Labour man's BNP refusal leads to debate cancellation

The three main parties have been accused of "destroying an opportunity for free speech" by withdrawing from a public meeting in West Sussex.

Labour candidate Michael Jones decided he could not share a platform with the British National Party (BNP).
It led to the Conservative and Liberal Democrat candidates also pulling out.

The BNP said it was a "disgrace". Bognor Regis Civic Society said the audience on Saturday night voted to send a letter of rebuke to all three.
Mr Jones said: "I could not in all good conscience share a platform with the BNP and provide them with respectability and credibility for their racist views which they crave.

"Since my very beginnings in politics, I have always believed in no platform for fascists and I could not betray that."
A Conservative Party spokesman said its candidate Nick Gibb had wanted to take part in the debate, to explain how the BNP was exploiting immigration.

He said: "He was disappointed the Labour candidate withdrew at the last moment.

"Our policy nationally is not to debate when the major parties are not present."
He added that Mr Gibb was now trying to arrange other public meetings which might not involve the BNP.

'Gross bad manners'
Liberal Democrat candidate Simon McDougall said that once the other two main parties had withdrawn, he felt the event had lost any value.
"I believed the Conservative MP should have sat on the platform and defended his record, but he followed his party protocol and withdrew.
"I was outside the event on Saturday night. I spoke to several members of the public that came out, and I explained the situation
"I did turn up. I took some of the flak. I did take flak, but I had many people who respected the decision."


BNP candidate Andrew Moffat said all three candidates had snubbed the electorate, displayed "gross bad manners" and treated voters with contempt.
"It's about the right of the electorate to meet their candidates and to cross-examine them and put them under scrutiny, but these people didn't have the courage.

"They didn't want to discuss multiculturalism, the Afghan war or the EU.

"It's not racist to say we are full up. We were never consulted about immigration by the Labour Party.
"And if that's true, why didn't they debate it? We are very cross. We are very annoyed."

'Anger and upset'
Hugh Coster, deputy chairman of Bognor Regis Civic Society, said: "We are are fiercely non-political, so when we invited the candidates, we invited all six."
After the three main candidates withdrew, the event went ahead with the three other parties fielding candidates in the constituency.

Mr Coster added: "There were 270 people in the audience who were very angry and upset.

"We pride ourselves on being the voice of the people. We arrange public meetings to enable them to question people in authority.
"The actions of these candidates have destroyed the opportunity for free speech."

The candidates for Bognor Regis & Littlehampton are: Independent: Melissa Briggs; UK Independence Party: Douglas Denny; Conservative: Nick Gibb; Labour: Michael Jones; Liberal Democrats: Simon McDougall; British National Party: Andrew Moffat

BBC news

Internet 'racist' group targets Bristol mosque

Extreme right supporters are part of an internet group opposing plans for a new mosque in Barton Hill.

More than 700 people have joined a Facebook group against a planning application to convert a disused building in Aiken Street into a place of worship and community centre.
Many of the messages on "No we do not want a mosque in Barton Hill" are from white people who claim they are being "pushed out" of their community.
Some are too offensive to be printed in a family newspaper, with claims that mosques are "breeding grounds for terrorists" and calls to vote BNP.
A number of messages of support are given by the far-right English Defence League, whose members were removed from Harbourside by police in riot gear shortly before the political leader's debate last week. Comments on the website have been branded as racist by other people who have posted in response to their views.
One referred to the commentators as "racist uneducated idiots", while another said "What's wrong with you lot? The world is changing, why can't you see that? People like you just make the English look like horrible people".

The proposal to convert the former Weston White factory into a mosque has been submitted to the council by Khalif Abdirahman, a parent governor at Barton Hill Primary School.

He hoped the mosque would help bring the community together and argued many of the messages from the site are from people outside of the area.
One post that supports his theory reads: "Even though I don't live in Somerset anymore, I don't want this! This is England! I have sent this to friends in the US too, invited 110 people and filled in the petition form to Bristol City Council."
Other comments included: "Why is there such a high demand for mosques ? Because in there [sic] twisted religion they believe all of the Earth is Allah's and they plan to dominate, no thanks **** off to the Middle East or some other Muslim hole."
Another said: "What can we do to stop this I live 2 mins away from it I don't want to walk up the street and fill [sic] like I am out numbered in my own country bring on the BNP."

