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Julian Leppert
Julian Leppert's number plate reads NA51 ZCY

BNP councillor faces demands to quit over 'Nazi' number plate

Felix Allen
10 Aug 2009


A London councillor for the British National Party was facing calls to resign today over a car number plate that looks like the word "Nazi".

Julian Leppert, an aide to BNP leader Nick Griffin, turned up for meetings of Redbridge council in his black Ford Focus with the registration NA51 ZCY.

Council leader Keith Prince said Mr Leppert should "hang his head in shame" and stand down as councillor for Hainault ward which "has one of the highest populations of Jewish people in the country".

Mr Leppert, who stood against Ken Livingstone in the 2004 mayoral elections, denies choosing the number plate deliberately, saying it came with the car when he bought it. But he says he has decided to sell the car because of the controversy it has caused.

Reader views (38)

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mandelson is running the country. He was a communist. They killed millions of people in Russia, China,Eastern europe, everywhere.

- Frank, Worcestershire, 16/08/2009 21:15
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Good grief, is this nonsense still going on? All it's doing is giving free air time to the BNP, you idiots!

- Rogan, Irving, 12/08/2009 06:15
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It's council leader Keith Prince that should "hang his head in shame" with this petty and stupid claim.

- Don Johnson, Miami, FL, 12/08/2009 02:19
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Its a simple coincidence and it doesn't even come close to spelling'nazi'. What a nerve Keith Prince has to use such pathetic smears such as this.

- Jeff, UK, 11/08/2009 14:24
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Matthew, London

I'm not sure which letters don't get used in car registrations if we exclude the obvious ones that would still mean that NA51 could, in theory, exist on around 12,000 cars. Does that mean all their drivers would be Nazis?

What about owners of a Triumph Accaim. Are they Nazis as well as Triumph Accliam can be translated into German as Sieg Heil?

- Mark, South-East London, 11/08/2009 14:19
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Basically, this man Leppert has revealed himself (and his party) in his true colours. The BNP claims to be nationalists, not neo-Nazis - but this car number plate proves what they are really all about! A neo-Nazi in a suit and tie is still a neo-Nazi. You know that people say that all politicians lie? Well, newsflash: the BNP are politicians too! And they also lie.

- Matthew, London, UK, 11/08/2009 12:04
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Sounds like Keith Prince is being the Nazi.

- Terry, Ealing, UK, 11/08/2009 11:55
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Anorak moment. He couldn't choose "NA21" instead because the current number plate series goes '01' and '51' .. he would only be able to chose a '21' from 2021 (I think).

OK, so I should get out more .....................

- Paul, London, 11/08/2009 10:14
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The Labour government should hang their heads in shame and resign for bankrupting our society and country?

- Frank, Home Counties, England., 11/08/2009 09:00
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I find the B.N.P's policies abhorrent.

HOWEVER the councillor has been legally elected, as have the other M.E.P's .

The number plate does not resemble NAZI in any way and is indeed a common number plate.

I think that the loony left/labour government have shot themselves in the foot with this one.

I think the powers that be are terrified of the gains the B.N.P are expected to make in the next round of elections , and will do anything to stop them getting into power.

IF A PARTY IS ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE THEY ARE MADATED TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE -PERIOD.

I also find the labour party abhorrent as well as most mainstream hippocritical parties(just for the record).

This story has deeper implications for democracy than first appears.

I reccommend that you read the book/watch the film V FOR VENDETTA .

THEN TRY TELLING ME IM PARANOID.

MR ( FIGHTING FOR THE PEOPLE OF G.B ) PASTRY

- Mr Pastry, london, 11/08/2009 08:33
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Something of nothing. Hundreds of people have NA51 number plates.

- Phil, Horsham, UK, 11/08/2009 08:14
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loony left? since when was being on the left a bad thing?

- Colin, UK, 11/08/2009 03:53
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i think mr.prince should resign aftermaking this public attack on a innocent party over a innocent regisration plate issued by the dvla. Maybe he should look up the word NAZI in the dictionary.

- Fatboyfranky, phuket thailand, 11/08/2009 01:48
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one rule for one once again you will find the number plate nsdap is driven by an expoliceman wonder if he was driving it when enployed

- John, hounslow middlesex, 10/08/2009 22:01
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I detest the BNP but even so ... was this a "vanity" plate or just the plate that the car came with? Unless it's the former, the owner of the car is quite blameless. And seriously, if someone can't distinguish a 5 and a Z, he's not legal on the road and needs some glasses!

- Nigel, London, 10/08/2009 18:33
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well it just shows you that the facts can and obviously do get twisted and mis-construed when it comes to the BNP. People right across the political spectrum will quite innocently and happily have this plate on their vehicles,but as he happens to be a BNP councillor,somehow it's magically turned into an offensive one. Shot yourself in the foot methinks Mr Prince.

- Lexie, london, 10/08/2009 18:23
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This is ridiculous! The loony left will think up of anything to get rid of a BNP councilor nowadays. The license plate no connection to teh word "Nazi" and it is only the ultra left that associate this word with the BNP; not the BNP itself.

- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London, 10/08/2009 18:01
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The Loony Unite Against Fascism are the real threat not the BNP

they preach revelution not love and peace as they would like one to believe, see their website, the truth is there

- Mary White, WIGAN, 10/08/2009 17:12
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Ok this is a bit pathetic. If they want to challenge the BNP then do so based on their policies. To imply that the man has a 'Nazi' number plate just because of the random order of numbers and letters on his vehicle registration plate is stupid. I bet there are thousands of people in Britain who happen to have that combination as the first four digits of their number plates! Are they all Nazis as well?

