The British National Party has been forced to rewrite its rules again after a court said they were discriminatory.
The BNP voted to scrap its whites-only membership policy last month after a legal threat from equality watchdogs.
Instead, it said members had to sign up to maintaining the “integrity of the indigenous British” and be interviewed for up to two hours by BNP officials.
A judge at Central London County Court ruled that the new constitution was still likely to be discriminatory.
Judge Paul Collins ordered the party to pay £60,000 in costs and said its membership list must remain “closed” until it complied with race relations laws.
Delivering his ruling, he said: “I hold that the BNP are likely to commit unlawful acts of discrimination within section 1b Race Relations Act 1976 in the terms on which they are prepared to admit persons to membership under the 12th addition of their constitution.”
But BNP leader Nick Griffin said the party had made the changes to its constitution demanded by the court – and as a result had now started accepting members again.
He told the BBC News Channel: “I think it’s appalling. The court have opened a huge can of worms here, they have given a government funded, a taxpayer-funded body the right to interfere with the aims and objectives of political parties.
“That’s not just an attack on us. It’s an attack potentially on any political party. It’s a bad day for democracy from that point of view.”
A spokeswoman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission said it “had to take this action” and was “not concerned with the political outflow” of the ruling.
She added: “As long as they comply with the court order then that is fine, but obviously we are going to be looking carefully at the new constitution when it is issued. If we still think it is racist in any kind of way, we will either be bringing this matter back to the court, under contempt of court proceedings, or we will be issuing new proceedings.”
The constitution rejected by the court asked members to sign up to the BNP’s principles, including a duty to oppose the promotion of any form of “integration or assimilation” that impacted on the “indigenous British”, and a requirement to support the “maintenance and existence of the unity and integrity of the indigenous British”.
‘Waiting list’
It also stated that members have to agree to two party officials – one male and one female – visiting their home for up to two hours.
A lawyer acting for the Equality and Human Rights Commission said this could be used to enable potential members to be intimidated, although there was no evidence it had been used in that way.
Mr Griffin said this was an “entirely normal” procedure to prevent the infiltration of people who wanted to sabotage the party and “find out what sort of people wanted to join the BNP”.
But he said it would now be scrapped to comply with the ruling, adding: “You don’t have to agree to a home visit in order to be a member of the BNP.”
He claimed there were 7,000 people on its membership waiting list, including a “handful” of people “from each of the main ethnic groups in Britain” including Sikhs, West Indians and “two Chinese ladies”.
“We certainly won’t put them to the front of the queue, that’s for the Labour Party to put ethnic minorities to the front of the queue, we won’t do that, but we will treat them fairly,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Mr Griffin said being forced to pay costs would have “some effect” on the general election campaign “but not a huge amount”.
Originally posted on BBC News
Hysterical piece from Paul Stott’s blog below. It seems Paul Ray of EDL fame was never informed Antifa England were opposing militant Islam before he got in on the act. In fact, Antifa England apparently ARE militant Islam! ENJOY!
Paul Ray (a.k.a. natural fucking idiot) and one of his advisors...
Browsing over at the Lionheart blog, the waters appear to be getting ever muddier in English Defence League circles.
It is hard not to collapse into paroxysms of laughter however at the blog’s interview by Michael Ryan of Paul Ray. Over the years some pretty inaccurate statements have been made about Antifa, but I never thought I would read this:
Everyone knows Antifa? Antifa is the extreme left wing anarchist movement aligned to militant Islam. In 2006 I infiltrated their training ground in Jericho the West Bank of Israel. They go there under the guise of the International Solidarity Movement, and I came back with proof they are a terrorist supporting group who only go there to be trained up so as to return back home to their host countries to cause civil unrest on behalf of their Islamist masters, which is why they are now aligned against the EDL. Tell me any of the EDL leadership who have done anything of this nature, then I will listen to those accusations of ‘Keyboard warrior’, until then its more smear for the EDL membership to discredit me.
The first action Antifa did in England was a demonstration against both the National Front and Al Mujihiroun in Traflagar Square in 2004. Several groups were present that day – a big gang of Sikhs from west London who had come to fight Al Mujihiroun, and the United British Alliance. They claimed to be opposed to racism and held a separate event away from the National Front, (does this remind you of anyone?) but oddly enough shouted ‘race traitors’ at the Antifa contingent. Antifa took great pleasure in replying with cries of “You fat bastard” at one particular Sumo look a like in the UBA contingent!
