Expose the BNP

The British National Party have suffered a humiliating defeat in the general election when Nick Griffin failed to gain a Westminster seat for the East London ward of Barking. Labour MP Margaret Hodge secured the seat with a 16,000 majority, with Griffin trailing third after the Conservative candidate Simon Marcus.

The BNP put forward 330 candidates countrywide but failed to win any seats in Parliament and in Barking, the BNP’s share of the vote in East London dipped by 2% to 14.6 of the vote despite their high profile campaign.

The BNP’s humiliation was mirrored in Stoke, another of their key campaigns, coming forth, however, the fascist party has seen worrying increases in the vote in Dagenham and Rainham, up from 4.40% to 11.2, and had other strong results in Yorkshire including 10.4% of the vote in Rotherham and 8.9% in Barnsley Central.

The battle of Barking to prevent Griffin from becoming an MP was fought hard by campaigners from Hope Not Hate and Unite Against Fascism who leafleted and canvassed heavily in the borough over the past weeks. A ground swell of political opposition to the rise of fascism in East London, hundreds of supporters turned up on the Hope Not Hate days of action to deliver leaflets to local homes urging people against voting for the BNP.

An EXPOSE the BNP spokesperson says: ‘The passion of people to fight the rise of fascism in the UK is inspiring. People of such diversity and from all walks of life have come on these days of action. We have been speaking to locals, in shopping centres and on doorsteps, encoraging people to find their political voice and vote against fascism, and it’s worked resoundingly’.

The BNP also currently hold 12 councils seats in Barking and Dagenham and have been campaigning to take control of the council, although Griffin’s stultification look likely to continue. The BNP put forward 34 candidiates for the 51 council seats, 8 of these in wards they have little or no chance of winning. Results are expected later on today.

The BNP’s election campaign has been beset by violence. Barking Councillor Bob Bailey was filmed getting into a fight with a local Asian man last Wednesday and a woman was assaulted by a BNP member last week in Whitecross Market, close to Old St. The woman who had challenged the BNP for setting up a stall in the market was punched twice by a BNP member. The matter is being investigated by the police.

However, despite the BNP’s election defeat, they have garnered an overall increase in support of 1.83%, with 514,819 people voting for them, and the rise of fascism in the UK continues. The English Defence League’s rally in Aylesbury last week erupted into violence when members were arrested for carrying weapons, and the EDL are marching again in Newcastle on the 29th May. The fight against the politics of hate remains imperative as does the media’s role in reporting the true nature of the fascist far right.