British National Party leader forced to run from journalists' club debate

BNP leader Nick Griffin and his security team face demonstrators.
One of the team is spraying blue paint on the protesters. (Pic: Guy Smallman)

One of Griffin's security team lifts a flowerpot,
from outside a restaurant by the club (Pic: Guy Smallman)

Protesters stopped Nick Griffin, leader of the Nazi British National Party (BNP), from speaking at meeting last night.

About 30 anti-fascists assembled at short notice after Unite Against Fascism (UAF) heard of Griffin’s invitation to the journalists' Frontline Club in Paddington, West London. The club was screening the More4 documentary, The Battle for Barking, about the election battle between Labour MP Margaret Hodge and the BNP during the May 2010 local elections.

It planned to follow this with a question and answer session featuring Griffin. Documentary director, Laura Fairrie, and Darren Rodwell, organiser of the Labour Party election campaign in Barking, were also invited to the event which was to be moderated by journalist Sarfraz Manzoor.

Anti-fascists had urged the club not to give a platform to Griffin, but they refused to withdraw his invitation. A determined protest confronted Griffin and his security team outside the venue.

Despite trying to force their way to the entrance of the club by attacking protesters and spraying them with an aerosol dye, Nazi Nick and his minders were forced back. Looking visibly shaken they briefly took refuge in a local hotel before fleeing the area entirely. The documentary showing went ahead without a platform for the BNP.

Socialist Worker