DisAbled People Against The BNP

The British National Party has dismissed threats of legal action over its membership policies by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The commission said it had written to the party over possible breaches of the law in the BNP’s constitution, membership rules and recruitment.

It asked the BNP to pledge to comply with the Race Relations Act by 20 July or face a potential legal injunction.

But BNP leader Nick Griffin said the party’s rules were “entirely legal”.

Mr Griffin – who was elected as an MEP for the North West on 4 June – said the BNP was an exempted organisation under Section 25 and Section 26 of the Race Relations Act.

He said this meant “ethnic groups who need special protection such as the English in their own country, who are now second class citizens” were “entitled to discriminate on that basis and not on the grounds of colour”.

He added: “We are not discriminating on grounds of colour.”

On 4 June, the BNP won their first two MEPs in the European Parliament elections.

‘Deliberate omission’

In a statement, the commission said the BNP’s constitution and membership criteria appeared to discriminate on the grounds of race and colour, in breach of the Race Relations Act.

The party’s rules appeared to restrict membership to those within what the BNP regarded as particular “ethnic groups”, the commission added.

It also said the party’s website asked job applicants to supply a membership number, which appeared to be in breach of legislation banning the “refusal or deliberate omission to offer employment on the basis of non-membership of an organisation”.

The statement added: “The commission is therefore concerned that the BNP may have acted, and be acting, illegally.”

John Wadham, the commission’s legal director, insisted it had a duty to take action against possible breaches of anti-discrimination laws.

He said: “The legal advice we have received indicates that the British National Party’s constitution and membership criteria, employment practices and provision of services to constituents and the public may breach discrimination laws which all political parties are legally obliged to uphold.”

The commission said it had received around 50 recent calls from members of the public about the membership policy of the BNP, although it is understood it was already investigating the party.

Teachers

The BNP’s Deputy press officer John Walker said the party would not be making a formal response to the commission at this stage as it wanted to “wait until the Equalities Bill has gone through”.

“We are not going to respond to threats like this. We will look at it, but it is an entirely politically-motivated attack,” he told BBC News.

The Equalities Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, is expected to include a move to outlaw the BNP’s membership policy, which is limited to various groups it defines as “indigenous Caucasian”.

Mr Walker said the BNP would be prepared to change its membership rules “to remain within the law”.

But he added: “I don’t think we should be bullied by outside forces. They are asking us to change our whole political ideology.”

On Monday, the Department for Children, Schools and Families said it was considering banning teachers in England from joining the BNP.

In its constitution, the BNP says it exists to represent the “collective National, Environmental, Political, Racial, Folkish, Social, Cultural, Religious and Economic interests of the indigenous Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Norse folk communities of Britain and those we regard as closely related and ethnically assimilated or assimilable aboriginal members of the European race also resident in Britain”.

It says membership of the BNP is “strictly defined within the terms of, and our members also self define themselves within, the legal ambit of a defined ‘racial group’ this being ‘Indigenous Caucasian’ and defined ‘ethnic groups’ emanating from that Race”.

BBC News

Thanks to Liberal Conspiracy and The Guardian. This is good news, isn’t it? CP.

The government is investigating a possible ban on British National party members working as teachers in schools in a move that could challenge the legitimacy of the far-right party.

A source close to the schools secretary, Ed Balls, said there had been several meetings on the issue with teaching unions which are lobbying for a change in teachers’ contracts to prevent them from working if they are members of far-right groups including the BNP. The issue was being “actively looked at”, the source said.

It comes after it emerged that the General Teaching Council for England (GTC), which registers teachers to work in state schools, had rejected appeals to ban BNP members. Lawyers warned the council it could be accused of discriminating against members of the far-right party if it refused to register them.

Five members of the council’s own governing body wrote to the Guardian on Saturday to appeal for a national debate on the issue. They claimed the GTC was “hiding” behind legal advice to avoid banning the BNP from registering as teachers.

Chris Keates, the general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, confirmed she had held several discussions with Balls about the possibility of a ban and had called for a change to teachers’ contracts to prevent BNP members from teaching.

The source close to Balls said the issue was being re-examined in the light of the election to the European parliament of two BNP members, including party leader Nick Griffin, who has been convicted of inciting racial hatred.

The GTC was advised by lawyers that it would be discriminatory to ban members of a lawful political party. It was also told that if it declared any views on the BNP, it could be accused of lacking impartiality in any subsequent disciplinary hearings involving teachers in the far-right party.

A BNP membership list leaked last year included the names of 15 teachers, four nurses and one prison officer as well as 17 former police officers and 16 members of the armed forces.

Members of the BNP, National Front and Combat 18 are banned from joining the police or becoming prison officers.

In the letter to the Guardian, the five GTC members argued that legislation required everyone working in schools to “promote good race relations and community cohesion”, which would be incompatible with some views held by the BNP. The party supports voluntary repatriation of non-white citizens.