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Durham Uni debating society invites BNP – build united protest against fascists

Monday, 1 February 2010

Durham Uni debating society invites BNP – build united protest against fascists

In an astonishingly stupid decision, Durham University’s debating society has invited two leading BNP members, Andrew Brons MEP and Chris Beverley, to speak in a ‘debate’. It begins at 8.30pm next Friday (12 February) – anti-fascists will gather to protest from 6pm.

Unite Against Fascism explain on the Facebook Event page:

‘Andrew Brons was a member of the National Socialist Movement, a group which was deliberately founded on the date of Hitler’s birthday and which was also responsible for a number of arson attacks on synagogues in the 60s. Brons later became the chairman of the National Front between 1980 and 1984 and co-edited their journal New Nation. Since he has joined the British National Party and was elected in the Euro election in 2009 for Leeds and Humberside.

Chris Beverley is a Leeds councillor for the BNP and is their main liaison with German nazi National Democratic Party, along with other Nazi BNP members he attended a gathering of the European National Front in 2007.

The Durham Debating Society are playing with fire by inviting these fascists onto campus. We cannot allow fascists a platform to divide the community and incite racist attacks. Brons and Beverley have no interest in open debate, they are leading members of an organisation that that explicitly justifies violence and repression and campaigns to whip up racism against Muslims.

This is not an abstract argument, wherever the BNP organise racist attacks rise. They may use the word “freedom” and “liberty” and they may receive votes at elections, but this does not hide the fact that they are racist, homophobic, sexist and violent organisation.

We must learn the lessons of history…we cannot give fascists an inch. If we are to stop the Nazi BNP we must unite together, whether black or white, asian or Jew, gay or straight, Muslim or Atheist.’

This is a statement that makes all the core points I’d emphasise – I’ve blogged previously about the need for a No Platform policy. This is a particularly idiotic instance of Nazis being offered a platform, lending them a false respectability that is utterly undeserved – and dangerous. Hopefully Durham students will themselves organise to get the invitations cancelled. For the rest of us the challenge is to mobilise a large and lively demonstration which totally isolates these fascists and deprives them of legitimacy.

What can you do? Here’s UAF’s excellent advice:

• Sort out transport and bring people to the UAF demonstration outside – assemble 6pm outside Durham University – Friday 12 February (national mobilisation).
• Get a motion passed through your union to condemn the invitation
• Send a complaint to the debating society (info@dus.org.uk), copy in the vice-chancellor (chris.higgins@durham.ac.uk ) and students union (dsu.president@durham.ac.uk ).
• Organise a Unite Against Fascism meeting in your college and attend the Unite Against Fascism annual conference in London on 13 February

One other thing: it’s worth noting that the Durham Uni invitation comes on the back of this news from Newcastle University.

Picture: Brons (left), National Front leading member Martin Webster (centre) and current BNP Fuhrer Nick Griffin (behind Webster)

February 10, 2010 Posted by | BNP | , | Leave a Comment

Nick Griffin on Question Time

Nick Griffin got a political roasting at Question Time this evening. He squirmed, fidgeted and avoided key questions.

The first question was whether it was fair that the BNP hijacked Churchill. Jack Straw answered first by saying that Britain would not have won WW1 and WW2 without the contribution and sacrifice of black and Asian people. He said that Britain defeated a party based on race like the BNP. The BNP defines itself by race – that distinguishes it from every other party. All other parties have a moral compass. Nazism didn’t and neither does the BNP.

Jack Straw talked about a town in France where in the commonwealth war graves are hundreds of Asians from Blackburn.

Nick Griffin then said Churchill would have been in the BNP. He said that his hostility to Islam described Churchill as Islamaphoibic by today’s standards.

Then came one of the best interventions, surprisingly enough from a member of the audience. Griffin was told that immigrants had made massive contribution to this country. “The BNP absolute disgrace. …You are trying to poison politics.. What you stand for is disgusting.”

There was huge applause.

Griffin claimed that many of the quotes attributed to him in the Dominic Carman interview, carried this morning in the Daily Mail, was false. He was pressed by David Dimbleby to explain which were false. Griffin could only say that there was too many to mention.

Griffin lied and lied again. He said that he was never a Nazi. He sidestepped questions about the Holocaust, though he was picked up by Dimbleby for smirking whilst answering the question. “Why are you smirking? It’s not a laughing matter.”

The audience was strongly against Griffin. One person asked him where he should be sent back to, given that he was born here. He then went on to say that many people in the audience would happily do a whip round to pay for Griffin and his party tickets to travel to the South Pole.

Baroness Warsi quoted the BNP’s Head of Publicity, Mark Collett, saying Churchill led us into pointless wars. Bonnie Greer said that Churchill’s ancestral past meant he could not have joined the BNP.

A member of the audience said that Enoch Powell’s views were identical to those of Griffin. This was echoed by Lib Dem Chris Huhne, who said that the BNP looked for scapegoats. “It’s what Enoch Powell did. We had this in the 1930s against the Jews, in the 1960s against the Blacks and now Griffin against immigrants.

Griffin repeatedly lied. He claimed that it was he who took the BNP away from its anti-Semitic and nazi past. He then said “I am the most loathed man among Nazis in Britain.”

