The Real Reason The BNP Were on Question Time

November 5, 2009

Can we put the BNP into context? According to the Guardian, it has 11,811 members. This is less than the circulation of Cage & Aviary Birds magazine, and less than Huddersfield Town’s average attendance this season. It’s barely half the membership of the Bakers, Food & Allied Workers’ Union, and only one-seventh the number of adults who are boy scout leaders.

Looking at the numbers, the BNP is a mere spot on the hairy arse of the body politic.

So why does it get so much attention? The BBC’s justification for putting Nick Griffin onto Question Time is that it should devote airtime to parties in part on the basis of their electoral support, and the BNP got 6.2% of the vote in the last European elections.
This, though, is obvious nonsense.  Almost two-thirds of voters abstained in those elections, and even in the 2005 general election, almost two-fifth didn’t vote. The biggest electoral force is the “none of the above” party.

And yet the BBC ignores this. If it were serious about allocating airtime according to electoral support, then every edition of Question Time would have two panellists who were antipathetic (or apathetic) to all the parties. But it doesn’t. Of course, NOTA opinion is hugely diverse – but the BBC pretty much neglects every strand of it.
So, let’s be clear. It’s not getting Griffin onto Question Time because the BNP are a significant force. It’s doing so for the same reason that the skirts on Strictly Come Dancing are getting shorter – AS AN ATTEMPT TO PROP UP THE RATINGS FOR AN AILING SHOW.


BNP Off The BBC

October 21, 2009

The BBC has invited Nick Griffin, leader of the fascist BNP and a man with a criminal conviction for denying Hitler’s Holocaust, onto its Question Time in London.  Anti racism and anti fascism campaigners will be protesting outside BBC offices everywhere on the day the program goes out.  The broadcasting workers’ union BECTU has said that it backs the protests and that it will support any of its members who refuse to take part in making the show.

The BBC says the BNP should be treated as if it were a democratic party. But there is nothing democratic about the BNP. It is a racist and fascist organisation dedicated to kicking every single black and Asian person out of Britain.  Griffin himself wrote: “When the crunch comes, power is the product of force and will, not of rational debate.” He isn’t interested in impressing people with his arguments – he wants to back up the BNP’s slogans with “well-directed boots and fists”.

This is not an issue of free speech.  This is an issue of the BBC bending over backwards to give publicity and therefore credibility to an avowed fascist organisation who would try to deny even the most basic rights to those who are black, Muslim, gay etc.

If you’re disgusted by Nick Griffin and appalled by the BBC’s decision to host him, come join the protest outside the BBC on Thursday 22 October.  Please bring friends, family & workmates.

Please pass this message on to everyone in your address book and download the poster to print and display in your workplace or college.

Hope to see you this Thursday at 5pm.

Barbara Muldoon

bnp


Close down the BNP call centre in Belfast

September 16, 2009

Please find below a letter being circulated by the Anti Racism Network in relation to the BNP call centre in Dundonald. The ARN are calling on people to support a campaign to have the BNP call centre shut down.

Here’s a link to the story that appeared in the Sunday Life over the summer exposing the call centre. 

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/bnprsquos-secret-belfast-lair-14338489.html

We are asking people to add their signatures (and organisations/trade unions etc if appropriate).  We are also asking people to forward the letter to everyone in their address books.  The aim is to gather as much support as possible with the idea of launching a broad based campaign of political leaders, community and trade union leaders and anti racism activists committed to having the centre shut down.

You can add your name to the letter by emailing celebrating_diversity@ymail.com

“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.” – BNP Leader Nick Griffin on what he thinks the electorate want from the BNP

“Firebombing is not a British method. A brick through the window is a British method, but firebombing is not a way of showing displeasure,” – BNP Councillor Pat Richardson responding to a sickening racist attack against  a local Muslim man


SHUT DOWN THE BNP CALL CENTRE

WE THE UNDERSIGNED are horrified  that the BNP’s national call centre is located in Carrowreagh Business Centre in Dundonald.  The call centre is playing a central role in organizing recruitment and fundraising for the BNP and distributing their racist literature.  We pledge our support for a campaign to have the call centre closed down.

