Tonight:
5°c
Three police officers injured in anti-BNP protest
23 Oct 2009Protesters laid siege to the BBC's Television Centre in a fruitless bid to halt the filming of Question Time resulting in six arrests and injuries to three police officers.
Anti-fascist demonstrators managed to burst through security into the White City building's reception while more than 500 waved placards outside.
Police were forced to divert traffic as the demonstrators crowded outside the main building chanting "Shame on you".
Some threw police officers' helmets and wooden poles used to hold placards at the four-deep cordon of officers.
BNP leader Nick Griffin got in through side entrance despite the crowd's bid to block his entry.
Metropolitan Police arrested five people for public order offences, violent disorder, ABH and assault on a police officer. One person was arrested for being wanted on a warrant.
Three police officers received minor injuries, including one who received a head wound, but none of them required hospital treatment.
The protest broke up shortly after Mr Griffin and the other panellists left the building when filming finished.
BBC staff were reported to have been told not to leave the building during while demonstrations continued outside.
Mark Byford, Deputy Director General said: "The programme was recorded without disruption. Members of the audience asked the kind of tough questions that mark Question Time out as the premier television programme where the public put the panellists on the spot. In all the BBC has been recording four television shows at TV Centre this evening involving 1,200 members of the public in the audiences. We would like to thank our staff for their support this evening.
"We remain firmly of the view that it was appropriate to invite Nick Griffin onto the Question Time panel this evening in the context of the BBC meeting its obligation of due impartiality."
Senior BBC broadcaster Jeremy Bowen said as he left the building last night: "I think it's fine that people are protesting. It's a legitimate protest. People are making clear their views.
"I think we live in a free society and there's free speech and while it's obviously highly controversial, I personally think it's the right decision to have him on."
Labour MP for Ealing Southall Virendra Sharma who joined the protest said: "It's important that we show our opposition to a party that is deliberately trying to divide our communities."
Lukas Keudic, 20, a student at King's College London, was one of those who managed to elude security to storm the BBC reception.
He said: "We were in the main reception next to Piers Morgan when about 30 police officers turned up. There were about 10 to 20 of us and we were just standing there chanting in a peaceful protest.
"We spoke to the police and they started grabbing us. They grabbed one person and we started chanting 'Ian Tomlinson' and then they put us into a corner."
Kady Pait, 19, a French student from Leeds, also made it into the building.
He said: "It was just a peaceful protest and then the police started dragging us off. It was a peaceful protest from us and then the police dragged us to the floor."
One of the oldest protesters was Monty Goldman, 78, whose father Sidney marched against Oswald Mosley's Black Shirts in east London in 1936.
Mr Goldman, from Hackney, said: "This party, the BNP, is an absolute disgrace."
Reader views (7)
Metropolitan Police arrested five people for public order offences, violent disorder, ABH and assault on a police officer. One person was arrested for being wanted on a warrant.
Think I know which type of "fascism" I prefer, and it's not the soap dodgers from UAF.
- P Staker, London, 26/10/2009 09:02
Report abuse
...and these are the people complaining because they weren't allowed into the audience. Can't imagine why - can you?
- Rogan, Irving, 23/10/2009 14:21
Report abuse
the difference between Right Wing & Left Wing is??????
- Jonny, London, 23/10/2009 11:28
Report abuse
Why was there a need to demonstrate violently? And saying a fascist isn't entitled to air his views is itself Fascist: supposing they had been banned from demonstrating - they wouldn't have been too happy about that, would they?! This is what you get with a Labour Government: Britain imploding.
- Roz, France, 23/10/2009 10:55
Report abuse
Peaceful protest? Storming into a building barging past the police is anything but peaceful.
- Dave, London, 23/10/2009 10:24
Report abuse
Disgusting behaviour. Will the real fascists please stand up. Left wing mob rule is as bad as the right wing. They would make good bed fellows.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 23/10/2009 10:02
Report abuse
What was this rent a mob afriad of? They used their civil and Human right to voice their opinion.As Did Nick Griffin.Both parties in my opinion showed themselves to be what they really are! Question time was fantastic last night.Nick Griffin was the best clown we have had on TV for a very long time.Did you see his body language?talk about sweat. As for Boonie Greer She was fantastic.She did more Damage to Nick Griffin than could have been done to him if the BBC had placed him in the middle of the MOB.I now want to see a one on one debate between Nick Griffin and Boonie. This programe proved why the BBC is the best in the World.
- Mick, London, 23/10/2009 08:32
Report abuse
