave large greasy craters in the cities where their Islamic extremist cantons of terror once stood."<ref>Lee Barnes , BNP Website, 28 July 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref> In an appearance on ] '']'' in October 2009, Griffin stated: "I have brought the British National party from the frankly an anti-semitic and racist organisation, into the only party which in the clashes between Israel and Gaza supported Israel's right to deal with Hamas terrorists."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6411261/BNP-on-BBCs-Question-Time-key-quotes.html|title=BNP on BBC's Question Time: key quotes|date=23 October 2009|publisher=Daily Telegraph|accessdate=30 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
| Nick Griffin has made it clear that this shift in emphasis is designed to increase the party's appeal. On one occasion, he stated, "We should be positioning ourselves to take advantage for our own political ends of the growing wave of public hostility to Islam currently being whipped up by the mass media".<ref>Nick Griffin BNP Website, 21 March 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref> In a speech to local party activists in Burnley in March 2006, he said: | |||
| {{bquote|We bang on about Islam. Why? Because to the ordinary public out there it's the thing they can understand. It's the thing the newspaper editors sell newspapers with. If we were to attack some other ethnic group—some people say we should attack the Jews... But ... we've got to get to power. And if that was an issue we chose to bang on about when the press don't talk about it ... the public would just think we were barking mad. They'd just think oh, you're attacking Jews just because you want to attack Jews. You're attacking this group of powerful Zionists just because you want to take poor Manny Cohen the tailor and shove him in a gas chamber. That's what the public would think. It wouldn't get us anywhere other than stepping backwards. It would lock us in a little box; the public would think "extremist crank lunatics, nothing to do with me." And we wouldn't get power.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=1269630805284168668|title=BNPtv films Nick Griffin Speaking at Burnley Branch Meeting March 2006|date=22 March 2006|publisher=Google Video|accessdate=29 September 2009}}</ref>}} | |||
| Suggested policies to help police this "threat to all of us" include a Muslim no-fly policy, which would ban Muslims from flying in and out of the UK.<ref> ''The Guardian'', 5 October 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2008.</ref> The BNP erected a plaque in ], Greater Manchester in memory of Gavin Hopley, a 19-year-old white man who was mugged and kicked to death by Asian Muslims in the street in ], in February 2002. The plaque was later removed by the local council.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/bnp-memorial-to-murdered-teenager-removed-by-council-570495.html |title=BNP memorial to murdered teenager removed by council - UK Politics, UK |publisher=The Independent |date=19 February 2004 |accessdate=10 June 2009 | location=London | first=Andrew | last=Clennell}}</ref> | |||
| ====Opposition to homosexuality==== | |||
| The BNP states that homosexuality in private should be tolerated but believes that it "should not be promoted or encouraged".<ref>, BNP Website, 3 December 2007. Retrieved 4 October 2008.</ref> It opposed the introduction of ]s and wishes to ban what it perceives as the promotion of homosexuality in schools and the media;<ref name=bnpfaq/><ref name="showarticle1"> BNP Website. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref><ref>'Tony Wentworth , BNP Website. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref> and believes that homosexuality should be returned "to the closet".<ref name="labpartyemails">{{cite web |url=http://www.umu.man.ac.uk/labour/bnp.html |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060506040028/http://www.umu.man.ac.uk/labour/bnp.html |archivedate=6 May 2006 |title=Emails to/from the BNP |publisher=Manchester University Labour Club |accessdate=9 June 2006 }}</ref> | |||
| BNP spokesman Phil Edwards stated that homosexuality "is unnatural" and "does not lead to procreation but does lead to moral turpitude and disease".<ref name="labpartyemails"/> ], former chairman of the ] and current Director of Publicity,<ref> "Editorial Team," (retrieved on 10 June 2009)</ref> described homosexuals as "AIDS Monkeys", "bum bandits" and "faggots" and said the idea of homosexuality was a "sickening thought".<ref>RE:Brand Episode 2 "Naziboy" </ref> | |||
| In the run-up to the 2005 general election, it was reported that ], the BNP candidate for Barking, had produced and directed a homoerotic student art film in 1989. The story was picked up by the mainstream press after the 2006 local elections, when Barnbrook became a councillor for ].<ref> Pinknews. Retrieved 9 June 2006.</ref> Although some portrayed this as ], Barnbrook and the BNP claimed that the film was artistic, and about "sexuality, not homosexuality".<ref> ''The Guardian'', 11 May 2006. Retrieved 9 June 2006.</ref> | |||
| The BNP was criticised over a list on their website titled "Liars, buggers and thieves" which grouped several gay politicians in with convicted murderers, rapists and paedophiles. The compiler of the list, BNP local councillor for ], ] defended it and said that the reason why gay MPs were included was because "it fits in with the headline, the bugger part, I guess" and stated that the BNP are "a family party with family values".<ref>, bnp.org.uk, Retrieved on 9 June 2009</ref><ref>Geen, Jessica , ''Pink News'', 15 May 2009, Retrieved on 9 June 2009</ref> | |||
| Articles published in the ''Sunday Times'' and ''Daily Mail'' have alleged that Nick Griffin had a four year homosexual relationship with ], although Griffin denies this.<ref>Tom Robbins, "Gay Tiff Reveals Soft Side of Far Right", '']'', 5 September 1999</ref><ref>Nick Griffin quoted in David Jones, "A Very Plausible Bigot", '']'', 29 April 2006</ref> On his appearance on ] '']'' on 22 October 2009, he stated in response to being asked about the death of ] member ], "I said that a lot of people find the sight of two grown men kissing in public really creepy. I understand that homosexuals don't understand that but that's how a lot of us feel."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8321683.stm |title=BBC - Nick Grffen attacks Islam |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=23 October 2009 | date=23 October 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ===Political tendency=== | |||
| Since Griffin took over its leadership, the BNP has become less publicly extreme, promoting similar policies to the ] approach adopted by a number of ] European counterparts, such as the ] set up by ]. | |||
| It has been claimed that the BNP has, since its foundation, been fascist. The party's predecessor, the NF, was overtly fascist, incorporating nationalism, racism and ] into its core ideology. In the 1970s, the NF drifted towards a more ] and specifically anti-immigration policy stance in order to attract conservatives. The party's focus shifted once more in the 1980s, due to the failure to attract voters in the ]; they NF's ideology, however, was taken up by the newly formed BNP under the expelled Tyndall, who opposed de-radicalisation. The NF splintered during this period, between the ] and ] ideas of Griffin, and the more traditionalist ]. Piero Ignazi has said that the "proto-Nazi" mould of the NF, and the "generalised nostalgia for all sorts of fascist tendencies" and association with "foreign ideologies" which continued under the BNP, accounted for lack of success for both parties, especially in comparison to successful far-right parties in Europe, which disavowed the traditional "fascist mould".<ref>{{citebook|title=Extreme right parties in Western Europe|author=Piero Ignazi|location=Oxford|publisher=]|year=2003|isbn=0199291594}}</ref> | |||
| The ''Daily Mirror'' has described the party's MEPs as "vile prophets who preach a Nazi-style doctrine of racial hatred".<ref>James Lyons and Tom Parry, "The truth about fascist National Front past of Britain's two new BNP members in Europe", Daily Mirror, 9 July 2009</ref> An editorial in ''The Guardian'' characterises the BNP as "a racist organisation with a fascist pedigree that rightfully belongs under a stone".<ref>, The Guardian, 15 October 2009</ref> ] leader ] has described the BNP as "a party of thugs, fascists".<ref>Nick Clegg, speaking on ''Today'', BBC Radio 4, 8 June 2009</ref> ] leader ] said of the BNP "If you vote for the BNP you are voting for a bunch of fascists... They dress up in a suit and knock on your door in a nice way but they are still Nazi thugs."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5395358/David-Cameron-attacks-fascist-BNP.html|title=David Cameron attacks 'fascist' BNP|date=31 May 2009|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|24 April 2006|accessdate=31 May 2009 | location=London}}</ref> Home Secretary ], speaking on BBC's '']'' (15 October 2009) said, "These people believe in the things that the fascists believed in the second world war, they believe in what the National Front believe in. They believe in the purity of the Aryan race. It is a foul and despicable party and however they change their constitution they will remain foul and despicable."<ref>Alan Travis, guardian.co.uk, 16 October 2009</ref><ref>quoted in James Robinson, "The right to be heard?", ''The Guardian'' Media section, 19 October 2009 p1</ref> ] describes the BNP as "a racist organisation with known fascist roots and values" and wrote about its "racist and fascist agenda".<ref>Peter Hain, , ''The Guardian, 12 October 2009, p30</ref> | |||
| The BNP denies that it is fascist, calling the accusations "utter nonsense",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bnp.org.uk/2007/12/countering-the-smears/|title=Countering the Smears.|last=Bennett|first=Simon|date=3 December 2007|publisher=British National Party|accessdate=19 October 2009}}</ref> and an attempt to "prevent freedom of speech".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/3497436.stm | work=BBC News | title=Ex-BNP member backs anti-fascists | date=10 March 2004 | accessdate=27 April 2010}}</ref> The party has some Jewish members including one of its councillors, ] (]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/1009_bnp_jewish_win.htm |title=BNP Jewish win |www.somethingjewish.co.uk |publisher=Somethingjewish.co.uk |date= |accessdate=19 September 2008}}</ref> Griffin has said about the claims that he is a fascist "I am not a fascist—that is a smear that comes from the far left."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/113462/Griffin-denies-fascism-smears-#/|title=Griffin denies fascism 'smears'|last=|first=|date=12 July 2009|publisher=Daily Express|accessdate=10 October 2009}}</ref> He has also said that "he actually 'detested' fascism".<ref>{{cite web|author=Sunday, 12 July 2009 |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Griffin_denies_fascism_smears&in_article_id=701299&in_page_id=34 |title=Griffin denies fascism 'smears' |publisher=Metro.co.uk |date=12 July 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> | |||
