BNP: The long trail of lies

**Garbarsardar** · April 23, 2006, 08:13 AM

Exposed: BNP's campaign of lies
Lies, half-truths and propaganda: how the BNP fuels racial tension
By Ian Herbert and Emily Dugan
Published: 22 April 2006

Well, I don't use to post whole articles, but in this case the Independant really said it all. I will just highlight the most important points and leave the rest to your judgement.

First, the lies:

Dagenham

* THE CLAIM: An "Africans for Essex" scheme offers "up to £50,000 together with a 75 per cent mortgage, which allows immigrants to buy houses here in Dagenham".

* THE REALITY: There is not and never has been such a scheme to help immigrants acquire homes in Dagenham

Amber Valley

THE CLAIM: The rape of a 15-year-old white girl was committed by an immigrant.

THE REALITY: A British-born white man was convicted of the attack.

Huddersfield

THE CLAIM: Native British children are being disadvantaged by being denied tuberculosis vaccinations which are being given to children of high-risk immigrant groups whose parents were born abroad.

THE REALITY: British children have less than a one in 100,000 risk of contracting TB and are at higher risk from the vaccination, which can cause adverse reactions, than from the disease.

Halifax

THE CLAIM: A mill on the local Nestlé factory site, now empty, was to be converted into luxury flats for asylum-seekers.

THE REALITY: Work has not even started on the site, so there is no clear idea that the flats are to be luxury, let alone who is to live in them.

Thurrock

THE CLAIM: The local council had a secret deal with one of its neighbouring authorities to transfer 3,000 asylum-seekers to the area.

THE REALITY: There is absolutely no evidence of this supposed transfer.

Tipton

THE CLAIM: The local library is to be turned into a mosque.

THE REALITY: The plan was for a community youth centre that would be available to all.

Wibsey

THE CLAIM: "Ethnic minority areas" receive disproportionately more council funds.

THE REALITY: Totally unfounded.

Dudley

THE CLAIM: A planning application had been made for a mosque, which would become a reality if locals did not vote for the BNP.

THE REALITY: Completely false. The local Labour Party has taken up the issue with the council's legal department.

Stoke

THE CLAIM: The local council bought land "with a commercial value of hundreds of thousands of pounds ... with the express intent" of giving it to a religious group to build a £1.5m mosque in the town. Council policies give priority to "ethnic minorities, refugees and outsiders" while the elderly non-immigrants lose handouts.

THE REALITY: The land was derelict and the council had struggled to sell it, despite putting it on the market twice. There is no documentary evidence of the disparity in council policies.

Calder Valley

THE CLAIM: "Hundreds of local workers have been made redundant and replaced by asylum-seekers, many from eastern Europe, who are given their jobs simply because employers can pay them less than they could local people. "

THE REALITY: There is no evidence of this. If employers attempted it, they could be pursued under employment law by those laid off. Nestlé has employed eastern Europeans on seasonal contracts because local employment agencies have not been able to find enough workers to fill jobs.

...and the rest:

The BNP's campaign strategy is consistent: create anxiety and rumour about immigrants in constituencies, with locally targeted literature. Much of this is disseminated in mock local newspapers, such as the Dagenham Patriot, the Tipton Patriot and the Huddersfield Crusader. In Calderdale, West Yorkshire, where eight BNP candidates are standing, many voters seem to believe that a former factory is to be converted into luxury flats for asylum seekers - though this allegation has not been found anywhere in published form - and that the area is in line for 1,000 extra asylum seekers.

"The BNP will sometimes take half a fact and build on it. The stuff is very cleverly worded," said Tim Swift, a local Labour councillor who has been campaigning this week. "As a result, people are coming up to us who are extremely concerned about issues which do not exist."

Searchlight has counteracted the BNP's local "newspapers" with a print-run of 420,000 "newspapers" of its own.

The BNP denied that it was making up facts. "No political party is spot on. It's not a precise science but this is not falsification," said BNP press officer Phil Edwards. "Of course councils will challenge some of these facts but they are not going to tell you much, are they?"

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/pol...icle359444.ece

**~~removeduser_426582376423734~~** · April 23, 2006, 08:23 AM

I've always known that the BNP's claims have been unfounded and have basically been lies. I guess now its out there.

But unless this article is printed in the Sun and the Daily Mail, I doubt much will change.

**Freddie** · April 23, 2006, 08:23 AM

It’s a sad state of affairs when the extreme right is rearing it ugly head again. But what do you expect when all of the three main stream parties are clueless, have all hogged the middle ground ad refuse to budge?

I can only see the BNP getting more council seats in the upcoming council elections, they may even get a few seats in Essex were I live. Personally I wish people would just spoil there ballet paper (like they do in Australia) then vote BNP.

**Tom Paine** · April 23, 2006, 08:58 AM

I agree with Freddie. This is an odd day, in that.

Hell, I'm not surprised. The BNP have always used dirty tricks and tactics, lying and spewing hatred not least among them.