The last thing that Belfast needs is the presence of an organisation notorious for spreading racist lies whose members boast a string of convictions for race hate crimes.  Wherever the BNP organises, immigrants and members of black and minority ethnic communities come under attack.

In the past year NI has witnessed the poisonous effects of racism, with over 1000 attacks being reported to the PSNI – a figure many believe to be only a fraction of the true number.  The attacks on Roma families have shown most visibly where this can lead, over one hundred people including many children fleeing their homes in fear of their lives.  More recently, two Indian families living in Portadown had a number of windows in their homes smashed in racist attacks.  In this context a BNP call centre in Dundonald is extremely alarming.

The BNP is a deeply vicious organization.  Racism, prejudice, anti women attitudes and homophobia permeates every aspect of the BNP.   They call for the “repatriation” of all non whites – despite the fact that there are many non white people who are British.  They refer to the holocaust as the “holohoax”.  Their leader refers to gay people as being repulsive. Another leading member denies that rape exists saying publicly that forcing a woman to have sex against her will is not a crime because it is like forcing her to eat chocolate cake.

The reality is that the BNP is a fascist organisation built on advancing their political goals through violence and lies.  Their leader has a conviction for inciting racial hatred, as do many other members.  An undercover journalist at a BNP “family day” held recently in England revealed how children were encouraged to burn gollywogs on a bonfire while the adults discussed where they would find “real” ones to burn and boasted of committing racist attacks in their own local areas.  The Belfast Telegraph who reported the presence of the centre in Dundonald refers to the party as being fascist, stating “The British National Party is peddling its vile fascist propaganda from a secret Belfast bunker”.

The true nature of the BNP is why so many people are opposed to their presence and do everything in their power to shut them down.  Recently it was revealed that the BNP have been unable to secure office premises anywhere in East Lancashire.  Reports confirm that time and time again landlords pulled out of deals for premises when they discovered who their new tenants would be.  During the recent election campaign postal staff demanded their right to use a conscience clause in their contract to refuse to deliver their election literature.  Many trade unions expel members who are found to be linked to the BNP.  Every police force in the UK bans its members from joining the group.

We are absolutely opposed to the BNP.  We are calling on political leaders, community and trade union leaders, anti racism activists and all those in our society concerned about this alarming development to take a stand and organise together to shut down these hate mongers.

Anti Racism Network


What Would You Ask The BNP?

September 9, 2009

Well, I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that the BBC may invite Nick Griffin to appear on Question Time at some point in the future. So, if you could participate in a Q&A session with him, what would you ask? Responses in the comments please.

Cerebral Person


“Not In My Name”

July 13, 2009

Tell Nick Griffin

“Not In My Name”

Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons take their seats in the European Parliament on Tuesday. But despite their election there was no groundswell of support. They won because turnout for the traditional political Party’s collapsed – both Griffin’s and Brons’ vote actually dropped from the number they recieved in the 2004 European Elections.  The BNP do not represent Britain in the European Parliament.

Help us spread the word and get more people involved in this essential campaign – let’s send a deafening message of defiance: Not in our name.

“Not In My Name” is a campaign run by Hope Not Hate


The Caring Face…

July 10, 2009

caring


What Does “BNP” Stand For?

July 3, 2009


‘BNP spells danger for disabled people’

July 3, 2009

The BNP’s success in European elections will be disastrous for disabled people, activists have warned.

BNP leader Nick Griffin was elected to represent the North West region while Andrew Brons won the seat for Yorkshire and Humber in the June 4 elections to the European Parliament.

Activist and campaigner Richard Rieser branded the BNP a fascist party and said that its electoral success was a result of large numbers of disillusioned Labour supporters failing to vote.

He said that disabled people in areas represented by the BNP would be afraid because fascists wanted to kill disabled people.