| However, political scientists support the fascist description and say that the BNP has attempted to hide its true nature and to present a more moderate image in order to attract popular support.<ref name="bnpelection2004">{{cite journal|last=Renton|first=David|date=1 March 2005|title='A day to make history'? The 2004 elections and the British National Party |journal=Patterns of Prejudice|url=http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a713722453|volume=1|issue=39|accessdate=15 th January 2009}}</ref><ref name="thurlow2000">{{cite book|last=Thurlow|first=Richard C.|title=Fascism in Modern Britain|publisher=Sutton|year=2000|isbn= 0750917474|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=vAWGAAAAIAAJ}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1996">Copsey, N "Contemporary Fascism in the Local Arena: the British National Party and Rights for Whites" in Cronin, M (ed) ''The Failure of British Fascism'' (Basingstoke, 1996)</ref> Nigel Copsey examined the party's ideological position as revealed in its 2005 general election manifesto ''Rebuilding British Democracy'' and concluded that it was a recalibration of fascism rather than a fundamental break in ideology.<ref name="informaworld.com">Copsey, N. , ''Patterns of Prejudice'', v. 41, Issue 1, February 2007 , pages 61 - 82</ref> | |||
| In an interview with the ], historian Richard Overy said that "Fascism with a capital F was a phenomenon of the 20s and 30s. It was a revolutionary movement asserting a violent imperialism and promising a new social order. There is nothing like that now." Historian David Stevenson said that "the BNP is different in style and structure from fascism in the 1930s," adding that though they do not wear uniforms they still count "bully boys" among their membership.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/09/bnp-fascism-meps-far-right |title=Leading historians on whether fascism is on the march again | Politics |publisher=The Guardian |date=9 June 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2009 | location=London | first=Stephen | last=Moss}}</ref> | |||
| It has also been suggested that the BNP represents a hybrid movement containing elements of neo-fascism combinined with anti-immigrant themes.<ref>Julie V. Gottlieb, Thomas P. Linehan, ''The culture of fascism: visions of the far right in Britain'', I B Taurus, New York (2004) pp70-71</ref> | |||
| ==Electoral performance== | |||
| {{Main|British National Party election results|Elections in the United Kingdom}} | |||
| ===National parliaments=== | |||
| The BNP has contested seats in England, Wales and Scotland. Since 2002 the party has expressed interest in contesting elections in ] and previously promised to stand candidates in the 2003 Assembly Election,<ref>South Belfast News 26/04/2002</ref> and 2005 local council elections<ref> ''BBC News'', 15 December 2003. Retrieved 7 February 2008.</ref> but in each case failed to put forward candidates. No BNP candidate has ever won a seat as a ] in the ]. It has been noted that the UK's ] system causes electoral difficulties for smaller parties such as the BNP whose support is not geographically concentrated in specific ].<ref>{{cite web | work=Election Resources|title=Parliamentary Elections in the UK|url=http://electionresources.org/uk/| accessdate=14 June 2006}}</ref> | |||
| In the ], the British National Party stood 119 candidates across England, Scotland and Wales. Between those candidates the BNP polled 192,850 votes, about 0.74% of the vote, a rise of .55% compared to the 2001 election.<ref name="BBC060505" /> The BNP said that this made them Britain's fourth largest party.<ref>, BNP Website, 7 May 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref> The basis for this claim was that it received the fourth highest share of the vote in the seats it had contested, but this reasoning was found to be unsound by the BBC Editorial Complaints Unit; on more conventional measures the BNP was only the eighth-largest party in the UK and the sixth largest in England.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/ecu/2008/06/080627_ecu_fileonfour.shtml|title=ECU ruling: File on Four, Radio 4, 12 February 2008|publisher=BBC|date=19 May 2008|accessdate=10 March 2009}}</ref> The final share of the vote of 0.74% was lower than exit poll predictions of 3%.<ref name="BBC060505">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4519347.stm |title=BNP sees increase in total votes |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=8 September 2008 |date=6 May 2005}}</ref> | |||
| In the 2007 ] and ] ] the BNP fielded candidates. In the Welsh elections the party fielded 20 candidates, four in each of the five regional lists with party chairman ] standing in the ] region.<ref>, ''BBC News'', 16 April 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2007.</ref> It came fifth behind the major parties in some areas. It did best in north east Wales, polling 9% in Wrexham and 7% in both Alyn and Deeside and in Clwyd South. However, it did not win any seats in the Welsh assembly. | |||
| In the ] the party fielded 32 candidates which entitled the BNP to public funding for its campaign and an election broadcast, prompting criticism from various leftist groups.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.uaf.org.uk/news.asp?choice=70209 |title=No to public funds for fascism |accessdate=22 April 2007}}</ref> The BNP received about 1% of the vote and no seats. | |||
| ====General election performance==== | |||
| {| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Year !! Number of Candidates !! Number of MPs !! Percentage of vote !! Total votes !! Change (percentage points) !! Average voters per candidate | |||
| |- style="text-align:center;" | |||
| ! style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
| || 54 || 0 || 0.0 || 14,621 || N/A || 271 | |||
| |- style="text-align:center;" | |||
| ! style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
| || 2 || 0 || 0.0 || 563 || 0.0 || 282 | |||
| |- style="text-align:center;" | |||
| ! style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
| || 13 || 0 || 0.1 || 7,631 || +0.1 || 587 | |||
| |- style="text-align:center;" | |||
| ! style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
| || 54 || 0 || 0.1 || 35,832 || 0.0 || 664 | |||
| |- style="text-align:center;" | |||
| ! style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
| || 33 || 0 || 0.2 || 47,129 || +0.1 || 1,428 | |||
| |- style="text-align:center;" | |||
| ! style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
| || 117 || 0 || 0.7|| 192,746 || +0.5 || 1,647 | |||
| |- style="text-align:center;" | |||
| ! style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
| || 339 || 0 || 1.9|| 563,743 || +1.2 || 1,663 | |||
| |} | |||
| ===Local government=== | |||
| In 2008, the BBC estimated the BNP had about 56 councillors.<ref name="100council">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7382831.stm |title=BNP gains from Labour disaffection |publisher=BBC News |first=Dominic |last=Casciani |date=4 May 2008 |accessdate=19 September 2008}}</ref> The party holds a London-wide seat on the ]. | |||
| As with other minority parties in the UK, the majority of the BNP's electoral success has come in local government elections. The BNP's first electoral success came in September 1993, when ] was returned as councillor for ] (in London). He lost his seat in further elections the next year. | |||
| In the council elections of May 2002, three BNP candidates gained seats on ] council. This was interpreted in some quarters as an indicator of the mood of the British electorate (the BNP had fielded 68 candidates nationwide). In the council elections of May 2003, the BNP increased its Burnley total by five seats, thus briefly becoming the second-largest party and official opposition on that council, a position it narrowly lost soon afterwards after the resignation of a BNP councillor who had been disciplined by the party after unruly behaviour at the party's annual 'Red, White and Blue' festival. The BNP lost the subsequent by-election to the ]. | |||
| During these 2003 elections, the BNP contested a record 221 seats nationwide (just under 4% of the total available). It won 11 council seats in all, though Nick Griffin was unsuccessful in his attempt to gain a place on ] Metropolitan Council. In some areas, such as ], it contested all wards and failed to get a seat; in others areas such as ], parts of the ] in the ] and in ] it gained council seats. | |||
| Prior to the ], the BNP had stated that it believed it could win "between one and three seats" in the 2004 ]ary elections. In fact, although its share of the vote increased to 4.9% (placing it as the sixth biggest party overall), it failed to win a single seat. The Party also hoped to pick up an increased share of the vote in the ] of England, where its strongly ] policies were believed to be most popular. However, in that region it gained only 3.0% of the vote.<ref> ''BBC News'', 14 June 2004. Retrieved 7 February 2008.</ref> Given that parties with other lower total percentages of the vote, but a higher regional concentration of support, gained seats,<ref>, ''BBC News'', updated 15 August 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2008.</ref> its lack of a geographical stronghold can be seen as a disadvantage for the party. | |||
| The party's biggest election success to date was a gain of 52% of the vote in the Goresbrook ward of ] on 16 September 2004. However, the turnout was just 29%, and the councillor Daniel Kelley retired just 10 months later, claiming he had been an outcast within the council. A new election was held on 23 June 2005, in which this time the Labour candidate gained 51% of the vote, and the BNP came second with 32%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/9-democracy/elections/results/elect-by-goresbrook-05.html|title=LBBD: Goresbrook Ward By-Election Result}}</ref> | |||
| In the ], the BNP more than doubled its number of councillors, increasing the number to 49.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/SNSG-05064.pdf |title=Electoral performance of the British National Party in the UK |publisher=Edmund Tetteh (House of Commons Library) |date=15 May 2009 |accessdate=21 November 2009}}</ref> The biggest gain was in ] where the BNP won initially 11 of the 13 seats it contested,<ref>"BNP laughing stock at council meeting", ''Barking and Dagenham Recorder'', 18 May 2006.</ref> gaining 17% of the vote.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/nov/15/nick-griffin-barking-general-election | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=BNP leader Nick Griffin to take on Margaret Hodge in Barking | first=Peter | last=Walker | date=15 November 2009 | accessdate=27 April 2010}}</ref> The BNP also won three seats in ], three in ], three in ], two seats in ], two in ], and single seats in ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. It was initially declared to have won the Birmingham seat of ] but this was due to a counting error that was subsequently overturned in court. | |||
