Turkish Forum

Tag: MEP

  • Devils United

    Devils United

    nThe leader of the far-right British National Party wept as he saluted party members for helping win two seats in the European parliament.

    Nick Griffin was addressing delegates in a Blackpool hotel as part of the BNP’s “summer school” and Victory 09 celebrations.

    After listening to speeches by party bosses Mr Griffin was applauded to the stage.

    He managed just a “Thank you,” before he broke down. He thanked individuals and the collective membership for enabling two MEPs to be elected – himself in the North West and Andrew Brons in Yorkshire and the Humber.

    Speaking amid St George’s Cross bunting and sepia photographs of war veterans and impish little children, Mr Griffin applauded senior member Mark Collet, with whom he was cleared of inciting racial hatred in 2006.

    “The propaganda was exceptional,” he said of the BNP literature produced ahead of the local and Euro elections.

    Mr Griffin attacked the media for what he described as a smear campaign the likes of which he had never seen before. He attacked the three main parties for turning the country into a “multicultural bankrupt slum” and “organising and funding” the protesters against him.

    “Like a new boy at school,” was how he described visiting Brussels for the first time. But he said he had joined forces with other right-wing parties, forming “Devils United”.

    Outside The New Kimberley Hotel on the south promenade some 80 Unite Against Fascism members protested against the BNP.

    Four people were arrested near the protest, which police said was peaceful. The four were arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.

    Press Association

  • BNP success ‘damaging’ to Britain

    BNP success ‘damaging’ to Britain

    The UK’s international reputation has suffered “real damage” as a result of the British National Party gaining their first seats in the European Parliament, politicians, unions and race relations groups said.

    Labour MEP for London Claude Moraes said that a threshold had been crossed after the far-right party won two seats.

    BNP leader Nick Griffin picked up the seat in the North West of England region and Andrew Brons won a seat in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

    Peter Hain, the newly-appointed Welsh Secretary, released a statement via United Against Fascism which read: “It’s a shameful stain on Britain that we now have racists and fascists representing our country.

    “It is vital that everyone now isolates and confronts the BNP and works with United Against Fascism to defeat them.”

    At a Unite Against Fascism press conference in Westminster, Mr Moraes went on to acknowledge that the BNP had “jumped upon” Gordon Brown’s slogan “British jobs for British workers” during the election.

    He explained: “That phrase was jumped upon by the BNP, they are trying increasingly to look at what mainstream politicians say to embarrass the politicians as a way of getting support.

    He added: “There is real damage here to Britain because we have never elected fascists in a national election. Fascists in the European Parliament where I sit have long wanted members from Britain to join this transnational group so for those reasons there is deep concern that we have now crossed that threshold.”

    He said that many people would be viewing Britain as a “nastier” place than they had prior to the election. The BNP wins came as the party appeared to attract significant numbers of disaffected Labour voters.

    Meanwhile, hundreds of people voiced their anger at the election of the two BNP members to the European Parliament. Simultaneous protests took place in Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Preston and York in the wake of the far-right party’s propulsion up the political ladder.

    Press Association