Mr Abdirahman said he had taken his own petition around the area to canvass opinion and when the Evening Post spoke to people in Barton Hill, they were broadly supportive of the plans. The applicant said: "I took a petition and was amazed by how many supported it.

"We didn't go to the whole area but we had 100 signatures.

"It was a very positive reaction. One was from an 85-year-old white lady, that was very moving.

"The way I see it there are a few people, most coming from outside the area, who are doing it because of the election.
"It's not my job to respond to everything they say, it's my job to see that this project goes ahead.

It is in a secluded area, not adjacent to any houses, and will help the community engage."
Batook Pandya, director of Bristol Support Against Racist Incidents, condemned the racist comments but said people with genuine concerns should be listened to.
He said: "We all want controls on immigration but this is a community that has settled here and have a right to be able to feel safe and contribute to society.
"I don't believe the whole white Barton Hill community is racist, they are good, working class people. Hopefully the community centre will help remove fears and stereotypes, it is private property so it won't cost rate payers.
"I think people who do object on racist grounds should not be tolerated but if there are genuine objections, they should be addressed."
The protest site has echoes of a similar group that was set up when plans were submitted to North Somerset Council for a mosque in Weston-super-Mare. Although the plans were eventually rejected due to concerns about noise, planners had to discard 97 per cent of 157 letters of objection because they were racist.

The Barton Hill application, for external alterations and change of use for the former factory, is due to be heard by committee on a date to be set.
A Bristol City Council spokeswoman said: "The council will always discount abusive consultation responses whether or not they relate to planning applications.

"Comments on planning consultations must relate to relevant issues."

This is Bristol

Austrian president re-elected, bitter pill for extreme-right

Austrian President Heinz Fischer won a widely anticipated second term Sunday, in a result that proved a bitter pill for the country's extreme right after it had become accustomed to better results.

Fischer, a former Social Democrat whose position is mostly ceremonial, romped home with 78.94 percent of the vote, final results showed, following a lacklustre campaign marred by a low turnout on election day.

Barbara Rosenkranz, the far-right Freedom Party's candidate and the most controversial player in the campaign, only received 15.62 percent.
"I am not happy (with the result), but I am generally satisfied," Rosenkranz said after the vote, complaining however of an aggressive media campaign against her and blaming her result on the limited turnout.

Rudolf Gehring, an anti-abortionist from the small Christian Party was third with 5.44 percent.

Turnout was particularly low at just 49.17 percent, compared with 71.6 percent in the last presidential elections in 2004.

Rosenkranz, 51, was the most visible figure during this year's campaign, having sparked controversy by questioning Austria's strict law banning Nazi ideology and Holocaust denial.

The stern-looking mother of 10, married to a former member of the now-banned neo-Nazi NDP party, argued the law was "an unnecessary restriction" on freedom of opinion, although she was later forced to make a statement clearly saying she did not deny Nazi crimes.

She also campaigned on an anti-European Union, anti-immigrant platform, while promoting family values and traditional gender roles.

The far-right had been on the upswing in 2008 general elections, with the Freedom Party and its rival Alliance for the Future of Austria winning a combined 27.9 percent of votes.

Even in European Union elections last year, the two parties together took17.74 percent.Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache, who is running for mayor of Vienna in October and was counting on the presidential vote to kickstart his campaign, also cited the low turnout for the negative result.

In Vienna, Rosenkranz did even worse than the national average with just 14.1 percent.

"This is no occasion for joy," said Strache, who had initially predicted 35 percent for his candidate.

"This was a defeat for Rosenkranz, for the FPOe (Freedom Party), and for Strache," political analyst Peter Hajek said Sunday.

Commentators had warned of the damage to Austria's reputation if Rosenkranz was elected as president and if Horst Jakob Rosenkranz became "first husband".

"I'm happy for him (Fischer) and for Austria. It's a good day," Chancellor Werner Faymann said after the vote.

In Austria, the president has a mostly ceremonial but highly representative role.