| On 10 August 2006 the BNP gained its first parish councillor in Wales when Mike Howard of Rhewl Mostyn, ], previously an Independent, joined the BNP. Hence as of 10 August 2006, the party had 53 councillors in local government. | |||
| ====2007 local elections==== | |||
| {{Main|United Kingdom local elections, 2007}} | |||
| In the run-up to local elections in May 2007, the BNP predicted that it would again double its councillors, which would have taken the total to around 100. However, in the event it made only small gains and also suffered significant losses, so that the net increase was only one seat. From this peak of 47 councillors on local authorities, the number of BNP councillors fell slowly through the rest of 2007 due to resignations and expulsions, several of them associated with a failed leadership challenge in the summer. By the end of the year the number had sunk to around 42. | |||
| In the ] which took place on the same day as the Scottish and Welsh elections, the BNP fielded a record 754 council candidates, more than double the number the previous year.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2444454.ece |title=BNP goes bourgeois as party aims for rural seats|publisher=The Independent|date=13 April 2007 |accessdate=22 April 2007 | location=London | first1=Nigel | last1=Morris}}</ref> It won increased support in Windsor and Maidenhead but did not increase its number of councillors in Sandwell from 4 and saw its seats in Burnley reduced from seven to four. It won both Hugglescote and Whitwick—the first seats to be won by the BNP in Leicestershire.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} Before the poll, the BNP's declared aim was to double its number of elected councillors to around a hundred.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} In the event, it increased its net representation by just one councillor. | |||
| ====London Assembly and mayoral election, 2008==== | |||
| The '']''<ref>Andrew Gilligan , '']'', 1 April 2008, Retrieved on 2 April 2008</ref> reported at the beginning of April 2008 that ], second on the candidates list for the ] and the party's chief London organiser, is the author of a far-right blog 'Sir John Bull'. On his blog, Eriksen said rape is a "myth" and claims women are like gongs as "they need to be struck regularly". Eriksen was removed as a BNP candidate because of these comments, but his position as a party official remains unclear.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-552692/Sacked-The-BNP-candidate-said-women-like-gongs--need-struck-regularly.html|title=Sacked: The BNP candidate who said 'some women are like gongs — they need to be struck regularly'|date=2 April 2008|accessdate=29 September 2009}}</ref><ref>Andrew Gilligan , ''Evening Standard'' 2 April 2008, Retrieved on 2 April 2008</ref> | |||
| BNP lead candidate ] won a seat in the ] in May 2008, after the party gained 5.3% of the London-wide vote. Nationally, the BNP won over one hundred seats throughout the United Kingdom in the May 2008 local elections, which is less than 1% of the total number of seats available.<ref>{{cite news|last=Casciani |first=Dominic |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7382831.stm |title=BNP gains from Labour disaffection |publisher=BBC News |date=4 May 2008 |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ===2009 European Elections=== | |||
| {{wikinews|United Kingdom elects first British National Party members of European Parliament}} | |||
| {{Main|European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)}} | |||
| In light of the ] and resultant voter apathy fallout, it was postured by the media and commentators that the BNP could do well in the polls, as voters sought an alternative party to register their protest.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5311556/MPs-expenses-Lord-Tebbit-says-do-not-vote-Conservative-at-European-elections.html|title=MPs' expenses: Lord Tebbit says do not vote Conservative at European elections |publisher=The Telegraph|author=Matthew Moore|date=12 May 2009|accessdate=13 May 2009 | location=London}}</ref> The BNP launched its advertising vehicle, which it called the "Truth Truck," around the themes of "British Jobs for British Workers" (a slogan that had previously been used by Prime Minister ]<ref name="BrownJob">{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jan/30/brown-british-jobs-workers/|title= Brown stands by British jobs for British workers remark |publisher=The Guardian|date=30 January 2009|accessdate=8 June 2009 | location=London | first=Deborah | last=Summers}}</ref> but was originated by the BNP<ref>{{cite news|last=Parkinson |first=Justin |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7097837.stm |title=What does 'British jobs' pledge mean? |publisher=BBC News |date=16 November 2007 |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> and quoting from BNP members as to why they had joined the party. In May 2009, The '']'' revealed that the photographs used were from stock collections, with the models having posed for a general photo agency shoot in Portland, Oregon; another shot on the truck quoting a doctor in the ] is also an American stock photo; while the OAPs were the Italian parents of the British resident photographer.<ref name="SMirror"/> Distributed in leaflet form by the ], ] MP ] said: "These leaflets hideously misrepresent the views of the people photographed. I believe they have breached the guidelines set out for electoral communications and I call on the Royal Mail to stop distribution immediately."<ref name="SMirror">{{cite web|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/16/bnp-poster-campaign-for-british-workers-uses-american-actors-115875-21365018/|title=Exclusive: BNP poster campaign for British workers uses American actors|publisher=Sunday Mirror|date=16 May 2009|accessdate=16 May 2009}}</ref> However this was defended by the BNP who said it was standard practise by political parties.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/local-elections/5331700/British-pensioners-on-BNP-election-leaflet-are-actually-Italian-models.html|title='British pensioners' on BNP election leaflet are actually Italian models |last=Moore|first=Matthew|date=15 May 2009|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=29 September 2009 | location=London}}</ref> | |||
| The Archbishops of Canterbury and York had said it would be tragic if people abstained or voted BNP at the local and European elections on 4 June.<ref name="BBC-Bishops" /> Their views are said to represent all of the Church's bishops.<ref name="BBC-Bishops">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8065583.stm|title=Archbishops unite against the BNP|publisher=BBC|date=24 May 2009 | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> | |||
| When results were announced on 7 June, the BNP won two seats in the European Parliament. ] was elected in the ] regional constituency with 9.8% of the vote.<ref name="BBC-BNP first seat">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8088133.stm|title=BNP wins European Parliament seat|publisher=BBC|date=7 June 2009 | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> Party chairman Nick Griffin was elected in the ], with 8% of the vote.<ref> "European Election 2009: North West" (8 June 2009 - retrieved on 10 June 2009)</ref> Nationally, the BNP received 6.26%. Griffin stated that it was "a great victory ... we go on from here." Meanwhile, the Labour and Conservative parties both referred to it as a "sad moment".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8088381.stm|title=BNP secures two European seats |date=8 June 2009|work=BBC News Online|publisher=BBC|accessdate=8 June 2009}}</ref> In local elections held the same day, the BNP also won its first three county council seats in ], ] and ].<ref>Brian Brady, , ''The Independent'', 7 June 2009 . Retrieved 13 June 2009.</ref> | |||
| ===2010 General Election=== | |||
| {{Main|United Kingdom general election, 2010}} | |||
| The BNP put forward 338 candidates for the ]<ref></ref> gaining 563,743 votes<ref></ref> but failed to win any seats. Party chairman Nick Griffin came third in the ] constituency behind ] of Labour and Simon Marcus of the Conservatives, first and second respectively. | |||
| ===2010 local elections=== | |||
| The 2010 local elections were held at the same time as the General Election. 26 BNP councillors lost their seats leaving the party with 28 seats overall<!--NOT 19. The BBC table only lists the results from contested seats-->.<ref> BBC, retrieved on 8 May 2010</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/uklocalgov/makeup.htm. Retrieved 8 December 2009..stm |title="Local Council Political Compositions" |author=Keith Edkins |date=10 May 2010 |work= |publisher= |accessdate=09 May 2010}}</ref>{{Verify credibility}} In ], the party lost all 12 councillors that had gained seats in 2006.<ref> BBC, retrieved on 8 May 2010</ref><ref>, BBC, 8 May 2010</ref> | |||
| ==Legal issues== | |||
| ===Claims of repression of free speech=== | |||
| The BNP claims that the mainstream media in the UK do not mention BNP policies,{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} or make reference to statements made by the BNP. The BNP argues that ] guidelines on reporting racist organizations forbid journalists who are NUJ members from reporting uncritically on the party.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bnp.org.uk/2008/03/the-media-reporting-on-the-bnp/|title=The Media: Reporting on the BNP|author=Martin Wingfield|date=16 March 2008|accessdate=17 August 2008}}</ref> | |||
| The BNP has encountered difficulties finding a company prepared to print its monthly publication ''Voice of Freedom''. The Party acquired a printing press in the run up to the 2005 general election, thereby removing its dependency on external printing houses.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} In September 2005, 60,000 copies of ''Voice of Freedom'', which had been printed in ], were seized by British police at Dover. The police later admitted this was a mistake and released the impounded literature shortly thereafter.<ref>, BNP Website, 12 September 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref> | |||