At one of the first meetings Antifa held in London, Morris Beckman, a founder of the jewish 43 Group of post war anti-fascists, addressed the audience. Not bad for an organisation with Islamist masters!
Who is paying Paul Ray to come up with such fantastical garbage? Or is he so delusional he actually makes this stuff up himself?
Originally posted on Paul Stott’s blog (via Antifa England News)
Protest outside UK Border Agency in Liverpool – Reliance House, Water Street
Wednesday 10th March at 12-2pm
Bring placards and banners!
On Wednesday March 10th Liverpool Anti-Fascists will be supporting a demonstration in solidarity with the women on hunger strike in the Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre. The event is also supported by Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Fascism (MCARF) and Liverpool Students Against Racism and Fascism (LSARF).
On Friday 5 February 84 women at Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire began a mass hunger strike. It was sparked by frustration, the humiliation of being locked up and the ill-treatment and abuse of themselves and their children.
· The women come from a wide range of countries where human rights abuses and violence are common, including China, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe and Eritrea.
· On the 5th February as the Serco guards violently tried to break up the strike, over 70 were locked in corridor for 8 hours without access to water or toilet facilities. Many collapsed and 20 who escaped out of a window were beaten and taken to isolation cells.
· 5 women have been imprisoned since that day at HMP Holloway prison in London as the Serco guards singled them out as ‘ringleaders’. They have not been charged or brought before a judge and we demand their immediate release. These women remain on hunger-strike as do 20 women in Yarls Wood.
· These women and their children have committed no crimes and have not been convicted in any court but are locked up because they have been made destitute or for travelling on false papers, which is unavoidable when fleeing persecution.
A flyer for the demonstration can be downloaded here (PDF).
Liverpool Antifascists have learned that, perhaps in a bid to deter protests, Peter Tierney’s trial for assault at the Crown Court has been moved from Monday march 15th to Wednesday March 17th. With the express aim of highlighting the violence used by even high-profile members of the British National Party, we will still be picketing this event.
As per the original planned protest, we will still be meeting at 9.15 am by the Victoria Monument in Derby Square (map).
We are still urging as many people and groups as possible to take part in this action. Fighting fascism is not a job for an elite squad of activists, but for everyone who wants to live in a free society. If you’re a member of a trade union, a community group, a political organisation, or even a marching band – please get involved. The more organisations commit to turning out against the BNP, the more irrelevant the far-right becomes.
If you want to help, please petition your groups to get involved and make the commitment to turn up at the Crown Court on the day.
Wednesday March 17th – Keep Liverpool Fascist Free!
Download flyers for the demo here (PDF)
Download the poster for the demo here (PDF)
Following the effective takeover of the National Front by suspected state asset Eddie Morrison, the NF have sought to capitalise on the perception amongst many hardcore racists that the BNP is now too mainstream, describing the larger organisations decision to “allow” non-white members a “sell-out” and explicitly calling for BNP members to jump ship. Unfortunately, the Front’s credibility in the eyes of fellow members of the master race cannot have been helped by news that they have been chased out of Ripley in Derbyshire without even offering token resistance.
Hoping to create a bit of a stir, the Front had said they would be selling papers in Heanor, Ripley and Ilkeston as part of a so-called “day of action”. They didn’t even bother showing up in Heanor and only five ‘warriors’ of the ‘master race’ actually made it to Ripley town centre. There, anti-fascists confronted the tiny group and, without any struggle, they gave up their flag and large stacks of racist literature before legging it out of town, followed by taunts and abuse. They made a brief trip to Ilkeston later on but had turned tail and run home before anti-fascists were able to catch up with them.
The National Front emerged in 1967 out of a merger between the League of Empire Loyalists and an earlier party calling itself the British National Party. In the 1970s it became increasingly successful, attaining electoral results which wouldn’t be matched on the far-right until the BNP’s recent results. Alongside its electoral strategy, the Front also organised regular protests which were often challenged by anti-fascists, most famously at the “Battle of Lewisham” in 1977. Weakened by constant attacks from anti-fascists and with Margaret Thatcher echoing much of their rhetoric about immigration and law and order, the NF began to fade in the late 1970s, although it was still able to stand its largest number of candidates in the 1979 General Election.
