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Fury after BNP is given platform slot at hustings
Alex Stephens, Evening Standard11.04.08
A row broke out after the BNP shared a platform with other parties for the first time in the course of London's mayoral election campaign.
Bob Bailey, second on the party's London Assembly list, appeared at last night's mayoral hustings at Kensington Temple, an evangelical church in Notting Hill. His presence caused uproar among members of Left List, previously known as Respect, whose representative, former Big Brother housemate Carole Vincent, stormed out in protest.
Mr Bailey, deputy leader of the official opposition on Barking and Dagenham Council, was also attacked by fellow politicians for being a racist.
Alan Craig of The Christian Choice said: "I am glad Kensington Temple had the courage to invite the BNP but I am sorry they came. They have a front to come to this church, which is known for being multicultural and diverse, to promote their racist agenda."
The BNP need only five per cent of the vote to secure a seat on the London Assembly. They have called on their supporters to vote for Boris Johnson as second preference - a call the Tory candidate has publicly repudiated.
The Tories and Liberal Democrats chose not to attend the event for fear of attracting unwanted publicity.
Bailey took the BNP's No 2 position after Nick Eriksen was forced to step down when he was identified as the author of far-Right blog Sir John Bull, that described rape as "simply sex".
Reader views (7)
The BNP are truly disgusting. They attempt to take racism and doctor it up to look like a normal viewpoint. It makes me sick. Giving the BNP a platform is just giving them an opportunity to spew their vile hatred. While I can not fully oppose their right to speak their viewpoint, I am happy that most people will actively ridicule them.
- Ted, London, UK
Well done Carole Vincent! What Enfield Simon doesn't quite understand is that you can't reason with fascism and I'd ask him if it would have been alright to give Adolf Hitler a platform when he was try to get elected?
- Guy, Brockley
Democracy works both ways. If you give the BNP a platform they will hang themselves as people see them for what they really are. A bunch of thugs, with IQs just below that of the average newt.
- Steve, London
Ethnic minorities better get used to this!
It's called a backlash!
- Mike Matthews, Sutton, London
Simon, you are absolutely right. I am very far from being a supporter (the BNP is an old fashioned left wing movement with a populist immigration stance for which it is best known), but it is a legally constituted party: whatever you think about them, they must be free to campaign: indeed a disgraceful aspect of this election has (once again) been the way in which 'minor' parties have been excluded from the debates on very dodgy grounds. The organisers of this one are to be congratulated for their commitment to democracy and to allowing all voices to be heard. Then we can judge for ourselves. I have family who are from Barbados in the West Indies, and a General Election recently took place there. My family were amazed when I told them that parties in the United Kingdom are routinely excluded from coverage here and that in this London election, candidates like the smaller parties are barred by spending rules from writing to every voter. And that hierarchies and excuses are created that massively restrict mentions by state radio and tv on 'balance' grounds. In Barbados, anyone forming a party can take tv and radio advertising, is allowed to write to all voters, and indeed in the privately owned newspapers are even granted a column. This happened in January with the recently launched far left PEP, the new party. It did not do well but that was because it was squeezed, but it was given plenty of media. Maybe we need election monitors from Barbados here to ensure a fair election?
- Damian Hockney Am, London
This 'fury' is contrived hypocrisy. I will not vote BNP and I do not support them, but, they have as much right as do 'Respect' to canvas and they are a damn sight more preferable to 'Respect'.
- David, Crawley UK
There should be no more fury at their appearance as there is at any other group's presence.
In the week that we have seen people demonstrating at the oppression of the Tibetans it makes me laugh that we then clamp down on people we don't like,
democracy works both ways!
- Simon, enfield