| Party members sometimes conceal their affiliation, which can be deemed unacceptable by employers,{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} unions and co-workers. Police officers are not allowed to be members of the BNP "or similar organisation whose | |||
| Constitution, aims, objectives or pronouncements may contradict the duty to promote equality".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/recruiting/specials/pdf/spapnet1.pdf|title=Application Form for Appointment as a Special Constable|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20061001170343/http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/recruiting/specials/pdf/spapnet1.pdf|archivedate=1 October 2006|format=PDF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/HO/circular.nsf/79755433dd36a66980256d4f004d1514/319a2eac673ef7ec80256fb7003dc0e5?OpenDocument|title=Home Office Circular 12 / 2005: Restrictions On The Private Life Of Members Of Police Forces: Membership Of The BNP, Combat 18 And The National Front|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070926233712/http://www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/HO/circular.nsf/79755433dd36a66980256d4f004d1514/319a2eac673ef7ec80256fb7003dc0e5?OpenDocument|archivedate=26 September 2007}}</ref> The prison service likewise prohibits membership of the BNP and similar organisations, because it considers them racist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pso.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/pso8100/racist-groups.htm|title=HM Prison Service: Membership of Groups and Organisations with Racist Philosophy, Aims, Principles or Policies}}</ref> A similar policy has been discussed in the Fire Brigades<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fbu.org.uk/newspress/ebulletin/40.php|title=FBU: Issue Number: 40}}</ref> and Civil Service,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3669836.stm civil service|title=BBC News: Civil service BNP ban considered | date=19 September 2004 | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> but neither has implemented such a proscription. On 24 April 2007 an election broadcast (which was scheduled to air at 9:55 PM) was pulled by ]' lawyers, who believed that the broadcast was defamatory of the ] of ], ].<ref>, BNP Website, 24 April 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/wales/story/0,,2064627,00.html|title=The Guardian - BNP forced to change election broadcast | location=London | first=Hélène | last=Mulholland | date=24 April 2007 | accessdate=27 April 2010}}</ref> The broadcast was made available to download from the BNP's website.<ref>. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref> | |||
| ===Employment discrimination and other related controversies=== | |||
| BNP members have alleged discrimination in employment. | |||
| In the case of '']'', the ] overturned an employment appeal tribunal ruling that awarded a BNP train driver damages for expulsion. It found that the union the train driver belonged to was entitled to decide who could be a member, and that the UK was in breach of the ] in the way it had treated ASLEF.<ref>European Court of Human Rights: , Strasbourg, 27 May 2007</ref> Through publications such as ''British Nationalist'', the BNP has encouraged supportive trade unionists to be open about BNP membership. However, the only other case sparking controversy has been that of Clive Potter, later a former official of ]. Potter was expelled from the union, and when he took his case to the courts, the courts upheld the expulsion and the grounds were based on previous exclusion rather than BNP membership.<ref></ref> | |||
| In another case, Robert Baggs claimed that he had been discriminated against because of "religion, or similar philosophical belief" after he was refused a job at a ] surgery. His main argument was that the employer was in violation of the Employment (Religious Discrimination) Regulations of 2003. The Employment Tribunal found that membership of the BNP was not a "similar" belief,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article384990.ece | work=The Times | location=London | title=BNP loses battle | date=26 April 2005 | accessdate=27 April 2010 | first=Daniel | last=Barrett}}</ref> and the case was rejected. Stuart Chamberlain of management consultants Gee Consult has advised that a similar case might be successful since the removal of the qualification "similar" from philosophical belief by an amendment in 2007. "Cases concerning claims made by British National Party's (BNP) members that their fascist beliefs were similar to religious beliefs have previously been decided in favour of the employer or potential employer. Under the new law, a strong argument could be made to the contrary."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.consultgee.com/aboutus/press_ReligiousDiscrimination.html |title=Press Release - Consult GEE |publisher=Consult GEE |date= |accessdate=27 February 2009}}{{deadlink}}</ref> However, this has yet to be tested and there is a clause in the regulations which provide that the beliefs of employees may be required to be in line with the "ethos" of the organisation. Yet still this is a contested area as the case of a climate change activist has indicated.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/03/tim-nicholson-climate-change-belief | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Judge rules activist's beliefs on climate change akin to religion | first=Karen | last=McVeigh | date=3 November 2009 | accessdate=27 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
| Arthur Redfearn was a bus driver whose BNP membership was unknown to his employer, Serco, until he was elected as a councillor. He was dismissed as the employers were concerned that he might endanger their contract with a local authority to transport vulnerable people of various ethnicities from a day centre. The decision by the Employment Tribunal summarises: "where an employee who is a member of a racist group (in this case the BNP political party) is dismissed because of the danger that his continuing employment might lead to violence in the workplace, the dismissal can properly be regarded as being for legitimate health and safety reasons and will not be unlawful race discrimination."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emplaw.co.uk/researchfree-redirector.aspx?StartPage=data%2f2005irlr744.htm |title=Disclaw Publishing - Employment Law, unfair dismissal, redundancy pay |publisher=Emplaw.co.uk |date= |accessdate=27 February 2009}}</ref> It had been argued at the Employment Tribunal that Redfearn had been racially discriminated against over his BNP membership because the BNP is a whites-only organisation, and was treated unfairly in comparison to racist organisations that were non-white.<ref>{{Cite BAILII|country=ew|litigants=SERCO LIMITED and ARTHUR REDFEARN|court=EWCA|division=Civ|num=659|para=16|date=25 May 2006}}</ref> | |||
| In 2002, a BNP candidate and Regional Organiser, Kevin Scott, was dismissed from the ] hardware store in ]. Management said this was not due to his party membership but due to "low morale" amongst other staff who did not want to work with him and due to the numbers of calls from customers expressing their disapproval. Scott settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, although the BNP had pledged to support any action.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2264846.stm |title=UK | England | Store settles with sacked BNP worker |publisher=BBC News |date=17 September 2002 |accessdate=27 February 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ====Organisations which ban BNP membership==== | |||
| =====Police===== | |||
| Membership of the BNP, ] and the National Front in the police forces was specifically prohibited by David Blunkett<ref></ref> following an undercover TV exposure of racism in a police training centre.<ref>Stuart Jeffries, , ''The Guardian'', 21 October 2003</ref> The Association of Chief Police Officers banned serving police officers joining the BNP in 2004.<ref></ref> Despite this, Simon Darby has claimed that the BNP still has members who remain covert. Police authorities have taken this very seriously and Manchester Police Authority have viewed footage taken at BNP events in order to identify off-duty officers in attendance at a BNP St George's Day rally, wearing BNP badges and T-shirts, with the slogan "Love Britain or Fuck Off".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/may/12/ukcrime.thefarright |title=Inquiry into claim that police joined BNP event Politics | The Guardian |publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=27 February 2009 | location=London | first=Matthew | last=Taylor | date=14 May 2007}}</ref> | |||
| A retired police officer, standing as a European Assembly candidate, Inspector Phazey, has said that he was a member in defiance of the prohibition and that other serving officers remained members. He denied that he was a racist or that the police were institutionally racist, saying; | |||
| {{bquote|Of course you heard words like Paki and nigger, but it didn't mean much more than someone saying Paddy for an Irishman or Jerry for a German. It was just the language of working-class blokes. There was a fair bit of leg-pulling but it was never malicious. I remember there was one officer who, whenever an Asian officer came into the room, would go, 'Coon, coon,' like he was making the noise of a pigeon. But it was a joke. It's like saying Paddies are as thick as two short planks or Jocks are tight-fisted. It was just jokes in the canteen. You'll get that anywhere when you have men in their 20s and 30s together.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_/ai_n12586083 |title=This BNP member was a policeman for 30 years. He might dismiss racism Sunday Herald, The | Find Articles at BNET |publisher=Findarticles.com |date=26 October 2003 |accessdate=27 February 2009}}</ref>}} | |||
| A Police Community Support Officer, Ellis Hammond, was found to be a BNP member after he was discovered stockpiling weapons at his home, including a ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3512152.ece |title=BNP member covertly poses as policeman - Times Online |publisher=Times Online|accessdate=27 February 2009 | location=London | date=9 March 2008 | first=Daniel | last=Foggo}}</ref> | |||
| After a recent leak of alleged BNP membership lists to the Internet, a number of police forces are investigating officers whose names appeared on the list.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/nov/19/police-bnp-far-right-list |title=Police scour BNP membership to find officers breaching ban |publisher=The Guardian |accessdate=23 October 2009 | location=London | first=Ian | last=Cobain | date=19 November 2008}}</ref> | |||
