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Posts Tagged ‘ECHR’

News round up: Griffin & co have their day in court |BNP man pleads guilty for doing Nazi salute

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

EHRCBNP has its day in court

The BNP is in court today to defend its “whites only” policy for membership of the party.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued county court proceedings against the far-right party on August 24 after voicing concerns in June about its constitution and membership criteria.

John Wadham, legal director at the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: “The BNP has said that it is not willing to amend its membership criteria which we believe are discriminatory and unlawful.

BNP in court over membership rules – Press Association

 
BNP man pleads guilty for doing Nazi salute

A separate BNP member making the Nazi salute at RWB

Hat-tip to Lancaster Unity for their story about a BNP member who has been fined for giving a Nazi salute during scuffles with protesters at the Party’s annual Red, White and Blue festival.

John Jones, who was one of a small group who argued with anti-BNP protesters, was told by the police to leave the scene, but as he did so he made the gesture.

Jones pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour which was racially aggravated. He was fined £71, with £60 costs and a £15 Government surcharge. Presiding magistrate Anthony Stanley said the salute was a “serious offence”.

“BNP member pleads guilty to making Nazi salute in Codnor” - Lancaster Unity

**BNP is being taken to court over membership criteria**

Monday, August 24th, 2009

EHRCThe British National party is being taken to court over claims its membership criteria breach human rights law.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has announced that it has issued county court proceedings against BNP party leader, Nick Griffin, and two other officials today over the BNP’s membership rules.

The Commission sent a letter to the BNP on the 22nd June expressing concerns over the party’s constitution and membership criteria.

The BNP’s membership criteria appear to restrict membership to those within what the BNP regards as particular ‘ethnic groups’ and those whose skin colour is white. The Commission believe that this exclusion is contrary to the Race Relations Act and in breach of the law.

Nothing British will be keeping you up to date with proceedings in what could prove to be a landmark case.

UPDATE:

A spokesman for the BNP said it intended to fight the move, claiming the action was politically motivated.

“It is strange that this is happening now when these rules have been in place for a long time,” said the BNP’s deputy leader, Simon Darby. “And we certainly resent the fact that some unelected body which is 70% ethnic can accuse us of racism.”

The BNP and ECHR

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

The BNP have written a response to the Equality and Human Rights Commission who have accused them of breaching the Race Relations Act by denying “non-indigenous” folk from joining the BNP.

Their twenty-two page response questions the impartiality of the ECHR and conspiratorially implies that the ECHR have announced their concern about the BNP’s non-admittance of “non-indigenous” people into their party because of issues at ECHR. Last month the National Audit Office refused to sign of the ECHR’s accounts because it paid out consultancy fees without permission from the Treasury. There have also been a series of resignations and briefings to journalists concerning Trevour Phillips, the Chairman of the ECHR.

The BNP are painting this as a “God-send” as it will allow them to get air time for their views. They are also using the ECHR actions as an “establishment” attack
on the “British people” and claim that the ECHR want to close down the BNP.  

While the BNP are wrong in thinking that “British-ness” can be pseudo-scientifically defined in terms of race, this whole affair is a clear demonstration of how the demolition tactics against neo-fascism must change. Traditionally, our identity has come not from race, but from our respect and admiration for our institutions like
the army, Parliament and the Church. To be British is to possess the gentle values which bind us all: tolerance, respect for one another and fair-play

Both the anti-democratic violence from UAF etc and the legal proceedings from quangos like the ECHR are ineffectual and provide the BNP with a narrative of victimhood. Instead, we should show to the electorate that our faith in liberal democracy, the free markets and justice for all is correct and the only way to
prove that is by engaging in debate.