**Stalins Ghost** · April 23, 2006, 08:58 AM

The thing with spoiling a ballot paper is that it accomplishes nothing. The way I see it by doing that you arnt making a statement, you're just wasting time. That's all it is really. They dont count spoiled votes. I had a mate who helped count votes in the last election (80 quid for a nights work!), and spoiled votes were just thrown away. Theres just no point in spoiling a vote paper. You may as well just vote for one of the smaller parties (not the BNP though!) with policies you agree with even if they dont stand a chance.

OT: Just had a really bad moment of Deja Vu typing this out....lol.

**Perikles** · April 23, 2006, 09:03 AM

Halifax

THE CLAIM: A mill on the local Nestlé factory site, now empty, was to be converted into luxury flats for asylum-seekers.

THE REALITY: Work has not even started on the site, so there is no clear idea that the flats are to be luxury, let alone who is to live in them.

Calder Valley

THE CLAIM: "Hundreds of local workers have been made redundant and replaced by asylum-seekers, many from eastern Europe, who are given their jobs simply because employers can pay them less than they could local people. "

THE REALITY: There is no evidence of this. If employers attempted it, they could be pursued under employment law by those laid off. Nestlé has employed eastern Europeans on seasonal contracts because local employment agencies have not been able to find enough workers to fill jobs.

I live in that area! There is no such plan at all, but I know that the BNP are going to lose seats in my area. They won some at the last election, but people were protesting about the other parties, not been racist.

**Tom Paine** · April 23, 2006, 09:04 AM

The BNP has a long-term and widespread strategy. It doesn't matte if they win or lose so long as they can spread the fear and hatred, as it multiplies their councillors do...

**Denny Crane!** · April 23, 2006, 09:26 AM

Exploiting peoples fears and prejudices, a typical extremist tactic. Its how Hitler came to power.

Unfortunately election manifestos are scientifically designed now to appeal to certain sections of society and get the swing voters. They always target peoples biggest concerns like education and healthcare but the disparity between what is done or not done on a national level and what happens in local politics leave a lot of dissillusioned punters who turn to people offering unrealistic but pleasant sounding solutions.

PEter

**Tom Paine** · April 23, 2006, 09:30 AM

You mean like the "Kill/deport/expel all immigrants and asylum seekers, quite Europe, and beomce self-sufficient and reclaim the Empire" of the BNP?

**Denny Crane!** · April 23, 2006, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by Squeakus Maximus

You mean like the "Kill/deport/expel all immigrants and asylum seekers, quite Europe, and beomce self-sufficient and reclaim the Empire" of the BNP?

The BNP stands for British withdrawal from the EU, which it says forces "unnecessary, costly and repressive legislation into every aspect of daily life".

The party says it will be campaigning on crime, asylum, globalisation and the collapse of social structures such as the family, "without the constraints imposed by political correctness".

It also wants "complete control" of Britain's borders to tackle illegal immigration, which it says is the country's most pressing problem.

Unfortunatly they hide the radical side and most people think that part has disappeared from there politics or they agree with it either/or.

They do come out with some appealing ideas like sorting out the breakdown of the family structure and there is no denying it. But most people know they are radical which is why they will never get any kind of major office.

Peter

**Tom Paine** · April 23, 2006, 09:59 AM

Sorting out the breakdown in family structure isn't appealing, its a joke. The breakdown is no greater than it has ever been, people are just more free to deal with it...

**Denny Crane!** · April 23, 2006, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by Squeakus Maximus

Sorting out the breakdown in family structure isn't appealing, its a joke. The breakdown is no greater than it has ever been, people are just more free to deal with it...

The idea that it could be sorted out is appealing, I never said it was a feasible idea. In fact that was kinda my point wasn't it? Remember I said unrealistic policies.

PS. The breakdown is real, there are more single parent families than ever. More teenage pregnancies, and wherever it happens there is a correlated rise in crime. I'm not implying causation I will keep my opinions to myself on that one. You can argue its because people are more free to divorce and be happy - whatever, it is still there.

Peter

**Yahweh** · April 23, 2006, 10:12 AM

Why are Single Parent families a bad thing?

**Tom Paine** · April 23, 2006, 10:14 AM

Just to avoid dragging us into that particular chestnut, a nice line from that piece you pulled out before; the BNP says the EU is forcing "repressive legislation" upon us. Now what would the BNP be doing other than that given that it wants "complete control" of the borders and wants to legislate on other areas "without the constraints imposed by political correctness"?

**Denny Crane!** · April 23, 2006, 10:15 AM

Like I said I am not implying causation I merely mentioned the fact that there are more of them now than ever and there is a correlation pertaining to crime. Open another thread and I will offer opinions and discuss it in more detail with studies and statistics. Probably not today when I have a hangover plus I'm only online for another quarter of an hour.

SM: I would love to explain it SM but I am no BNP protagonist I think the BNP are as illogical as anyone. I was just trying to reason out how and why they appeal to an increasing audience.

PEter