BNP leader charged with race hate

British National Party leader Nick Griffin has been charged with four race hate offences, police said.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed that Mr Griffin, 45, of Welshpool, was charged at Halifax police station on Wednesday.

He will appear at Leeds Magistrates' Court on Thursday accused of using words or behaviour intended or likely to stir up racial hatred.

Earlier BNP chairman John Tyndall was charged with inciting racial hatred during a speech in Burnley last year.

BNP activist Mark Collett, 24, has been charged with eight offences of inciting racial hatred.

news.bbc.co.uk...

I cant help, but compare this to the time Hitler was arrested and went to court. This really isnt a good day for democracy, i am not standing up for the BNP, by in a democracy, you cannot lock up political leaders because you dont agree with them.

Yes, i know they were exposed of national TV during that hidden documentry, but that really was a dirty trick the BBC used against them. The other BNP members deserved to face criminal action for assualt on the asian gentlement however.

Completely different, Hitler was trying a putch (i believed its spelled that way) where as Griffin is simply being a low level racist.
The Nazis won't get into power, however we should still monitor and counter their beliefs and actions.

they dont need to get power, they'll seats and thats bad enough

A couple of council seats won't make them a powerful threat, we should only be worried if they get seats in the House of Commons, which in my opinion is extremely unlikely.

im not on about council seats, im talking about the house. They have the ability to appeal to anyone now, thats what is really sad

- Sorry but I don't agree.

They weren't tricked at all, they were spouting their hatred in what they thought was a 'safe' environment and they were wrong. Tough.

I'm all for free speech but there is no such thing - just about anywhere - where that free speech is something that can be done without consequence.

Defamation, libel, incitement etc etc all mean the idea of utterly 'free and consequence-free speech' is a myth.

If those people wish to make public their twisted views then they should be prepared to face the consequences.

.....and I doubt many beyond their tiny fringe fan-base will even give this a thought nevermind have the slightest bit of sympathy for them.

I really don't see this as having any particular appeal to anyone; the far-right in the UK wax and wane depending on the mood of the times but thankfully the UK doesn't really seem to have much truck with that sillyness......

.....afterall even at the height of the early 1930's instability with the most terrible and deep recession ever they couldn't gain enough support.


[edit on 6-4-2005 by sminkeypinkey]

Yeah I read about this today in the newspaper. Do you not think it is wrong to arrest the leader of the BNP for racial hatred when Abu AKA Mr. Hook spouted his hatred for months before anything was done. Maybe the government felt they would accused of being racist if they arrested him.

- Timing eh? Shame they inadvertently gave that ludicrous and nasty little party a bit of free publicity, IMO.



- Sorry but this is just not accurate and no I don't see that there was anything wrong about arresting that contemptable and ridiculous wannabe fuhrer/martyr.

The gov did move against Abu Hansa but thanks to the appeal process and Judges allowing him to be out on bail it looked like they hadn't - bl**dy hell they even went as far as altering the law so they could deport the b*gger.
Thankfully we don't have 'political justice' so if the courts let him out we have to put up with it.....until the gov changes the law, which they did.



- No, sadly this is one of those cases that become illogical and daft popular myth when the actual facts of what happened surrounding it could hardly be more different.