I just witnessed the two new BNP MEPs being swept off the Green in front of parliament by demonstrators from Unite and others.
Nick Griffin had got only a short way into criticising coverage of his party in the newspapers when a crowd of about 150 demonstrators descended on Griffin, fellow MEP Andrew Brons, and their minders.
The two groups then seemed to merge as the minders tried to steer their MEPs to safety, they swarmed off the Green, down towards College Green, opposite St Stephen’s entrance to the Commons and then minders got the BNP group into two waiting cars.
Demonstrators tried a couple of thwacks on the car roof with banners, the cars forced their way into traffic and sped off. It raises all sorts of questions about freedom of speech and where the line is drawn.
A couple of minutes later and a school bus party was packing the pavement, scores of tourists too.
One demonstrator was taken away in an ambulance.
There could easily have been a lot more injured.
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This is pointless. The great thing about Griffin is that when he speaks everyone realises what a racist, fascist idiot he is. By shutting off his speech, the protesters played into the hands of the BNP allowing them to lay the victim card and their ability to get press. This is how they got elected. QED.
Lets just stoke the fires of the BNP even more why don’t we?
The hypocrisy this demonstration shows is incredible. It’s okay for the ‘left’ Labour party to be for fascism under the guise of political correctness and hate laws but a ‘right’ party can’t do this?
Un-bloody-believable
This demonstration will only encourage MORE people to vote BNP!!
I couldn’t agree more. From the interviews I’ve seen/heard on the BBC, he tends to shoot himself in the foot without any assistance from others. Just like any bully, a brilliant way to get them to back off is to ignore them.
He can give a news conference – but why does he have to give it in from of Parliament? Presumably Griffin had to get police permission to demonstrate with 1km of Parliament. Or doesn’t that apply to him?
What’s free speech got to do with it? They protest have the right to free speech too.
I’m glad they pelted him.
It be pointless giving a news conference in front of a council housing estate would’nt it!
I don’t agree with you; so it’s alright for me to pelt you then is it?
Non of this would be happening if it wasn’t for the 2 main parties screwing up British society over the last 40+ years. The divisions, hatreds and inequalities to peoples lives have resulted in them doing the only legal thing open to them…vote alternatives because there’s no difference between ‘em. As for free speak, well so long as it’s filtered by media spin in favour of the upper class, then that’s just fine.
British people are frustrated, angry, bitterly resentful and, very revengeful of decades of misery at the hands of these bast…s.
The BNP are no different from the corrupt bunch of MPs.
They say the BNP are violent thugs, but the only violent thuggery I saw on the report was from the UAF, kicking and hitting cars with banners, throwing eggs and bullying a legaly elected MEP to such an extent that he had to flee to avoid the possibillityof worse violence. They should be ashamed of themselves and the idiot being inteviewed on channel 4 news did the UAF no favours.
Martin Smith what a mupet.
Weyman Bennett, the leader of the UAF, is a senior member of the Socialist Workers Party, a far-left group with a history of political violence, so we shouldn’t be surprised at the actions of these un-democratic thugs.
What we should be surprised at is that people such as David Cameron officially support the UAF. This is a disgrace and any right thinking person should now be officially distancing themselves from this disgraceful organisation.
If they don’t, then they are condoning political terrorsim. To have the leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition supporting an organisation that blatantly promotes violence is a national disgrace in a supposed democratic society.
Leave them alone! At least someone is brave enough to speak up for what a few thousand of us think. They have their own views – who can blame them? Just as Labours ideas can be branded as ‘useless’ and ‘failing’, the BNP can be thought of as ‘racist’ or ‘fascist’, but at the end of the day Labour don’t get pelted do they? Where are the people who voted for the BNP – people should realise that if there is enough support for this group, they must be doing something right in THIS country’s opinion. If you don’t like it, vote for someone else; shut up moaning. Its getting tedious and quite pathetic!
…waste of a good egg if you ask me…
Well at least the BNP’s ideas echo the average person’s thoughts to some degree, something Labour and the other mainstream parties seem to have forgotten to do. Well done them for trying. As for the ‘good egg’ – when are those ignorant idiots going to be charged for assault?
We may profoundly disagree with Mr. Griffin’s ideas, but as an elected MEP he has a mandate something the UAF do not have.
However, those who disagree have a right to protest, as long as they do not resort to violence.
Unfortunately, spokesperson for UAF: Donna Guthrie (who spoke to the BBC) is also a mouthpiece for the equally odious Socialist Workers Party.
By allowing an extreme left wing agitator who speaks on behalf of the UAF, but writes and campaigns for the SWP an organisation whose banner proclaims: Anti-Capitalism-Liberation-Socialism, only weakens the argument against the BNP. The other spokesman for the UAF Weyman Bennet: also SWP big wig
(has appeared on a platform with Nick Griffin) is a fellow traveller with Donna Guthrie. It would seem that the UAF are not what they seem, the media should do a bit of digging istead of just accepting what they are told by this undemocratic rent a mob.