| In March 2009, PC Steve Bettley, of Merseyside Police a policeman whose name was on the leaked list was dismissed, despite the Police misconduct panel reporting "the panel confirmed there was no evidence that PC Bettley had ever displayed any racist views or discriminatory behaviour in the workplace." They added that "Pc Bettley's membership of the BNP is a clear breach of lawful orders and police regulations as the party's views are incompatible with the duties and values of the Police Service." He accepted that his name was on the list, but denied membership, saying he had been enroled without his knowledge. | |||
| <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2333676.ece?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News|title=Force sack 'BNP' cop|date=21 March 2009|publisher=The Sun|accessdate=29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
| =====Prison service===== | |||
| A ban on BNP membership was imposed by Martin Narey, Director of the Prison Service in 2002. Narey told the BBC that he received hate mail and a death threat as a result.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4247329.stm|title='No-one wanted' top UK jails post|date=8 February 2005|accessdate= 4 October 2008|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> | |||
| =====Other professions===== | |||
| As of 2009 only the police and the prison services have an official stated policy that they will sack officers for membership of the BNP.<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/28/nick-cohen-bnp-criminal-offence|title=Why I wouldn't ban BNP members from being teachers|publisher=The Guardian|date=28 June 2009|accessdate=1 December 2009 | location=London | first=Nick | last=Cohen}}</ref> A ban on BNP membership in the civil service was considered in 2004 and also considered in the probation service in 2005.<ref> BBC News, 19 September 2004. Retrieved 4 October 2008.</ref><ref>Alan Travis , ''The Guardian'', 1 February 2005. Retrieved 4 October 2008.</ref> In October 2005 a proposal to ban the BNP from Dorset Fire Brigade, proposed by the management and the Fire Brigades Union, was turned down by the Fire Authority.<ref>BBC News , 24 October 2005. Retrieved 4 October 2008.</ref> The president of the BNP-linked trade union "Solidarity", Adam Walker, resigned from his job at a college for accessing BNP websites and posting comments using a school laptop during working hours.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article5701277.ece | work=The Times | location=London | title=Protestors gather outside hearing of Adam Walker BNP teacher | date=10 February 2009 | accessdate=27 April 2010 | first=Joanna | last=Sugden}}</ref> He has been summoned to a hearing of the ], which could result in him being banned from working as a teacher in England.<ref name="news1">BBC News , 20 September 2008. Retrieved 4 October 2008.</ref> His brother, Mark Walker, was suspended from another college for allegedly accessing adult pornography using school equipment,<ref name="markwalker"/> and he was eventually sacked on the basis of his sickness record.<ref>, ''Northern Echo'', 16 October 2008, Retrieved on 30 November 2009</ref> His supporters told the press that he had been suspended for accessing the BNP website and had been victimised because of his political beliefs.<ref name="news1"/> A report by the ] found that "a substantial amount of emails indicating a sexual relationship between himself and a 17-year-old former Sunnydale student have been recovered from Mr Walker’s school laptop and the school server."<ref name="markwalker">, ''Northern Echo'', 13 November 2008, Retrieved on 22 January 2009</ref> | |||
| The Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has refused to act against a BNP council candidate, Ian Johnson, after he wrote in his election leaflets that he was a retained firefighter, despite ] pressure to do so.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/3806643.stm|title=Call to sack BNP fireman rejected|accessdate=19 November 2008|date=16 June 2004|publisher=BBC News|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040619155029/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/dorset/3806643.stm|archivedate=19 June 2004}}</ref> | |||
| Liam Birch, a sociology student standing as a BNP council candidate for Southway was dismissed as assistant warden at Plymouth University, when his BNP membership was known via an internet blog concerning the Holocaust, in which he declared "The Jews declared war on Germany, not the other way round".<ref>, ''Western Morning News'', 9 June 2006. Retrieved 4 October 2008.</ref> | |||
| In February 2009 the ] voted to ban its clergy from joining the BNP.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7880313.stm|title=Synod votes in favour of BNP ban |date=10 February 2009|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=10 February 2009}}</ref> | |||
| As of 2009 only the police and the prison services have the power to sack officers for membership of the BNP.<ref name="The Guardian"/> | |||
| ===Association with violence=== | |||
| John Hagan claims that the BNP has conducted right-wing extremist violence intended as a methodology to "seek institutionalized power".<ref name="haganwilliam">{{cite book |last=Hagan |first=John |title=International handbook of violence research |publisher=Springer |year=2003 |ISBN=9781402014666 |page=406}}</ref> Critics of the BNP, such as ] in a 1997 report, have asserted that the party recruits from skinhead groups and that many believe it promotes racist violence.<ref name="humanrightsw">{{cite book |title=Racist violence in the United Kingdom |publisher=Human Rights Watch |year=1997 |ISBN=9781564322029 |page=13}}</ref> | |||
| In the past, Nick Griffin has defended the threat of violence in furthering the party's aims. After the BNP won its first council seat in 1993, he wrote: "The electors of Millwall did not back a postmodernist rightist party, but what they perceived to be a strong, disciplined organisation with the ability to back up its slogan 'Defend Rights for Whites' with well-directed boots and fists. When the crunch comes, power is the product of force and will, not of rational debate." In 1997, believing he was addressing members of the French ], he said: "It is more important to control the streets of a city than its council chambers."<ref name="guardng">{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2002/sep/01/features.magazine37|title=Flying the flag|last=Anthony|first=Andrew|date=1 September 2002|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=6 October 2009 | location=London}}</ref> In January 1986, when Griffin was Deputy Chair of the NF, he advised his audience at an anti-] rally to use the "traditional British methods of the brick, the boot and the fist."<ref>''Yorkshire Post'', 17 February 1986</ref> | |||
| The BNP defends itself by arguing that over 20% of the working population has some criminal record or another and that a large proportion of MPs, councillors and activists in the other three main parties also have unsatisfactory past records. | |||
| A BBC '']'' programme reported on a number of BNP members who have had criminal convictions, some racially motivated. The BBC's is extensive. Some of the more notable convictions include: | |||
| * ] had a number of convictions including assault, organising and participating in paramilitary neo-Nazi activities. In 1986 he was convicted and jailed for conspiracy to publish material likely to incite racial hatred.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite book |title=Racist violence in the United Kingdom |publisher=Human Rights Watch |year=1997 |ISBN=9781564322029 |page=14}}</ref> | |||
| * In 1998, Nick Griffin was convicted of violating section 19 of the ], relating to ]. He received a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was fined £2,300.<ref>{{cite web| http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/legan/legan029.pdf|title=the British State Versus Freedom of Expresion|format=PDF}}</ref> | |||
| * Kevin Scott, who in 2001 was the BNP's North East regional organiser, has two convictions for assault and using threatening words and behaviour.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/programmes/2001/bnp_special/membership/organisers/kevin_scott.stm|title=BBC News: BNP - Under the Skin | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> | |||
| * Joe Owens, now expelled but previously a BNP candidate in ] and former bodyguard to Nick Griffin,<ref>Owens, J ''Action! Race War to Door Wars'', 2007, Lulu.com ISBN 1430322594</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = 'Senior BNP official suggested assassinating prominent politicians' | author = Neil Mackay | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20060528/ai_n16432216/ | publisher = The Sunday Herald | date = 28 May 2006 | accessdate = 29 January 2008}}</ref> has served eight months in prison for sending razor blades in the post to Jewish people and another term for carrying CS gas and knuckledusters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/page.cfm?objectid=12800817&method=full|title=icLiverpool: BNP man sent razor blades to city Jews}}</ref> | |||
| * ], former BNP student organiser, was convicted alongside Owens for assaulting demonstrators at an anti-BNP event in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/men/news/s/163/163054_bnp_pair_fined_for_brawl_on_campus.html|title=Manchester Evening News: BNP pair fined for brawl on campus}}</ref> | |||
| * Colin Smith, who in 2004 was the BNP's South East London organiser, has 17 convictions for burglary, theft, stealing cars, possession of drugs and assaulting a police officer.<ref>{{cite news | title = On the Le Pen menu: roast beef and raw bigotry | author = Sophie Goodchild | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/on-the-le-pen-menu-roast-beef-and-raw-bigotry-561175.html | publisher = The Independent | date = 25 April 2004 | accessdate = 29 January 2008 | location=London}}</ref> | |||
| * ] (at the time BNP National Organiser, currently a member of the BNP's Advisory Council).{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} was sentenced to 3 months in prison in 1994 for violent disorder for his part in a racist attack on a black man in Bethnal Green, London (although he was released after sentencing as he had already served this period on remand). Edmonds hurled a glass at the man as he was walking past the Ship pub in Bethnal Green Road, East London, where a group of BNP supporters were drinking. Others then 'glassed' the man in the face and punched and kicked him as he lay on the ground, including BNP supporter Stephen O'Shea of Purfleet, Essex, who was jailed for 12 months. Another BNP supporter, Simon Biggs from Penge (who smashed a beer glass into the man's face causing deep wounds), was jailed for four and a half years for his part in the attack.<ref>{{cite news | title = Anger as BNP chief walks free over race attack | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/anger-as-bnp-chief-walks-free-over-race-attack-1423282.html | publisher = The Independent | date = 18 June 1994 | location=London | accessdate=27 April 2010}}</ref> He is now Newcastle-upon-Tyne organiser for the ].{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}. | |||