Gehring, 61, meanwhile campaigned against abortion and promoted Christian values, presenting himself as "a committed and staunch protector of life" and a "mouthpiece for unborn children."

With such divisive rivals, the soft-spoken Fischer, who took office in 2004 and has hardly caused a stir since, was always favoured to win re-election.

The fact that the conservative People's Party, partner of the Social Democrats in the ruling coalition, decided against fielding a candidate, further secured his position.

In 2004, Fischer defeated the People's Party's Benita Ferrero-Waldner, later an EU Commissioner for external relations, by 52.39 percent to 47.61 percent.

A largely dull campaign and Fischer's near-certain win meant many of the 6.35 million eligible voters stayed at home on Sunday, analysts said.

ejpress

Singer KT Tunstall's embarrassment as picture shows mother cuddling up to BNP leader Nick Griffin

SINGER KT Tunstall's mum smiles happily as she cuddles up to the most odious man in British politics - BNP leader Nick Griffin.

Carol-Ann Orr, the popular rocker's birth mum, happily posed for photos with racist Griffin at a BNP bash she attended with husband David Orr, who is standing as a candidate for them in the general election.

And the Record acquired the photo just hours after KT publicly disowned former Edinburgh cabbie Orr after discovering he was a candidate.
Her spokesman said: "She abhors the BNP and all they stand for."

But the singer will today be crushed to find the family embarrassment goes way beyond Orr's role as would-be BNP MP for Livingston.
The photograph, taken at the BNP's Scottish conference in March last year, shows her own half-Chinese mother socialising with the man who peddles racist filth in the name of politics.

It will be a major blow to the singer, who was reunited in 1996 with Carol-Ann, who gave her up for adoption as a baby.
Our source said that far from being embarrassed by her husband's extreme views, Hong Kong-born Carol-Ann happily attended the BNP conference and was openly bragging about her famous daughter.

The source said: "It was the BNP's annual Scottish bash in a hotel in Perth. There were loads of party guys up from England and they were all having a few drinks.
"Carol-Ann had had a few drinks and didn't make any secret of who she was. She was quite happy to brag about it, so someone said she should have her photo taken with Nick.
"You can see for yourself that they are both beaming. She had no problem at all having her photo taken next to Griffin and enjoyed it.
"There were a few people taking pictures on the night. It must be a real coup for Griffin to be photographed with KT Tunstall's mum, especially given her background."
Because of her ethnic background, 57-year-old Carol-Ann would not be welcome in the UK if the BNP ever came to power.
The party back "a system of voluntary resettlement whereby those immigrants who are legally here will be afforded the opportunity to return to their lands of ethnic origin assisted by generous financial incentives both for individuals and for the countries in question."

One family friend said: "It would seem short-sighted to say the least for Carol-Ann to be publicly getting cosy with the leader of a party which would be determined to kick her out the country."
Carol-Ann became pregnant during a fling with an Irish barman in Edinburgh. But she gave up her baby because of fears she would not be able to raise her properly.

KT was adopted days after she was born in June 1975 by lecturer David Tunstall and his wife Rosemary, a primary teacher.
The future Brit award winner was brought up in St Andrews, Fife.

She and Carol-Ann spoke publicly in 2006 about how they had first been reunited 10 years earlier in an Edinburgh pub.
David Orr, 61, whom Carol-Ann married in 1989, is also understood to have been at the reunion.

Carol-Ann was not invited to the singer's wedding to Luke Bullen in 2008, but the pair are understood to keep in touch.
KT said of her birth mothe r: "It's a completely different relationship to the one which I have with my family but I am glad she is there."
Carol-Ann said then: "Despite having three other lovely kids and a great husband, I still never felt at peace because I didn't know my eldest child. Now I feel content."

Her husband has been a BNP member for around 10 years and was confirmed as an election candidate last week, with Carol-Ann signing his nomination papers.
Orr yesterday admitted to the Record's sister paper, the Sunday Mail, that his candidature had caused problems in the family.
He said: "I've had Katie's people on the phone saying that she won't have anything further to do with me and doesn't want to see me ever again."
At her home in Livingston last night, Carol-Ann denied the Griffin picture was embarrassing.

