Edinburgh BNP protest echoes nationwide anger

Protestors gathered outside the BBC's office in Edinburgh last Thursday to oppose the decision to invite the BNP leader Nick Griffin on to their 'Question Time' show.

A stream of spokespersons addressed the 100 strong crowd—many with anti-BNP banners—on a loud speaker outside the Tun building on Holyrood Road. Other protests were held throughout the country as Mr Griffin took part in the BBC's flagship political debate programme.

“The BNP is racist and illegal, and the BBC’s decision legitimates them,” said Kimberly Davidson, an Edinburgh Napier student.

Ms Davidson spoke to The Journal about her participation in the protest: “We do need to come out and make a stand after the June election, even if Edinburgh is not a centre for BNP politics. It concerns all the UK.

The protest was organized by local union Unison, and included members of local Hebrew, Muslim and interfaith groups.

The BNP is currently facing a court-imposed injunction to remove a clause restricting membership to those of “indigenous Caucasian” descent from its constitution by November.

Edinburgh resident, Zahid Ali, expressed his doubts that this would have an effect, saying: “Removing the clause won’t change anything; whether it’s written into their constitution or not, at the core, they’re racist.”

Protests at BBC locations throughout the UK took place, with the biggest in London where the show was filmed.

In the same week, the SNP’s Westminster broadcasting spokesman, Pete Wishart, asked BBC Scotland to replicate their Welsh counterparts’ decision to deny BNP representatives a platform.

The MP said that support for the party was so low that they have never gained more than 5 per cent of the vote in any by-election a candidate has stood in – failing to retain their £500 deposit.

Mr Wishart said: “The BNP should simply not be allowed a prime time platform to peddle their deeply offensive views.

“BBC Wales has ruled out any involvement by BNP representatives in their panel programmes, and BBC Scotland need to send the same clear message.”

The MP for Perth and North Perthshire called for the news organisation to jettison the fringe party from political discussion programmes.

BNP spokesman, John Walker spoke to The Journal Mr Walker said: “It seems bizarre in the extreme that the party can have councillors across the country, elected members of the European parliament and still not be given a fair amount of airtime."

The BBC’s controversial decision to allow Mr Griffin to appear on the show elicited strong emotions from fellow panelists and audience members, despite Mr Griffin's saying early in the programme: “I’m not a Nazi; I never have been.”

With regard to a number of quotations attributed of to him in the media—including those surrounding Adolf Hitler—he said: “Those things are outrageous lies.”

This and other attempts by Griffin to defend his reputation and that of the BNP were met by outbursts of “rubbish” and “liar” from the crowd, as well as the unanimous condemnation of his fellow panelists.

Allegations leveled against him included those of racism, Islamophobia, historical distortion, and holding fascist political beliefs.

“What we see here is a fantasizing conspiracy theorist, a man who defines his politics by race rather than by moral values, and the British people will have nothing to do with that,” Justice Secretary Jack Straw said.

The BBC has defended its invitation to Mr Griffin, saying that impartiality rules meant that a BNP spokesperson was entitled to representation after the recent European elections, at which two representatives of the party were elected to the parliament in Brussels.