| ====Tony Lecomber cases==== | |||
| ] was jailed for three years for possessing explosives, after a ] exploded while he was carrying it to the offices of the ] in 1985;<ref>{{cite news | author = John Davison, Ian Burrell and Cyril Dixon | title = Exposed: Labour trickery that hyped BNP to election victory | work = ] | date = 19 September 1993}}</ref> and again for three years in 1991, for assaulting a Jewish teacher.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/programmes/2001/bnp_special/membership/advisory/tony_lecomber.stm|title=BBC News: BNP - Under the Skin | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> | |||
| He was Propaganda Director of the BNP at the time of the latter conviction.<ref>"On the seamier side: the shadow of racist politics", ''The Economist'', 7 December 1991</ref> | |||
| ====Robert Cottage case==== | |||
| In October 2006, Robert Cottage, a ex BNP member who had been a candidate for the party earlier in the year for election to represent ] on ], "was arrested under the Explosives Act on suspicion of possessing chemicals that may be capable of making an explosion."<ref>, ''Burnley Citizen'', 2 October 2006, Retrieved on 13 February 2007</ref> The 22 chemical components recovered by police are believed to be the largest haul ever found at a house in Britain.<ref>, ''Pendle Today'', 6 October 2006, Retrieved on 13 February 2007</ref> An associate of Cottage, David Bolus Jackson, whom he had met at a BNP meeting<ref>, ''The Times'', 13 February 2007, Retrieved on 13 February 2007</ref> was also arrested at this time. | |||
| The case came before Manchester Crown Court on 12 February 2007 where it was claimed by the prosecution that Cottage had plans to assassinate ] and Liberal Democrat peer ]. Cottage pleaded guilty to one count of the possession of explosives, but denied the count pertaining to conspiracy to cause an explosion. Jackson pleaded not guilty.<ref>, ''The Guardian'', 13 February 2007, Retrieved on 13 February 2007</ref> In a statement read in court by the prosecution counsel, Cottage's wife said that he believed that "civil war" was imminent in the UK.<ref>, BBC News, 13 February 2007, Retrieved on 13 February 2007</ref> | |||
| The jury in the trial was unable to reach verdicts and the case was set for retrial in July 2007, when, once again, the jury failed to reach a verdict. The prosecution indicated that it would not seek a further retrial.<ref>"Second jury fails to agree on BNP 'bomb' pair", ''The Guardian'', 13 July 2007</ref> On 31 July 2007, Cottage was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for the charge he had admitted of possessing explosives. | |||
| ===Equality and Human Rights Commission=== | |||
| The ] sent a letter, preceding legal action, on 22 June 2009 to the BNP setting out its concerns about the BNP's constitution and membership criteria. The BNP disagreed and chose to fight this opinion in the ]. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission alleged that the BNP's constitution restricting membership to particular 'ethnic groups' and those whose skin colour is "white" and the publication of these rules on the BNP website was unlawful under the Race Relations Act. | |||
| The Commission issued county court proceedings on 24 August 2009 against party leader Nick Griffin and two other officials in respect of its constitution and membership criteria.<ref>, BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/august-2009/commission-issues-county-court-proceedings-against-the-bnp/|title=Commission issues county court proceedings against the BNP|date=24 August 2009|publisher=Equality and Human Rights Commission|accessdate=20 November 2009}}</ref> The court set a date of Wednesday 2 September for a hearing for the Commission's application for an injunction against the BNP. The proceedings on 2 September 2009 were adjourned until 15 October 2009 as the BNP changed its solicitors shortly before the case. Robin Allen QC for the plaintiff asked for an interim injunction. Justice Paul Collins rejected this stating that although the BNP had been in existence for 27 years, he saw "No evidence of a long queue of black people wanting to join the BNP". | |||
| The conclusion of the case on 15 October 2009 saw costs awarded against the BNP.<ref>, EHRC, Retrieved on 19 October 2009</ref> The BNP stated that Griffin was "required in Brussels" on that day. Griffin has written to BNP members preparing to concede the case, stating that it will cost £80,000 to proceed or potentially £1m if the case goes to the House of Lords,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b947072a-98aa-11de-aa1b-00144feabdc0.html |title=/ UK - BNP’s ‘whites-only’ rule set to be axed |publisher=ft.com |date=3 September 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> they also were quoted as saying that "that to continue fighting the commission would bleed the party dry", "and would strip the party of the ability to fight the next general election".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6820847.ece | work=The Times | location=London | title=British National Party forced to admit nonwhites | date=4 September 2009 | accessdate=27 April 2010 | first=Fiona | last=Hamilton}}</ref> Griffin subsequently announced that he would ask BNP members to accept the court's decision and allow non-whites to join the party<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6820847.ece|title= | |||
| British National Party forced to admit non-whites|publisher=The Telegraph|accessdate=15 October 2009 | location=London | date=4 September 2009 | first=Fiona | last=Hamilton}}</ref> claiming that this action "outflanked" the EHRC.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/bnp-may-have-to-admit-black-and-asian-members-after-court-challenge-1803635.html | work=The Independent | location=London | title=BNP may have to admit black and Asian members after court challenge | date=16 October 2009 | accessdate=27 April 2010}}</ref> The BNP anticipate that their members will accept the change on financial grounds.<ref name="dailymail.co.uk"></ref> | |||
| The BNP agreed before Judge Collins to suspend further membership applications until an Extraordinary General Meeting in January 2010 confirming the changes to the constitution to comply with legal requirements. The case was further adjourned until 28 January 2010 in order to ensure compliance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1220565/BNP-change-whites-membership-rules-fall-foul-discrimination-laws.html |title=BNP to change 'whites only' membership rules so as not to fall foul of discrimination laws | Mail Online |publisher=Dailymail.co.uk |date=15 October 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2009}}</ref> As a result of the case Welsh Secretary ] protested against the BBC's inclusion of Griffin on the ] programme claiming the court case meant the BNP was "an unlawful body". ], director of ], said: 'A shiny new constitution does not a democratic party make. 'It would be a pyrrhic victory, to say the least, if anyone thought that giving the BNP a facelift would make the slightest difference to a body with so much racism and hatred pumping through its veins.'<ref name="dailymail.co.uk"/> | |||
| The courts have declared that the new consitution still breaches equality laws as it is "still indirectly discriminatory". Judge Paul Collins ordered the party to pay costs and said its membership list must remain "closed" until it complied with race relations laws. Delivering his ruling, he said: "I hold that the BNP are likely to commit unlawful acts of discrimination within section 1b Race Relations Act 1976 in the terms on which they are prepared to admit persons to membership under the 12th addition of their constitution." | |||
| The BNP have denied this and claim that they have a waiting list of black and Asian people and want more applications from ethnic minorities.<ref name="New BNP rules rejected by court"/> | |||
| ==Opposition== | |||
| The BNP is condemned by many sections of the media, including right-wing newspapers such as the '']'', and representatives of the three major political parties all condemn the BNP. High-ranking politicians from each of the mainstream parties have, at various times, called for their own supporters to vote for anyone but the BNP,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1756111,00.html|title=Guardian: Cameron: vote for anyone but BNP | work=The Guardian | location=London | date=18 April 2006 | accessdate=26 March 2010}}</ref> including former ] Prime Minister ].<ref>{{cite news | work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Blair admits 'paying penalty' for US links|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1541686/Blair-admits-paying-penalty-for-US-links.html| accessdate=20 February 2007 | location=London | first=George | last=Jones | date=6 February 2007}}</ref> In 2008 Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated : "Londoners and the rest of the British people know that backing the BNP is totally at odds with what it really means to be British—and the great British values the rest of us share, such as democracy and decency, freedom and fairness, tolerance and equality".<ref name="Brown">{{cite news|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/04/29/hope-not-hate-vote-for-equality-freedom-and-hope-by-gordon-brown-115875-20398497/|title=Hope not hate: Vote for equality, freedom and hope|last=Brown|first=Gordon|date=29 April 2008|publisher=Daily Mirror|accessdate=7 October 2009}}</ref> ] leader ],<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news | work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Cameron calls on voters to back anyone but the BNP|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1516510/Cameron-calls-on-voters-to-back-anyone-but-the-BNP.html| accessdate=5 December 2006 | location=London | first=George | last=Jones | date=24 April 2006}}</ref> ] party leader ],<ref name="cleggtoday">Nick Clegg "... a party of thugs, fascists." Speaking on ''Today'', BBC Radio 4, 8 June 2009.</ref> and former Lib Dem leader Sir ]<ref>{{cite web | work=Liberal Democrats|title=Lib Dems appeal to ethnic minority voters|url=http://libdems.org.uk/news/lib-dems-appeal-to-ethnic-minority-voters.10064.html | |||
| |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014184609/http://libdems.org.uk/news/lib-dems-appeal-to-ethnic-minority-voters.10064.html | |||
| |archivedate=14 October 2007 | |||
| | accessdate=4 October 2007}}</ref> have all condemned the BNP. | |||