She said: "I have no interest in politics. I don't support the BNP but I support my husband and I was at a function as a guest.
"We have an illness in the family just now and that is our priority. I have not seen the Sunday papers although I have heard plenty and I would not want to comment further."

daily record

Archbishop of Canterbury backs Lancaster BNP debate ban

The Archbishop of Canterbury has backed a decision to ban the British National Party (BNP) from a hustings in a Lancaster church.

All candidates in the Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency - except the BNP - have been invited to the event at St Thomas's Church on Tuesday.

A party spokesman described the snub as an "affront to democracy".

But Dr Rowan Williams said the party had often exploited events "to say inflammatory and silly things".

The archbishop said bishops all over the country were writing letters to their congregation urging people to organise such events.
Asked whether he supported the decision to ban the BNP, the archbishop told BBC Radio Lancashire: "Personally, I think if that's the decision I'd be happy to go with it.

"I find it very difficult to see the BNP as part of a serious political discussion and very often people will exploit the platform to say inflammatory and silly things.

"So I can understand why people don't want to see the BNP as part of that discussion, as if they were to be taken as seriously as the other parties."
The debate in Lancaster has been arranged by Lancaster Churches Together, an organisation representing a number of Christian denominations.
But organisers declined to invited BNP candidate Debra Kent, saying that a church was not the place to allow what they described as "racist views" to be promoted.

Falling congregations
Steve Greenhalgh, a spokesman for the BNP, questioned the validity of the debate without his party's candidate.
"I think if you are going to hold a debate you have all the democratically put forward candidates - or none at all," he said.
"I would say the church should be really more concerned with the falling numbers of their congregations and not the views of the British National Party.
"It's pointless challenging it because if you challenge it then you become an extremist, and you become a person who is trying to cause hassle."

Candidates standing in Lancaster and Fleetwood are: Gina Dowding: Green; Clive Grunshaw: Labour; Debra Kent: British National Party; Stuart Langhorn: Liberal Democrat; Fred McGlade: UK Independence Party; Eric Ollerenshaw: Conservative; Keith Riley: Independent.

BBC News

Protesters to gather outside BBC as BNP broadcast aired

Protesters are to gather outside BBC headquarters in central London as the British National Party's election broadcast is aired.

The BBC is accused by campaign group Unite Against Fascism (UAF) of giving "unwarranted and uncritical coverage" of the BNP during the run-up to the election. The BNP's five-minute party election broadcast (PEB) is set to be aired on BBC1 at 6.55pm on Monday.

UAF's protest at Broadcasting House will be supported by the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (Bectu), as well as the Muslim Council of Britain and Jewish Council for Racial Equality.

A BBC spokesman said the Corporation was "obliged to treat political parties contesting the election with due impartiality", as set out in its charter. He added: "Over the course of the election, we will ensure appropriate scrutiny as we would with any party."
But UAF joint secretary Sabby Dhalu said: "The BBC has given unwarranted and uncritical coverage of the BNP during this election campaign, particularly on TV news and Radio 4, which has failed to challenge its racist scapegoating of immigrants and Islamophobia.

"The BBC's justification for giving the BNP more coverage is the election of two BNP MEPs last year. This is misguided. Giving the BNP a platform and failing to expose and challenge it gives the BNP a veneer of legitimacy.
"The BNP is a fascist organisation, not a normal political party, and the public does not pay its licence fee to see fascists broadcast their politics of hate."
Gerry Morrissey, general secretary of Bectu, said the BNP's policies were "abhorrent to the vast majority of hard working people". He said: "The BNP would like to scare people to believing they have something to fear from multiculturalism, and their policies of hatred and racism should not be given airtime by our broadcasters."
BNP leader Nick Griffin's controversial appearance on Question Time in October led to the BBC Television Centre in west London being "locked down" due to a surge of protesters. Campaigners brought traffic to a standstill as they demonstrated against the decision to invite him on the flagship current affairs programme.

Launching the party's 90-page election manifesto last week, Mr Griffin said: "We say Britain is full. It is the most overcrowded country in Europe and it is time to shut the doors."

peterborough today