Jakie
I have just watched martin smith on the 4 news ranting on about the bnp. it seems to me like the kettle calling the pot black. I agree with other views on this site leave nick griffin to talk, people will soon work him out. Attack him and he will gain media attention which is what he is after. If he breaks the law then that’s up to the police to act.
What an appallingly ignorant little man Martin Smith is – his opinion of democracy is warped. It would appear that unless one agrees with his ideals it is not democratic.
This hysteria surrounding the election of two BNP MEC’s has been fuelled by the media hype & the press releases by all the so called “main stream” political parties. The blame for today’s inexcusable events, & others that inevitable & regretfully will follow, must therefore be laid at their respective doors.
I did not vote for the BNP, nor do I believe in all of their policies or ideas but I do believe in their RIGHT to express same.
This has indeed been a sad day for British democracy!
Where were the police ?
So much for freedom of speech and democracy.
The million who voted for BNP have a righ to be represented and hear the view of the party. Those who didn’t vote BNP ought to listen to Mr Griffin even more. They might learn something.
The bnp do not deserve freedom of speach because they are nazi’s.
People donot have a right to be represented by a fascist organisation like the bnp.
The one thing I can appreciate about Nick Griffin is that he isn’t slagging off other political parties the whole time as they are the BNP.
People voted for him because he addresses some of their real concerns, racist or not (though I can’t think he’s particularly racist – no more than state-approved racist minority organisations such as the National Black Police Federation – if someone dared set up a National White Police Federation, they’d be done for racism).
Quite right, the British people are angry and bitterly resentful….but the mainstream parties aren’t listening. I don’t support the BNP but I can’t support any of these other power-hungry, do-nothing, boom-and-crash merchants either. They are doing no good for Britain and its people.
I do not understand why people cannot accept the result of BNP being represented in as MEPs in europe. They were democratically elected by the people who voted them in, and the parties that seem to be against this, sounds like poor losers to me.
For the ‘Unite Against Fascism’ yobbos to complain against a duly elected MEP seems quite bizarre! Clearly those protesters were scum and fascists of the first degree. Anyone who tries to tell others ’shut up because I say so’ has fascist tendencies, surely?
UAF are nothing but stormtroopers of the ruling class. The establishment supports the UAF (David Cameron is signed up to it), and its acts of violence and fascism against members of a perfectly legitimate political party.
They (The UAF) have took a dump in their own oatmeal and have gave the BNP more publicity then it would of got if they (UAF) didn’t turn up. And those people have the cheek to call the BNP “Fascist”. What a way to show yourselves up UAF!!
Outrageous! Like it or loathe it Mr Griffin and colleague have been elected. We have a fair a reasoned political debate in this country in which to explore ideas and contentions. Let him speak and debate. The three main parties have a duty to hear and debate with him. What are they frightened of? The paucity of their own ideas and ideologues?
This Holocaust-denying fascist has nothing to do with democracy or freedom of speech, and would end it if he could. Good for UAF
Why do they have flashes of hitler and mussolini in their minds, every time they look at a party that may have ideals bordering of fascism.
Communism in concept was a great ideal,you know. Everybody is equal and have the same status in society, except you had corrupt leaders and government that exploited anybody below them and it the same with fascism.
Martin Smith from the campaign group “Unite Against Fascism” did his cause no good trying to prevent democratically elected BNP leader Nick Griffin from speaking to the press and compounded the problem with a bombastic response in his Jon Snow interview.
I would far rather hear Nick Griffin try and make his point than accept Martin Smith’s and his group as self appointed censors.
The UAF united against Fascism have become their very own worse nightmare.
So let me rename them.
Openly Against Free Speech, OAFS
Has a nice ring about it:-)
What utter hypocrisy! Democratically elected representatives of the people being mobbed by unelected yobs with no mandate, and all condoned by the establishment, with Westminster MP’s including David Cameron openly supporting them and gleefully reported by the mainstream media.
And where were the police during this serious disturbance and attack on democracy, just steps from Westminster palace? Absolutely nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps the time has come for ACPO and Britain’s police chiefs to explain their curious relationship with the anti-democratic, violent and far-left extremist ‘Unite Against Fascists’ and Searchlight organisations.
Some would say, that the BNP is the offspring from the National Front and whenever they had won a constitioned vote you had the leader surrounded by NF ‘yobbos’ causing a stir by beening boisterious and causing affray, while he is gives a victory speech. It does show that the BNP has matured from that, now you see him beening surrounded by anti- fascist doing the same thing. It like a beautiful butterfly sprung from a ugly catterpillar.
I spelt ‘being’ wrong twice, sorry!
All people have a right to free speech, including the BNP and any other extreme parties. Much as people would, understandably, like to stifle their sickening views, it does not weaken the party’s stance. I am surprised that no-one seems to have yet challenged the basis for all their arguments, about there being a so-called British “race”, or, as Andrew Brons put it, “the indigenous population of this country.” The fact is that this idea is obsurd. For thousands of years, Britain has been subject to waves of immigration, invasion and occupation by different ethnic groups from different parts of the world, making it impossible to define an indigenous popluation. Even if you traced right back to over 2000 years ago you would not have an answer. If they would be willing to except these facts and yet persist with their arguments, this would confirm that they simply base their idea of Britishness on the colour of a person’s skin and other equally shallow factors.