In the 1980s the Front’s influenced waned, this wasn’t helped by its effective division into two organisations, the so-called “Political Soldiers” which included future BNP leader Nick Griffin and the “Flag Group.” Members of the Front who left during this disagreement would go on to form the modern British National Party. As the BNP became increasingly successful through the 1990s and into the 21st century, the NF found itself in the shadow of the larger party, becoming increasingly irrelevant. It continued to organise national mobilisations, but these rarely drew more than a handful of activists. When they called a protest in Nottingham, outside the prison on Perry Road, 19 Nazis were opposed by some 400 anti-fascists, with one NF member ending up in hospital.
In recent months, former leader Tom Holmes has been replaced as party leader by Ian Edward. However, Eddie Morrison, a former member of any number of Nazi sects, has taken control of the party’s website and finances. Anti-fascists are watching the NF’s current political strategy with interest. The Front has sought to get disillusioned BNP members to jump ship and also threatened to stand candidates against the BNP, inevitably splitting the already small far-right vote. This has resulted in the internecine squabbling for which the British fascist scene is so famous. While the NF may pick up some votes and members as the BNP reconciles itself with mainstream success, Saturday’s demonstration indicates that anti-fascists don’t have much to fear from this particular wing of the “master race.”
Originally posted by Notts IMC + Antifascists on Indymedia UK
After the success of our first benefit gig, Liverpool Antifascists will be holding another one in order to continue our involvement with the local music scene and to raise further awareness of the antifascist cause.
This time, the event will be a Folk Night, and it will be held in The Pilgrim Pub. You can view a map of the location here. The event will be held in the pub’s upstairs room on Saturday 20th March, and the doors open at 7pm.
Flyers and a poster are attached, so please feel free to publicise the gig wherever you can. Printed flyers will be available soon. Spread the word!
Download gig flyers here (PDF)
Download the gig poster here (PDF)
Jock Palfreeman is a 23 year old Australian who had the courage to stand up against 16 Nazis on a night out in Sofia, Bulgaria. He witnessed the fascists chasing and attacking two young Roma boys. Jock ran to the boys’ aid, he did his best to keep the Nazis at bay by waving a knife at them but they attacked him. Jock was left with nowhere to run and had no choice but to defend himself. Andrey Monov, one of the Nazis, was stabbed and killed and another, Antoan Zahariev was injured. The Roma boys ran away.
Jock has since been tried and sentenced for murder and attempted murder. He has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and has been fined 375,000 Australian dollars.
Andey Monovs Father is well known in Bulgaria and at the funeral there were a mixture of judges, police and politicians.
Jock’s trial was a complete sham-yet another example of corruption and secret hand shakes in the judicial system. The prosecutions case was built on the witness statements made by the other Nazis that were there that night, all claiming that Jock randomly attacked the group and chased them with the intent of killing somebody. Key people and possible witnesses were never interviewed by police and CCTV footage from the scene miraculously went missing and many of the statements made at the time were not the same as the statements submitted to the court by the prosecution. Jock has two appeals before his sentence becomes final.
We must campaign to free Jock and put pressure on Bulgarian authorities to accept his appeal. If his charges were downgraded to excessive use of force during self-defence, he would be already out. We must make sure that this judicial farce is highlighted and that they will not be able to repeat it again.
What you can do:
-write to Jock – letters help him survive this difficult time and keep his spirits high:
Jock Palfreeman, Sofia Central Prison, 21 General Stoletov Boulevard,
Sofia 1309, BULGARIA
- Organise solidarity actions outside Bulgarian embassies, consulates etc.- use your creativity !
-Write messages of protest to Bulgarian authorities. We include sample letter, but you are welcome to write your own message.
Sample message:
To whom it may concern
We are writing in regards to Australian national Jock Palfreeman currently imprisoned in Bulgaria. Palfreeman had been sentenced to 20 years of prison for defending a passer-by and later on, himself from a vicious attack by a group of drunken football hooligans. As a result one of the attackers died and another got injured. Despite it being a clear case of self-defence and his version of events being supported by numerous witnesses, his trial was a farce. Anything working in favour of his defence was completely ignored by the judge.
We demand that Bulgarian authorities grant him appeal and that he will be acquitted of murder charges. We will be watching the next actions of the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice. We will not rest until Jock Palfreeman will get his appeal and acquitted from those absurd charges.
