BNP could split after Nick Griffin wins leadership by 9 votes

Former friends: Andrew Brons and Nick Griffin

While the BBC was, disgracefully, giving an EDL leader a platform on Newsnight, the corporation's website brought us something to smile about. It seems the divisions inside the British National Party run as deep as we thought. BBC News reports:

'Nick Griffin has been re-elected as leader of the British National Party, according to the party's website. It said he received 1,157 votes and his opponent, Andrew Brons MEP, received 1,148. Eleven papers were spoiled.

The website quoted Mr Griffin as saying the "time for division and disruption is over" and urging members of his party to "go forward together". In May, the BNP, which has been hit by divisions, lost many of the seats it held on local councils in England.'

June 2009 seems a long time ago. That's when two MEPs were elected from the BNP: Nick Griffin in the north west and Andrew Brons in Yorkshire and Humberside. The European Parliament elections marked a high point for the fascist party, following breakthroughs in local elections during the previous few years. Growing 'respectability' was symbolised by Griffin's infamous appearance on the BBC's Question Time.

In two rounds of local elections since then - last year and again this May - BNP support has fallen, with the party losing most of the seats it defended. Most spectacularly, the BNP lost all its 12 seats on Barking and Dagenham council in east London in May 2010. The party's activists were also disappointed by their general election results, feeding disaffection and division.

Since then the tensions have turned into open revolt, with Brons becoming a figurehead for those challenging Griffin's fuhrer status. The two MEPs have clashed publicly. Their party has also suffered a deep financial crisis, leaks of membership lists and embarrassing revelations about violent conduct by its members.

This has all been rather cheering for anti-fascists, whose activity opposing the BNP over many years helped prevent it getting more of a mainstream foothold. Defeats and disappointments for the fascists encouraged the divisions which now threaten to fragment it. Griffin's hope for an end to 'disruption and division' is likely to prove forlorn.

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From all 25 wards to zero: BNP collapses in Sunderland

Via Ross Robertson's report in the Sunderland Echo:

'THE British National Party appears to have been bowled out on Wearside after failing to field a single candidate in this year’s council elections.

In the past, the right-wing extremist party made Sunderland a key target, with previous elections having seen them stand candidates in every city ward.

But in the list of candidates for this year’s local elections, the party was conspicuous by its absence.

“I think it is a very good thing for the city,” said Sunderland Council leader Paul Watson.

“The BNP were rejected in 2004 and have been rejected ever since. I think it shows how astute the people of Sunderland are.”

Tory leader Tony Morrissey said the BNP had nothing to offer, and Independent leader Colin Wakefield said while there may be issues to tackle with immigration, the BNP’s way was certainly not the answer.

Lib Dem leader Paul Dixon added: “The BNP are not needed, not supported and not wanted in Sunderland.”

No one from the BNP was available for comment. The Echo understands North East organiser Ken Booth was sacked last year.'

Also see: BNP disappearance act

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BNP disappearance act

An appetising slice of local news via the South Shields Gazette (click on the link for full article). I imagine this will be of interest to anti-racists elsewhere too.

'FAR right political party the BNP will not field a single candidate in South Tyneside in May.

A spokesman for the party said the move was a political decision in a bid to persuade national leader Nick Griffin to stand down.

Martin Vaughan, fundholder for the party in South Tyneside, said the party was “finished” under Mr Griffin’s leadership.

The move comes despite the BNP standing candidates in all borough electoral wards up for grabs at last year’s local elections.

Rival parties in South Tyneside today expressed their delight at the announcement.'

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Griffin will go: a victory for anti-fascists

A short item of mine for Counterfire:

Nick Griffin has announced he will resign as leader of the British National Party by 2013. The announcement follows recent general and local election results which were a massive setback for the fascist BNP.

This means Griffin will no longer be BNP leader at the time of the next elections to the European Parliament - in 2014. Last June he was elected to the parliament from the North West of England. He is clearly hoping this will stave off dissent amongst his party's members, many of whom are currently unhappy about his leadership.

The BNP lost all 12 of its seats on Barking Council, in outer east London, despite Griffin declaring it the number one target for making gains. There were damaging losses elsewhere, including in the BNP's second target area of Stoke.

Griffin's own vote in Barking and Dagenham in the general election was under 15%, putting him in 3rd place. The scale of the losses, and failure to make a breakthrough anywhere, has prompted fierce infighting inside the BNP.

Griffin's own position has therefore become vulnerable. Previously credited with making the fascist organisation appear respectable - through pursuing an electoral strategy, posing as a legitimate mainstream politician and downplaying openly fascist sentiments - the shine has now worn off.

This is not an accident or a quirk of changing fashions on the far right. It is a symptom of the BNP's failure to retain council seats or make any breakthroughs at Westminster. Some in the BNP feel it may be time to ditch the 'respectability' strategy and turn increasingly to the streets.

Others draw the opposite conclusion: what's needed is a more respectable image, but Griffin's notoriety is an obstacle to them successfully presenting such an image. The fascists are deeply divided over how to proceed.