Several people made the point that Griffin said one thing in public but another in private. Jack Straw made reference to internal BNP documents about playing down their true views in public. Even Dimbleby mentioned an appearance in the US where Griffin said that “instead of talking about racial purity we talk about identity”

When pressed about the presence at the meeting of former KKK leader David Duke, Griffin replied that “I shared a platform with a non violent member of the KKK.” The audience rightly laughed at his stupidity. Griffin went on to say that Duke also regarded him as a sell out.

Griffin was now getting very nervous. In fact, he was even shaking. He was under full attack from all and the more nervous he got the more he smirked and the more stupid he looked.

Jack Straw summed it up. “We have seen that the moment anyone puts an uncomfortable quote to him he wriggles. I have seen his quotes on You Tube. He wants to wriggle out of it.

“The BNP have a manual to tell them how to speak. The language and concepts discipline manual. They are the only party who have to tell their party not to be racist.

“Griffin is the Dr Strangelove of British politics. (He tries to control his extremist politics but he can’t stop himself like the peter sellers character).”

Everyone was falling about laughing.

A member of the audience asked why Griffin hated Islam. He replied that it treats women as second class citizens. He admitted that it had “good points” but does not fit in with fundamental values of British society. “My policy on Islam is a truce with Islam. We should leave countries alone and ensure if Muslims stay here they do so understanding we are a British country. Britain must always remain a fundamentally Christian country.”

Baroness Warsi said that Griffin is a “confused man”, reminding the audience that he shared platform with Abu Hamza and had visited Colonel Gaddafi. “He is a thoroughly deceptive man. He is here to demonise Islam.”

On a question about immigration Griffin attacked the multicultural programme which he claimed had been imposed by the liberal elite. He spoke of the “indigenous Britons.”

Straw asked him if he meant “white?”

Griffin replied that the English, Scots, Irish and Welsh were “aborigines”. He said that the majority of the British people were ignored, saying that they felt shut out in our country.

The final question was whether it had been a good week for the BNP. Straw was the last to respond, saying that Nick Griffin was a “fantasising conspiracy theorist.”

And an idiot to boot. The audience almost universally laughed and mocked Griffin at the end.

Thought i’d throw this in aswell:

October 24, 2009 Posted by | BNP, racism | , , | 1 Comment

BNP: Commission issues legal proceedings

PRESS RELEASE 24 August 2009

BNP: Commission issues legal proceedings

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has today issued county court proceedings against the British National Party in respect of its constitution and membership criteria. The court has set a date of Wednesday 2nd September for a hearing for the Commission’s application for an injunction against the BNP.

The Commission sent a letter before action on 22nd June to the BNP setting out its concerns about the BNP’s constitution and membership criteria. The BNP has responded saying that it intends to clarify the word ‘white’ on its website. However the Commission believes that the BNP will continue to discriminate against potential or actual members on racial grounds. The BNP’s membership criteria appear to restrict membership to those within what the BNP regards as particular “ethnic groups” and those whose skin colour is white.

This exclusion is contrary to the Race Relations Act. The Commission believes the BNP’s constitution and membership criteria are discriminatory and, further, that the continued publication of them on the BNP website is unlawful. It has therefore issued county court proceedings against party leader Nick Griffin and two other officials.

The Commission has decided not to take action on two further grounds set out in its letter before action in the light of the BNP’s commitment to comply with the law. John Wadham, Group Director, Legal at the Equality and Human Rights Commission says: “The BNP has said that it is not willing to amend its membership criteria which we believe are discriminatory and unlawful. The Commission has a statutory duty to use our regulatory powers to enforce compliance with the law, so we have today issued county court proceedings against the BNP. However, the party still has an opportunity to resolve this quickly by giving the undertaking on its membership criteria that the Commission requires.”

–Ends–

August 25, 2009 Posted by | BNP | , , , , | Leave a Comment

National Front Stickers in Newcastle West

Hello All

ARCH has received a report from the Neighbourhood Response Team concerning a National Front sticker found in the Scotswood area in Newcastle.

When they removed the sticker they found a razor blade stuck behind it. This would have caused injury to anyone trying to remove it by hand. There has been an issue in the past with National Front stickers and razor blades, but this is the first recent report of this happening.

If you see a National Front sticker please do not try to remove it yourself, but instead report it to the ARCH reporting line tel 08000 32 32 88, or contact Envirocall 0191 274 4000.

The Neighbourhood Response Team then will then call out within 24 hours to remove it.

If you do remove a sticker and find a razor blade please contact us ASAP.

You can contact Vicki Harris at ARCH on tel 0191 2115424 or email vicki.harris@newcastle.gov.uk

Neil Denton

August 3, 2009 Posted by | BNP | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Unite Against Fascism Northeast

Unite Against Fascism Northeast

SOUTH TYNESIDE MEETING
ON TUESDAY 23 JUNE 2009 AT 7pm
AT THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS (NEXT TO THE SHIP AND ROYAL, SOUTH SHIELDS)

Following the European election results UAF Northeast is launching a group in South Tyneside.  If you live or work in the borough and wish to participate in the defeat of the BNP then come to the meeting.

EVERYONE WELCOME

PLEASE LET FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COLLEAGUES KNOW

June 16, 2009 Posted by | BNP, Current Issues, racism | , , | Leave a Comment

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