| In response to the election of two BNP MEPs the British government announced that it is to single out the British National party's two newly elected representatives in the European parliament for special treatment. This will mean that the BNP will be denied some of the access and information afforded to all the other 70 UK MEPs. The BNP would be subject to the "same general principles governing official impartiality" and they would receive "standard written briefings as appropriate from time to time". But British diplomats made plain that they would not be "proactive" in dealing with the BNP MEPs and that any requests for policy briefings from them would be treated differently and on a discretionary basis.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/09/diplomats-shun-nick-griffin-bnp-europe |title=UK diplomats shun BNP officials in Europe | Politics | guardian.co.uk |publisher=Guardian |accessdate=23 October 2009 | location=London | first=Ian | last=Traynor | date=9 July 2009}}</ref> | |||
| Amongst the most visible and vocal opponents of the BNP and other far right-wing groups are ] and '']''. Unite Against Fascism, which aims to unite the broadest possible spectrum to oppose the BNP and the far-right, includes the ] (ANL), the ] (NAAR), and the ] (SAAR). ''Searchlight'' has monitored the activities of the BNP and its members for many years. | |||
| Some opponents of fascism {{Who|date=March 2009}} call for no positive coverage to be given to groups or individuals enunciating what they describe as "]". Such a tactic states that the BNP and similar parties should be ignored by both rival politicians and the media. A more militant position is that of "]", which seeks to deny perceived fascist hate speech any sort of platform. The policy is most commonly associated with university student unions and debating societies, but has also resulted in BNP candidates being banned from speaking at various hustings meetings around the country. | |||
| Examples of the "no platform" policy being operated include: | |||
| * Complaints directed at the '']'' newspaper after it published a full-page article/interview with Nick Griffin. The Leeds Unite Against Fascism (LUAF) group accused the publication of breaching Leeds University Students' Union 'No Platform' policy, whereby extremist organisations are prohibited from expressing their views on campus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leedstoday.net/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=39&ArticleID=971585|title=Yorkshire Evening Post: BNP interview fury}}</ref> | |||
| * An invitation to Nick Griffin by the ] Union Debating Society to participate in a debate on multiculturalism was condemned, then withdrawn after protests.<ref>Russell Jackson, , ''The Scotsman'', 5 February 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2009.</ref> | |||
| Examples of more direct action against the BNP include obstruction of BNP activists who set up stalls in shopping centres. For example, members of the ] in Edinburgh surrounded a BNP publicity stall, forcing it to close.<ref>, ''Edinburgh Evening News'', 29 March 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2009.</ref> ] is the group most associated with this sort of direct action, criticised by more liberal anti-fascists (for example in the ]) as ].{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} | |||
| The BNP claims that such cases exemplify how political correctness is being used to silence it and suppress its right to freedom of speech.<ref> BNP Website, 4 February 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref> | |||
| The Anti-Nazi League-organised group, ], held a free concert in ] ahead of the 2006 local elections, aimed at getting people not to vote for the BNP, which claimed 50,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lovemusichateracism.com/news/2006/04/30/london-50000-in-trafalgar-square-carnival-against-bnp/|title=Love Music Hate Racism: LONDON: 50,000 in Trafalgar Square Carnival Against BNP|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5kKpPK7VI|archivedate=10 June 2009}}</ref> people attended, according to the organiser, while the '']'' put the number substantially lower at just 3,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/05/01/bmlove01.xml|title=Daily Telegraph: Lucklustre day of protest lacks focus | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | first=Thomas H | last=Green | date=1 May 2006 | accessdate=27 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
| In May 2007 a presentation by Nick Griffin was organised by Danny Lake, Young BNP organiser and a politics student, to be held at the ]. The University administration agreed to hosting the meeting on the grounds of freedom of speech, yet it was opposed by a sizeable portion of the student and lecturer population. At a meeting of the ] a motion was passed to criticise the BNP and oppose the meeting, mainly due to the BNP's opposition to the Union's equal opportunities policy, the fact that the meeting was an invitation only event with no opposition debate and that it was to be held on the first day of the exam period. The University later withdrew permission for the event due to concerns over the large number of people opposing the meeting and possible disruption it could cause.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6644117.stm|title=BBC News: University halts BNP speech plan | date=10 May 2007 | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ===Veterans and World War II=== | |||
| In June 2009 the ] wrote to Griffin privately to ask him to stop wearing their poppy symbol. After he refused and wore the badge at campaign events and the party's televised election broadcast The Legion said in an open letter: "True valour deserves respect regardless of a person's ethnic origin, and everyone who serves or has served their country deserves nothing less ... appealed to your sense of honour. But you have responded by continuing to wear the poppy. So now we're no longer asking you privately. Stop it, Mr Griffin. Just stop it."<ref>Taylor, Matthew. , 13 June 2009, Retrieved on 13 July 2009</ref> In September 2009 the Legion accepted a donation which it had initially rejected from BNP member Rachel Firth. Firth had spent 24 hours raising the money of which half was given to the Legion and the other half was given to the BNP. The Legion said that Firth had assured them that the donation would not be exploited politically although the story was later "splashed across" the BNP's website. BNP spokesman Simon Darby denied that the party exploited the story.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8250086.stm|title=British Legion accepts BNP gift|last=Furlong|first=Ray|date=11 September 2009|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=6 October 2009}}</ref> | |||
| ]'s family have criticised the BNP after the party used his image and quotes from one of his speeches in its campaign. Churchill's grandson, ], described the BNP as "monstrous" and said its use of Churchill was "offensive and disgusting".<ref>, ''BBC News'', 26 May 2009, Retrieved on 13 July 2009</ref> | |||
| The BNP was also caught up in a dispute with 1940s singer ] after she objected to the party selling copies of her ] CD on its website to fund its European election campaign.<ref>, '']'', 18 February 2009, Retrieved on 13 July 2009</ref> | |||
| ==Online presence== | |||
| In September 2007, '']'' newspaper reported that ], the online competitive intelligence service, said that the "website run by the far right British National Party is the most visited website of any UK political party, with more hits than all other parties put together, a survey has found."<ref> ''Daily Telegraph, 17 September 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2008.</ref> In 2009, the party's website came under fire, after it was revealed that a large amount of the merchandise sold on their online store was made in ], which seemed to run contrary to the party's pledge of "British Jobs for British Workers".<ref>Richards, Victoria, , ]. Retrieved 21 September 2009.</ref> | |||
| ==Affiliated organisations== | |||
| ===Officially linked groups=== | |||
| * The short-lived ] gave financial assistance to the BNP from American supporters, and it also facilitated contact between far right figures in both countries.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} | |||
| * The Trafalgar Club is the BNP fundraising club, and the name the party uses to book hotels and conference facilities. | |||
| * The BNP Ethnic Liaison Committee is an organisation that people from ] can join. The committee has joined with BNP members in staging demonstrations. | |||
| * ] is a record label launched in January 2006 that is described by the BNP as "a patriotic label". It launched a campaign to introduce British ] to schoolchildren. Most of the songs were sung by Doncaster folk musician Lee Haggan, and were written by Nick Griffin. Haggan denied that the BNP was targeting schools, Griffin saying "It's a great way of getting our message to children." in a TV interview<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doncastertoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=786&ArticleID=1363019|title=Doncaster Today: Town Folk Musician Records CD for British National Party}}</ref> | |||
| * Albion Life Insurance was set up in September 2006 as an insurance brokerage company on behalf of the BNP, in order to raise funds for its actvities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-151726902.html|title=BNP sets up life firm, ''Highbeam''}}</ref> The firm ceased to operate in November 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=template&story=185|title=A Finger in Too Many Pies, ''Searchlght''}}</ref> | |||
| * The BNP obtains some of its funding from the sale of books and heraldic or Norse jewellery. The merchandising arm of the British National Party is the Excalibur brand.<ref>. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref> | |||
| ===Political parties=== | |||
| The BNP and the French '']'' have co-operated on numerous occasions. ] visited the UK in 2004 to assist launching the BNP's European Parliament campaign and Nick Griffin repaid the favour by sending a delegation of BNP officials to the FN's annual 'First of May ] parade' in Paris in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3654941.stm|title=BBC News: Le Pen UK visit sparks protests | date=25 April 2004 | accessdate=31 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bnp.org.uk/news_detail.php?newsId=288|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071014195748/http://www.bnp.org.uk/news_detail.php?newsId=288|archivedate=14 October 2007|title=BNP: BNP Leader flies in to help French in Euro poll}}</ref> The BNP has links with Germany's ] (NPD). Griffin addressed an NPD rally in August 2002, headed by ], who ] accused of trying to remove immigrants from eastern Germany. According to ], NPD activists have attended BNP events in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stopthebnp.org.uk/uncovered/pg06.htm|title=Stop the BNP: International Nazi Links of the BNP}}</ref> In the run-up to the ], Nick Griffin visited Sweden to give the ] his endorsement. Members of the Swedish National Democrats were present at the BNP's ''Red White and Blue'' rally, which took place over the weekend of 20–21 August 2005.<ref>, BNP Website 22 August 2005. Retrieved 4 October 2008.</ref> | |||