Just as the English Language has become rich and diverse through the merging of many different languages, Britain is a country that has been made great, rich and diverse through the combination and integration of different peoples and ethnicities. This is our true identity, and the BNP are delusional in their claims.
Much of the invasion or Occupation was not ever desired or accepted on this island, normally their was often rebellion against it.
Don’t you think we have enough diversity and mixture of cultures. Can the English Language develop any further than it already has. Maybe we should call ourselves ‘United World’ rather than United Kingdom.
What you have said there is seriously disingenuous and I simply cannot let it stand in case anybody should think that it is an argument with even the smallest degree of merit.
William The Conqueror successfully invaded this country in 1066 and killed King Harold and claimed the throne as his own by right of conquest. That was the last and only time that this country, as a whole, has been successfully invaded since the Romans, and even then the race that was doing the invading was essentially the same or similar to the race already occupying our island. This means that for at least a thousand years, and I would say two thousand years, between 250 and 500 generations of our ancestors formulated a gene pool which produced the men who withstood all that the forces of nature and foreign despots could fling at them, founded the greatest empire the world has ever known, contributed more knowledge and advancement and inventions to the benefit of mankind than any other race in history and founded a system of law, democracy and fairness that has been accepted as a model to aspire to throughout the world.
I neither voted for the BNP nor agree with all of their ideals but the fact that nearly a million people voted for them to express their views means in our democratic society they have the right to be heard.
How dare a bunch of unwashed, unemployed, radical lefty idiots deny all of the people who took the time and effort to vote the opportunity to hear what their representatives have to say and an opportunity for the media to at last accurately portray what it means to be a Nationalist in Britain today.
For me it doesn’t matter if your black, white, yellow, blue or green if you believe in the historical values and beliefs of this country and want to make a contribution. If on the other hand people intend to enter this country illegally or to gain any handouts that they are somehow due or insist on their own legal system and secondary religion within this country then I am sorry but I for one do not wish these people to remain here.
There have been mutterings for a long time from every corner of the land about the scale of immigration and by not being a minority we British are treated as second class citizens yet the mainstream parties have chosen to ignore it and merge into a single left of centre mess with no way for us to voice our true concerns.
Now that there is a way for the people to voice their opinion every attempt is made to suppress it! Forget MP’s expenses, this is the biggest disgrace in our country today and shows our “Democracy” for exactly what it is.
Can you imagine if the so called stereotypes of the BNP conducted themselves in the same way that the UAF did yesterday outside parliament at Finsbury Park Mosque whilst certain members of their order preached hatred toward the west and anyone who doesn’t agree with their ideology?
If you think that the BNP would be arrested and treated as racists then my simple question is why? What are the differences from what the UAF did yesterday? It is Ok for people from other lands to have free speech and supported by our tax money but not people expressing the views of at least nearly a million people from this country?
If you feel that this is unfair then you really do owe it to yourself to find out exactly what the BNP stand for and not be spoon fed inaccuracies by an often unreliable media.
I have taken the time to understand what the BNP is about and as mentioned I don’t agree with all they say but at this moment in time I trust them to provide a future for my young daughter and help me to raise her in a country that I can relate to and values that I have and wish to uphold.
If it is a bad thing that I want to pass on these values, standards and sense of pride of a country that I understand and love to my daughter whilst disagreeing with ethnic minorities then so help me apparently I must be a racist!
John Snow gave Martin Smith a very easy ride in his interview yesterday.
Why don’t the press and politicians slag off UKIP as they do the BNP – after all they have similar policies?
Class of course.
if the bnp are violent party what are the UAF? i have yet to see footage of bnp carrying out such attacks? and worringly nick griffin states the UAF are a goverment supported party by both labour and conserative? would that make the establishment fascist?
“..It would seem that the UAF are not what they seem, the media should do a bit of digging instead of just accepting what they are told by this undemocratic rent a mob.”
I totally agree and while they are at it they should investigate “Searchlight” another sinister organisation who are frequently quoted.
Reffering to what ‘ weewilliewinkie’ on the 13rh June 2009.
Concerning that the Normans were similiar race to the Anglo-Saxons. This is simply not true, for a start they spoke french, whilst the saxons are a Germanic people, Norman architecture did not appear until after the invasion.
Therefore, if they were similiar they would have the same influence to this country.
Also, it was’nt the last invasion, William of Orange invaded with his Dutch army to claim the throne!
Nick Griffin seemed to be the only politician on question time who was speaking the language of the common man in Britain today. The immigration situation is a disgrace and the BNP seem to be the only political party willing to talk about it. They will probably get many votes and I may end up being one of them for the first time ever…
Disillusioned
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