Addresses to send your protests:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria
Address: 2, Aleksandar Zhendov Str., Sofia 1040, Bulgaria
Tel.: +359 2 948 2999
Information, Public Relations and European Communication Directorate
Director: Sofia Vladimirova
Tel.: +359 2 971 14 08, 971 37 78, 948 22 18
Fax: +359 2 870 30 41
e-mail: iprd@mfa.government.bg
Ministry’s Reception Desk
Tel.: +359 2 948 20 18, 971 10 54
In the work days from 9.30 to 12.00 h and from 14.00 to 16.00 h
Ministry of Justice
Originally posted on Antifa England News
Excalibur - rubbish for all occasions
If there is one thing that the BNP can be relied upon for, it is that it embraces the grotesque in the guise of patriotism, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the catalogue of disasters that is the Excalibur stock list.
For some strange reason (possibly to do with the recent full moon), I found myself perusing the delightful ‘What’s New’ section at the Excalibur site. It was rather like stepping into Harrods – everything was gaudy, overpriced and on many levels deeply offensive. Yet there is a compulsion to go on looking and a feeling akin to that you had when you were a kid and you picked at a scab on your knee. You know it’s going to hurt, it’s certainly not going to get any better and yet the lure of mingled pain and revulsion is irresistable.
Bizarrely, I expected Excalibur to have made some small concessions to the possibility that non-whites may have suffered a complete mental collapse and joined up after the recent rule change that finally allows them to become members of the party that has been slagging them off and lying about them for years. I was disappointed (though not entirely unexpectedly). The white mug is still there, as is the ‘Golly Collection’. And the interminable (and terminally boring) tomes by Arthur Kemp, proving over and over again that the white man is superior in every way to anyone anywhere of any other colour ever, so there.
The white man – in the form of the third-rate market-stall trader Arthur Kemp – is certainly superior in stocking cheap crap for his gullible bargain-hunting customers to waste their hard-earned readies on. Here’s an example, and I make no apologies to the companies who produce this rubbish (which, I’m told, are Chinese).
Tudor Educational Colouring Postcards A set of 4 colouring postcards with Tudor images on the front and a postcard design on the reverse with educational information. Each pack is supplied with 6 [very short] pencils.
There’s far worse. Last year’s Red, White and Blue, the BNP’s annual piss-up and golly-burning weekend, was a disaster for the party. Even though it was the tenth RWB and was much publicised in party bulletins, it was poorly attended and, we’re told, lost a great deal of money. It was also met by a massive demonstration by anti-fascists. Thus, the party is still trying to flog off all the T-shirts and badges it couldn’t find buyers for at the RWB, nearly a year later. Free badge or not – it’s still shite.
Special Offer: RWB 2009 T-Shirt and Badge
£10 Size Small Buy both official RWB 2009 T-Shirt and Badge together for just £10 postage and packaging included.
Naturally, the What’s New section of Excalibur has books about Spitfires, Vikings, the evils of multi-culturalism – and an idea they nicked from us and our Yearbook – Headline: The Best of BNP News. Cheeky buggers. But tat and tackiness win the day, and this little delight should win a prize for the ghastliest piece of merchandise seen this year.
Union Jack Tie A smart tie containing a pattern made up of Union flags. Eyecatching.
Eye-watering, certainly. The worst is, however, reserved for last. In the interests of, no doubt, welcoming non-whites into the party, the BNP greets them with what can only be construed as a not so subtle warning should Nick Griffin ever become Queen.
Queen Elizabeth I’s Blackamoore Expulsion Order It is not widely known that between 1596 and 1601, Queen Elizabeth I ordered the expulsion of all non-indigenous Third World people, whom she called “blackamoores” from Britain. Now, for the first time ever, Excalibur is proud to exclusively offer reproductions of the original expulsion orders…Both original handwritten orders have been reproduced in full on fine quality thick paper, suitable for framing or display.
Why? Why would anyone be ‘proud’ to offer a reproduction of an expulsion order for blacks, even if it is four hundred years old? Only a complete moron would want to have such a thing framed and hanging in his home and only a party that is unrepentantly and blatantly racist to the core would ever dream of selling such garbage.
What’s new in Excalibur’s world of crap? Not a lot really – but it certainly is all crap.
Originally posted on Lancaster Unity
Update: the date of court appearence has been moved from March 15th to March 17th. Details here.