The setbacks for the BNP are, to a large extent, a consequence of anti-fascist campaigning. This has made it harder for the BNP to organise as publicly as it would wish, and has prevented the party attaining the level of credibility Griffin has craved. In the recent elections it also helped that increased voter turnout - due to the general election - boosted parties competing with the BNP in local elections.

Griffin has also been undermined by a series of damaging revelations in the last couple of months, including an incident in which a senior BNP organiser was filmed fighting in the street. It has become obvious that even prior to the election results there were tensions simmering inside the party.


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BNP wiped out in key areas

The sobering news of the results in the general election was followed by something to cheer about in the local election results: the complete wipeout of the BNP's presence on Barking and Dagenham council.

It is, as Unite Against Fascism (UAF) says, the fascist party's 'worst ever defeat'. What is really remarkable is that BNP leader Nick Griffin had aspired to his party taking control of the council, building on its existing 12 seats in the outer east London borough. In fact it has lost every one of those 12 seats. And not won a single new one.

This follows a poor result for Griffin in the Barking constituency in the general election. He was beaten into 3rd place in what was the BNP's top target seat, a 14.6% share representing a decline from 16.9% in 2005.

Victorious Labour MP Margaret Hodge welcomes the council results as "a great moment in history - a never to be forgotten moment for both the good people of Barking and Dagenham and for all of us in Britain."

"The message from Barking to the Nazi party is clear: Get out and stay out. You are not wanted here and your vile politics have no place in British democracy."



The BNP was defeated overwhelmingly throughout the borough. Its defeat was aided by higher turnout - from 38% in 2006 to 62% this time. This was partly because polling coincided with a national election, but also reflects concerted efforts by campaigners and trade unions to mobilise the anti-fascist vote.

These results prove that BNP breakthroughs can be reversed. Barking and Dagenham was the party's strongest area and a focus for continued campaigning by its activists.

Weyman Bennett, joint national secretary of Unite Against Fascism (UAF), says: "The BNP were defeated by mass anti-nazi activity. We built a coalition against them of black, white and Asian people, trade unionists, LGBT people and members of different faith groups."

"We systematically visited every ward, every major workplace and council estate, exposing the BNP as Nazis."

The fascists also suffered a major setback in its 2nd priority area. They stood in 3 general election seats in Stoke and took under 10% of the vote in all of them. They appear to have won no seats on Stoke-on-Trent council.

Elsewhere the BNP had mixed results, with decent votes in Westminster constituencies like 10.4% in Rotherham, 9% in Burnley and similar percentages in several others areas, showing there is no room for complacency. Nonethless, the fascists have suffered a serious setback - and the grin has been wiped off Nick Griffin's face.

Keep the fascists' hands off our schools

A survey in Barking and Dagenham, in east London, reveals that 94 % of teachers would not want to work for a BNP-led council. 75% of those surveyed by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Hope Not Hate would consider no longer working in Barking and Dagenham.

The fascist British National Party already has a group of councillors in the borough. It aims to take control of the council in the 6 May local elections. Nick Griffin, BNP leader, is standing for Parliament in local constituency on the same day.

The survey highlighted teachers’ concerns that a BNP gain would impact negatively on the morale of teachers and have a detrimental effect on the education of children in the area.

One teacher commented "I think it would be the worst thing in the world. I would be frightened for people’s safety. I see the ethnic mix of this borough as a positive thing for me and my children. Please stop them." Another simply said ‘Disaster!’

105 local NUT members participated in the online survey. Some of them spoke of the need to stay on in the borough and continue to fight against the BNP.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the NUT, said:

"This survey shows that teachers have a genuine fear of the consequences that a BNP-led council would bring to schools in Barking and Dagenham and the threat it will pose to ensuring our schools are protected as havens of tolerance and community cohesion. The growth of far-right organisations in recent years is of grave concern to the NUT, particularly when this means they could have influence on schools, and the lives of our members and the pupils they teach."

The NUT has a political fund, which is used to campaign against the BNP. The union is currently funding campaigns to help stop BNP candidates being elected on 6 May, in Barking and Dagenham and elsewhere.

Hope Not Hate said: "This poll graphically illustrates the danger of the BNP. Would you want your child's education in the hands of a party that praises the Nazis and claims the Holocaust never happened? Their politics of division, extremism and hate have no place in our classrooms."

This is cross-posted at Counterfire.

"Scandalous" behaviour: BNP candidate in North East

A judge has described a BNP general election candidate's behaviour as "scandalous". Mark Walker, BNP candidate for Sedgefield in County Durham, had previously been sacked as a teacher due to misconduct.

A tribunal report, leaked to a local newspaper, reveals that Walker would have been sacked from his job at a secondary school regardless of his sickness record. Walker was originally suspended in 2007 after claims he sent inappropriate emails to a 16-year-old former pupil and watched pornography on his laptop at work.

After later being dismissed from his job, Walker claimed he had been "victimised" because of his allegiance to the BNP. It has just emerged that his appeal was rejected in January, at a tribunal hearing in Newcastle.

Walker developed a poor attendance record following his initial suspension in 2007 - and claimed this was due to stress brought on by his alleged mistreatment. But the leaked report includes employment judge Andrew Buchanan saying: “If he had not acted in the way that he did towards that former pupil, he would not have had reason to be stressed and anxious and he would not have become ill.”