- Abigail, UK, 10/08/2009 17:04
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Get these Nazi supporters anyway you can i say,just think
our forefathers were killed by nazis ,they died fighting for our freedom,and the freedom of the world,to think that men and women today who call themselves British can stand behind such a discraceful organisation is shameful
they should join a decent organisation,for example,one that helps starving children in Africa,or maybe one that helps our children to grow up in a world where they learn to love their fellow man,Be Nice People,now thats a good number plate.

- Rob, wales, 10/08/2009 16:29
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If he was driving a black mercedes convertible with the plate "N5 DAP" they might have a point!

This is just becoming a joke!

- Tony, London, 10/08/2009 16:05
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This proves that the Westminister mafia of Labour, Libdems and Tories are all colluding toghether to smear the BNP any way they can as they are terrified of the public backlash in the next General Elections.
I am not surprised and can only laugh at this pathetic attempt that's backfired bigtime !

- Joe, Swanley Kent, 10/08/2009 16:05
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Mr Prince sounds like a complete moron.

Accusing the BNP of being 'Nazi' is ridiculous in itself. But accusing Mr Leppart of being Nazi because of the random number plate he got on his car??? Pathetic.

- Oliver, Epsom Downs, UK, 10/08/2009 15:41
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I am not a lover of the BNP or their policies. but they don't deserve to be castigated in this way because of a number plate - whether by design or coincidence. it is one of the hard won freedoms of this country that individuals can express themselves how they wish. This applies to Muslem xtremist and BNP. Free speech and other freedoms come at a price and the price is that you will see and here extremes that are unsavoury. If we try to drive them out by any means other than rational reasoned arguement, then we our selves slip toward those same extreme standards. Also, these sad people will feel boosted by this sort of negative publicity, so we should stop looking for things that we should rise above.

- Brendaleyland, preston, Lancs, 10/08/2009 15:27
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Pathetic.

Labour are dangerous when in the losing corner!

- Mrs, London UK, 10/08/2009 15:26
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What a perverse mind Mr Prince has.
It would never have occurred to me.
I notice the car is described as black. Is that alright Mr Prince or is there some dark sinister motive behind that as well?

- Frankmcgill, England, 10/08/2009 15:26
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I have no time for the BNP, but this is ridiculous. If anything it makes a mockery of REAL issues against that party. It certainly makes it seem that Council leader Keith Prince is somewhat weak on ideas if he has to resort to this silliness.

- Rogan, Irving, 10/08/2009 15:12
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Is Mr Prince serious? Is Chris from Belfast serious? This has got to be the silliest attack on the BNP I've seen yet. I've got no problem with people taking politicians of any stripe to task over their views, but over their car numberplates? Really, people?

- Tom, Wimbledon, 10/08/2009 15:02
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Was Mr Leppert not democratially elected?

- Ali Akbar, Bristol, 10/08/2009 14:52
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From the DVLA:

The "NA" means that the car was originally sold in the Newcastle area.

The "51" means that the car was produced / new in 2001.

Mr Leppert's car fits this bill since its second hand.

A very obvious smear attempt. - A councillor goes running to the press about an 'offensive' number plate which thousands of people will have, and then the leader calls for him to resign the next day.

Surely if he intentionally wanted it to read 'nazi', he'd have used "NA21" instead?

- Jeff, UK, 10/08/2009 14:49
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This reads more as an attempt to publicise the car registration and there by enable it to be a target for the desperate loony left.

- Kedge, wilts, england, 10/08/2009 14:05
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While I agree it's a a lot of fuss over nothing (if that's all they can attack him on they have nothing and so are failing their constituents) a note to Andy, Slough, you can buy number plates now, even in the current format.

If you want to buy, for example, NA51 BAD, the DVLA will sell it to you for the princely sum of £1275.

- Escobar-Alop-Lop, Camden County, 10/08/2009 13:37
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It's no secret that the BNP are basically Nazis anyway so it doesn't matter what they have on their number plates. We already know they are Nazi scum.

- Chris, Belfast, 10/08/2009 12:39
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These people need to get a life. It was on it when he bought it for crying out loud. Just shows the length some of these desperate council leaders will go to discredit anyone not following their political agenda.
Shame on you Mr Prince.

- Robert Borthwick, Glasgow, Scotland, 10/08/2009 12:38
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Council leader Keith Prince should be the person "hanging his head in shame".

1)NA51 could only remind somebody of the word NAZI if they have a perverted imagination.
2)NA51 is not a personalised number plate, it was issued as standard by the DVLA. There are thousands of cars with this number plate.
3)Haven't these people anything better to do apart from contriving fake indignation over a non issue.

PATHETIC!

- Andy, Slough, 10/08/2009 12:33
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I do wish they would get a life,how they can get nazi out of that,just amazes me
It's not even close

- James, NW Kent, 10/08/2009 11:39
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Had the plate read NA51 BNP then yes. Otherwise this really is clutching at straws.

- Jimbob, Kensington, 10/08/2009 11:37
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Gosh the ANL are getting desperate.

- Ethan, UK, 10/08/2009 11:10
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