“The fascist record on dealing with disabled people is to kill us. They’re Holocaust deniers but I haven’t noticed them denying that disabled people were killed en masse in Germany.”

Julie Newman, Acting Chair of the UK’s Disabled People’s Council, said she could only think that a party denying the Holocaust would deny disabled people the right to exist too.

She said: “I think there’s a eugenics agenda because they want to get rid of anybody who taints the bloodline. I think that anybody who’s different from the BNP’s purist agenda is going to have a difficult time.”

Alice Maynard, Chair of disability charity Scope, said that black and ethnic-minority disabled people already endured considerable discrimination which she doubted would improve with the election of BNP politicians.

“One feels that the BNP’s approach to race is the negative bit, but I don’t think that disability is ever far behind. There are serious issues around the genetic agenda.”

All three campaigners said that they hoped the success of the BNP would serve as a rallying call to disabled people to ally with anti-fascist and anti-racist organisations.

In May, the Observer newspaper reported that Jeffrey Marshall, senior organiser for the BNP’s London European election campaign, had posted a message on an internet forum in which he commented on the death of David Cameron’s disabled son Ivan.

According to the Observer, Mr Marshall said: “We live in a country today which is unhealthily dominated by an excess of sentimentality towards the weak and unproductive. No good will come of it.”

The Observer article said that later, in response to comments made by others on the site, Marshall is alleged to have written: “There is not a great deal of point in keeping these people alive after all.”

The Observer added that Mr Marshall said the comments were private and some had been paraphrased and taken out of context. The paper said that he had admitted making the former comment but said he could not recall making the latter one.

Source:  Disability Now

Julie Newman’s comment in DN prompted me to do some research.  Though in one sense I wish I hadn’t because what I found is very upsetting.  I  feel I can’t say much, as the article speaks for itself.

It’s tough reading but please take a look a this article entitled ‘Euthanasia Program‘ from the United States Holocaust Museum.

Further Reading from USHM:  Murder Of  “The Unfit”

Harry Thomas


Not In My Name!

July 3, 2009

Thanks to Sunny Hundal at Pickled Politics:

Hope Not Hate have sent out this email request:

In just two weeks the BNP will be taking their seats in the European Parliament. We need to send the strongest possible message that they are not there in our name. Over 80,000 people have already done just this by signing our Not in my Name petition – I want you to sign it next. All you need to do is click this link – you can add your name with just one click:

http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/notinmyname

I need your help in showing that Griffin and Brons don’t represent us – that they don’t speak for Britain. I’m currently organising who we’re going to hand our petition in to at the European Parliament on July 14th and I want to make sure we have as many names on it as possible. Please sign up now and then invite all of your friends to do the same:

Thank you.

I have already signed, and I hope that you will take the time to do the same.

Thanks

Cerebral Person


David Cameron Speaks Out

June 28, 2009

Here’s a nice Twitterspat that has emerged between two Tory PPCs over David Cameron’s remarks on the BNP at Imperial College London yesterday.

Now I’m checking with CCHQ exactly what Cam did say, but novelist and wannabe MP Louise Bagshawe thinks he described the BNP as “retarded racists”. [UPDATE: It turns out Cameron did use the phrase in the Q&A not his speech]

She Tweeted:

David Cameron: the BNP “are retarded racists”. No fence sitting there!

However, another PPC Maria Hutchings – who famously confronted Tony Blair about the lack of facilities for her own son with special needs – didn’t see the funny side.

@LouiseBagshawe Sadly not a very positive message for learning disabled people.Particularly sad after Mark Harpers’ impassioned plea at PMQs

Bagshawe stood by her party leader, though, replying with this Tweet:

@MariaHutchings a beloved cousin has Down’s, so I see your point, but IMO “retarded” is accurately employed for BNP, not for the disabled

UPDATE: A spokeswoman for David Cameron says: “David has strongly held views on the BNP but he didn’t mean to cause any offence with these comments”.