| In London on 16 May 2008, Nick Griffin met leaders of the Hungarian far right party ] to discuss co-operation between the two parties. Griffin also spoke at a Jobbik party rally in August 2008.<ref>The Sun, 28 November 2008</ref> In April 2009 ], deputy chairman of the BNP, was welcomed with fascist salutes by members of the Italian nationalist ] during a trip to Milan. Mr Darby has stated that the BNP would look to form an alliance with France's Front National in the European Parliament.<ref>The Idependent, 9 June 2009, page6</ref> | |||
| ===Alleged front organisations=== | |||
| * ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stopthebnp.org.uk/index.php?location=news&art=354|title=Stop the BNP: BNP trade union unmasked}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article342406.ece|title=The Independent: BNP trade union unmasked | location=London | first=Barrie | last=Clement | date=1 February 2006 | accessdate=27 April 2010}}</ref> Solidarity's president, ], and the BNP both deny that Solidarity is a BNP ].<ref> BNP Website, 26 January 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2008.</ref><ref>Jeannie Trueman Third Way website. Retrieved 4 October 2008.</ref> | |||
| * The ] was set up by BNP members and supporters to organise Christians "in defence of traditional Christian values". The ] has said that "Any form of support for organisations such as the BNP is incompatible with Christian discipleship." Robert West, the council's liaison officer, denies it is a BNP front.<ref>{{cite news|author=Giles Fraser |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/farright/comment/0,,1766154,00.html |title="God is the God of all" | date=3 May 2006 |publisher=Politics.guardian.co.uk |accessdate=23 October 2009 | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,1754762,00.html |title=Jamie Doward: "BNP link to new campaign groups" | date= 16 April 2006 |publisher=Observer.guardian.co.uk |accessdate=23 October 2009 | location=London}}</ref> | |||
| * Opponents of the BNP claim that the ] is a front for BNP-backed activity, although the BNP denies any link and says that the EDL is "proscribed" to its members.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.4398/pub_detail.asp |title="Britain's Street Protests – What is Going On?" | date=6 July 2009 |publisher=Family Security Matters |accessdate=9 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bnp.org.uk/2009/09/the-english-defence-league-a-statement-from-the-bnp%E2%80%99s-national-organiser/ |title="The English Defence League" | date=30 September 2009 |publisher=BNP|accessdate=31 October 2009}}</ref> It has been reported that an EDL website was set up by Chris Renton, a BNP activist who has been accused of hijacking the EDL,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/11/english-defence-league-chaotic-alliance | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=English Defence League: chaotic alliance stirs up trouble on streets | first=Robert | last=Booth | date=12 September 2009 | accessdate=27 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6790067.ece/|title="Far-right group, the English Defence League, in disarray after Birmingham fracas" | date=10 August 2009 |publisher=The Times|accessdate=31 October 2009 | location=London}}</ref> in a radio interview in July 2009, EDL spokesperson Paul Ray confirmed this.<ref>The Adrian Goldberg Show, Talksport Radio (UK), 6 July 2009</ref> In response to the revelation that Mr Renton was a BNP activist the EDL attempted to distance themselves from him.<ref></ref> The website was taken down, according to Hopenothate ”in an apparent attempt to conceal any link”<ref></ref> In an broadcast audio conversation with Simon Darby Nick Griffin claimed that the EDL was a “Zionist false flag operation” and added that “This is a neo-con operation.”. They also claim that this was an attempt to provoke a low level civil war.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{reflist|group=note}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| ===Footnotes=== | |||
| {{reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
| ===Bibliography=== | |||
| <!-- Please order books alphabetically by the author's last name --> | |||
| {{Refbegin|2}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Muslim Britain: communities under pressure|last=Abbas|first=Tahir |year=2005|publisher=Zed Books|isbn=1842774492|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups|last=Atkins|first=Stephen|year=2004|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0313324857|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements of the 20th Century|last=Barberis|first=Peter|year=2005|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|isbn=0826458149|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Politico's Guide to the History of British Political Parties|last=Boothroyd|first=David|year=2001|publisher=Politico's|isbn=1902301595|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=The new politics of the Right: neo-Populist parties and movements in established democracies|last=Betz|first=Hans-Georg|year=1998|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=0312213387|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Nuclear Terrorism: A Threat Assessment for the 21st Century|last=Cameron|first=Gavin|year=2002|publisher=Palgrave USA|isbn=978-0312219833|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Liberation and Purity | last=Bhatt| first=Chetan |year=1997 |publisher=Routledge| isbn=1857284240| ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=The British General Election of 1983 |last=Butler|first=David|authorlink=David Butler (Oxford)|year=1983|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=9780333345788|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Nationalist Myths and Modern Media: Contested Identities in the Age of Globalization|last=Brinks|first=Jan Herman |year=2006|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=1845110382|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=The Longman companion to Britain since 1945|last=Cook|first=Chris|year=2000|publisher=Pearson Education|isbn=0582356741|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and its Quest for Legitimacy|last=Copsey|first=Nigel|year=2004|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=1403902143|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=The Routledge companion to fascism and the far right|last=Davies|first=Peter|year=2002|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0415214947|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Introduction to British politics|last=Dearlove|first=John|year=2000|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|isbn=0745620965|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Western democracies and the new extreme right challenge|last=Eatwell|first=Roger|year=2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0415369711|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Engaging anthropology: the case for a public presence|last=Eriksen|first=Thomas Hylland|year=2006|publisher=Berg Publishers|isbn=1845200659|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Whitewash: Racialised Politics and the Media|last=Gabriel|first=John|year=1998|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0415149693|ref=harv}} | |||
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| *{{cite book |title=Britain's changing party system|last=Robins|first=Lynton J|year=1994|publisher=Leicester University Press|isbn=0718514947|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Into a world of hate: a journey among the extreme right|last=Ryan|first=Nick|year=2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=041594922X|ref=harv}} | |||
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| *{{cite book |title=The Radical Right in Britain: British History in Perspective |last=Sykes |first=Alan| year=2004| publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=0333599241|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Revolutionary and dissident movements of the world|last=Szajkowski|first=Bogdan|year=2004|publisher= John Harper Publishing|isbn=0954381122|ref=harv}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Fascism in Britain: From Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts to the National Front|last=Thurlow|first=Richard|year=1998|publisher=I B Tauris & Co|isbn=978-1860643378|ref=harv}} | |||
| {{Refend}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{commons|British National Party}} | |||
| * '''' — official party website | |||
| * '''' — official party video media | |||
| * '''' | |||
| * '''' — hosted by the BBC | |||
| * '' — hosted by Scribd | |||
| * | |||
| {{British National Party}} | |||
| {{British political parties}} | |||
| {{Nationalism in the United Kingdom}} | |||
| {{UK far right}} | |||
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Revision as of 15:37, 16 May 2010
There's a hole in the bottom of the sea There's a hole in the bottom of the sea There's a hole There's a hole There's a hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a log on the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a log on the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a log There's a log There's a log on the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a bump There's a bump There's a bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a frog There's a frog There's a frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a tail There's a tail There's a tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a flea There's a flea There's a flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log on the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a speck There's a speck There's a speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
There's a teeny weeny something that's so small you can't see it On the speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea There's a what?!! There's........all that stuff in the bottom of the sea There's a teeny weeny something There's a teeny weeny something There's a teeny weeny something..... On the speck on the flea on the tail on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea
Let's forget about that teeny weeny something and we'll... pluck the speck flick the flea tweak the tail flip the frog move the bump lose the log fill up the hole.. in the bottom of the sea...
cause no one wants a hole in the bottom of the sea!!!!