The judge said Walker’s “culpable and blameworthy conduct contributed to his dismissal to the extent of 100 per cent” and that “he was the author of his own unfortunate illness”.

Walker's dismissal had been triggered by him participating in a demonstration, staged outside the school to support him. This was held on an induction day for new pupils.

The judge said: “The claimant’s conduct during the time of his suspension was, frankly, scandalous. For a teacher to be associated with a rowdy demonstration at the school gates on a day when pupils new to the school were being inducted demonstrates a failure to observe professional standards which this tribunal finds breathtaking.”

The report also rejects claims that Walker's sacking was politically motivated: “The tribunal does not accept that the headteacher herself was motivated by antipathy to the BNP, but recognises that that party does provoke antipathy in many people.”

Walker’s brother, Adam, also a BNP candidate in the forthcoming elections, played a part too. He wrote a letter to 80 school staff saying attempts were under way to “destroy his brother’s life”.

The judge concluded: “The claimant clearly was also cognisant of and supportive of the attempts of his brother and others to write to the staff and to seek to undermine the authority of the headteacher.”

This latest episode is yet another reminder of the reality of BNP candidates who pose as respectable politicians.

This article of mine also appears at Counterfire.

Senior BNP leader arrested for threatening to kill Nick Griffin

Mark Collett, a senior British National Party member, has been arrested. He is alleged to have threatened to kill his own party leader Nick Griffin.

It has been revealed that Collett, the BNP's publicity director, was arrested on Thursday. This apparently followed Griffin and a number of BNP colleagues giving statements to the police.

Collett was supposed to be a candidate in the forthcoming general election, standing against David Blunkett in Sheffield. But this now looks unlikely - he has already been removed from his position in the fascist organisation. Other leading BNP members accuse Collett of attempting to orchestrate a "palace coup" against Griffin.

The arrest of Collett is a serious blow to the BNP, as it gears up for an election campaign spearheaded by Griffin, who is standing in Barking and Dagenham. The background to the arrest appears to reveal infighting and tensions at the highest level, with party officals linking Collett to the "leaking on the internet of sensitive personal information" and "alleged financial irregularities".

This latest bad news for the BNP follows last month's ruling that its membership policy is discriminatory. It will severely damage its hopes of presenting a respectable and credible image in the pre-election period.

As a spokesperson for anti-fascist magazine Searchlight says: "Nick Griffin is constantly claiming he is the leader of a moderate, non-violent organisation. It is difficult to see how he can square that assertion with his statement to the police that his own head of publicity has been plotting to kill him."

Anti-fascist campaigners up and down the country will now be stepping up efforts to halt the BNP's bid for seats in the general and local council elections.

BBC offers Griffin a sequel to Question Time appearance

It has emerged that Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time last October was no one-off. The British National Party leader, and North West MEP, is set to return to the BBC, appearing as part of the broadcaster's coverage of the general election this spring.

It was barely noticed, but on Tuesday the BBC announced plans for a 'minor parties debate'. This will follow the debate between mainstream party leaders (Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg). Giving a platform to voices outside the political Establishment seems promising, but it is clear this will include the fascist leader Griffin.

In a statement published on the BBC website, chief political advisor Ric Bailey said: "There will be arrangements in the programming around the BBC debate, a week before polling day, to ensure other parties
which have demonstrated they have some electoral support - UKIP, the Green Party and the BNP - will have their say."

It isn't yet known if ITV and Sky will include BNP representation in any of their live debates. But, worryingly, Griffin's deputy Simon Darby has also revealed the BBC's plan to feature the BNP in an edition of Panorama in the next few months. The BBC seems intent on giving legitimacy to a party that anti-racist and anti-fascist organisations believe should be stripped of false respectability and denied a platform for presenting its race hate propaganda.

Last autumn's appearance by Griffin on Question Time was greeted with large and lively protests at the programme's recording, with local protests at BBC regional centres elsewhere. Similar protests will be needed again, playing a vital role in rolling back the threat posed by the BNP in the forthcoming election campaign. More immediately, the corporation should be made aware of the disgust many will feel at its plans, with the aim of pressuring it to drop the proposal. Anti-fascists will also need to ensure the BBC's decision is not taken as a cue for others to offer a platform to Griffin and his fellow neo-Nazis.

More urgently: there's this protest against the English Defence League tomorrow.

Protests at Nick Griffin on Question Time

'Thousands of anti-fascist protesters stormed the BBC television studios in West London tonight just before Nick Griffin, leader of the fascist British National Party (BNP), was due to arrive to record Question Time.' For more of Socialist Worker's report click HERE.

There's a good account (and photos) of the London demo from Lenin's Tomb HERE.

For ITN's footage of protests click HERE.

The picture above is by Jess Hurd, who has a superb set of photos from the protest HERE.

Report and more pics, from Harpy Marx, HERE.

For Duncan Brown's pictures of the Glasgow solidarity protest, see HERE.

For French-language readers! See Colin Falconer's blog HERE.