As those who have been paying close attention to the far-right in Liverpool will be well aware, antifascists in the city have been following the court proceedings of Peter Tierney with some interest. On St George’s Day last year Tierney, a self-proclaimed “super-activist” for Merseyside BNP, assaulted an antifascist leafleter in Liverpool City Centre. After months of court appearances, the whole sorry saga finally comes to an end next month.
Criminal proceedings against Tierney begin on March 15th, with three days of court time set aside for the event. Liverpool Antifascists intend to picket the first day of the proceedings in its commitment “to spread the word about the violent thugs that Merseyside’s British National Party has in its midst.” They urge everybody who is opposed to fascism and the politics of violence and intimidation to join them, in order to drown out the voice of the BNP – who intend to picket on the same day, in support – and demonstrate that Liverpool remains a distinctly antifascist city.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that Tierney was violent and temperamental even before he joined the BNP. The stories, from road rage whilst driving his Land Rover, to altercations with patrons of the “Midian” goth night when held at the former Quiggins centre, are not hard to come by. They point to someone who fits in well not only with a party which attracts terrorists and thugs, but also with a branch of that party even more violent and confrontational than most.
Tierney’s brother Andrew is also amongst the brutish core of the local party. Although his main role is as a supposedly “freelance” photographer, taking photos and videos that end up on Redwatch and other sites, he is not afraid to advocate violence. During a confrontation with antifascists in Halewood, he was heard to say “let’s get some local lads in, nothing to do with us, of course.” This after his brother called one man a “shithouse” for not rising to provocation.
The case against Peter Tierney appears to be overwhelming. Merseyside BNP claim that he acted in self-defence, and that a “UAF lowlife thug” was found guilty of a “major public order offence.” The libellous leaflet they recently distributed in Fazakerley even claims that the antifascist in question (not a member of UAF) was “guilty of violence against BNP OAP’s. However, as I reported at the time, his hearing at the Magistrates court resulted only in a fine for breaching Section 5 of the Public Order Act under duress - essentially, swearing in public in response to fascist intimidation tactics. The trial also exploded the lies put about by Tierney and the BNP, with both assault and criminal damage charges thrown out as untenable.
Also worthy of note is a quick hearing at the Magistrates Court were Tierney was able “to get the draconian bail restrictions put upon him lifted.” According to his story, the bail conditions leave him thinking “how am I going to pay the bills,” because “most of my business as a self employed person is conducted within the Liverpool city centre.” This, of course, is a lie. As the Quiggins AttiQue website tells us, “Quiggins now trades from 325 Aigburth Rd. L17 0BL,” which is “on the outskirts of town,” and nowhere near the City Centre. Just to reiterate, this is one definite incident where Tierney lied in court in order to get his way.
At every step of this trial, Merseyside BNP have used obvious fabrications to distract from the fact of their quick recourse to violence and confrontation at every occasion. This is yet another reason, aside from the violence and the fact that they are fascists, that the BNP must be opposed.
I, as my comrades in Liverpool Antifascists, urge everyone who can to come to the picket. It begins at 9.15AM in Derby Square, on Monday March 15th. Together, we need to stand up to fascist violence and keep Merseyside fascist free!
Cross-posted from Truth, Reason & Liberty
Update: the date of court appearence has been moved from March 15th to March 17th. Details here.
Merseyside BNP “super-activist” Peter Tierney faces trial on Monday March 15th. He is charged with assaulting an anti-fascist on St George’s Day, just one of many incidents in which members of Merseyside BNP have used intimidation and threats of violence against those who oppose them. Tierney is perhaps the most active member of Merseyside BNP and the most violent, and we want him to know that we won’t let that fact die quietly.
To show that we will not stand for this kind of act on our streets, Liverpool Antifascists have called a picket for the first day of his trial. This is especially important because the BNP will also be protesting on that day and we don’t want fascist thugs dominating our streets. We will be holding a protest from 9.15 by the Victoria Monument in Derby Square.
We are urging as many people and groups as possible to take part in this action. Fighting fascism is not a job for an elite squad of activists, but for everyone who wants to live in a free society. If you’re a member of a trade union, a community group, a political organisation, or even a marching band – please get involved. The more organisations commit to turning out against the BNP, the more irrelevant the far-right becomes.
If you want to help, please petition your groups to get involved and make the commitment to turn up at the Crown Court on the day.
Monday March 15th – Keep Liverpool Fascist Free!
You can download the flyer for the demo here and the poster here.
