BNP bares its fangs

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JUNE 8. If the impressive Labour victory was hailed as good news by liberals, there was also some bad news for them, as for the first time the far-right British National Party (BNP) made its presence felt in the heart of Labour territory by whipping up racial tension.

The party which contested two seats in Oldham, a racially sensitive town in Greater Manchester hit by riots two weeks ago, managed to get enough votes to be able to declare that it was the ``voice of Oldham''. ``White people have lodged their protest against racist attacks through the ballot box,'' claimed Mr. Nick Griffin, Cambridge-educated vice-chairman of BNP who contested the Oldham West seat against a Labour Minister, Mr. Michael Meacher.

The local Asian community was reported to be shocked that Mr. Griffin, who stands for racial segregation, got over 6,000 votes on a highly divisive agenda. And Mr. Griffin acknowledged that the race riots during the election campaign contributed to his ``success.'' He was reported to have said that a few weeks ago - before the riots took place - he would have perhaps lost his security deposit.

The BNP was accused of being behind the riots during which both sides attacked rival properties and traded abuses. Another BNP candidate, Mr. Mick Treacy, a mini cab driver, who contested Oldham East picked up over 5,000 votes - enough to save his deposit. The seat was won by Labour which blamed the Tories for the rise of extremism.

This was stated to be the BNP's first ``respectable'' showing in a general election and Mr. Griffin had no doubt that it was a ``great result''. ``This is only the start for BNP in Oldham,'' he declared ominously claiming, that his part appealed to the ``ordinary'' people. In what The Times called a ``defiant gesture,'' Mr. Griffin wore a T-shirt with the legend,``Gagged for telling the truth,'' to protest against the ban on public speeches by local authorities fearing tension.

Mr. Meacher said the BNP fought the election after ``deliberately stirring up violence, intimidation and hatred over the last month or so.'' The Liberal Democrat leader, Mr. Charles Kennedy, said the rise of racist elements was a threat to Britain's multiculturalism and appealed to all parties to come together to fight such forces. Observers wondered how the BNP had been able to establish itself in what had been a traditional Labour territory.

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Section  : International
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