BNP meeting scrapped

Leigh Reporter by Richard Bean | Friday, 13 March 2009 | Click here for original article

A British National Party meeting in Leigh has been cancelled at the 11th hour.

BNP activists today alleged that the owner of the Pure Club in the town had been threatened by police with losing his licence and taxi contract if he went along with hosting the controversial event this evening (March 13).

The BNP said this morning that it had found an alternative venue for its rally but would not disclose where it was.

The original venue for the party's Battle of Britain Roadshow in West Bridgewater Street was to have seen the BNP leader Nick Griffin giving a speech.

BNP newsletters had widely advertised the event internally, but when challenged by reporters the BNP refused to confirm or deny where (or indeed if) the meeting would take place at the Pure Club (formerly Dee Jays), in Leigh.

Owner Dave Rowlands had confirmed that he had been approached earlier this month by the BNP to stage the rally.

But Mr Rowlands, who also runs a taxi firm in the town, said then: "The club is currently closed for refurbishment , so nobody, not the just the BNP or their protesters, nobody can use it."

However anti-fascist protesters are pledging to stage their own peaceful demonstration outside the club despite the denials.

Superintendent Bob Lomas, of GMP's Wigan division, said: "We were aware of the proposed event and were planning an appropriate police response.

"The decision not to hold the event is solely down to the manager of the venue and I would like to stress GMP did not influence that decision in anyway."

But a statement issued by the BNP today named a Wigan borough police officer as the person who had put pressure on Mr Rowlands to withdraw his hospitality.

It added: "This bullying little politically correct fascist threatened the owner of the Pure Nightclub in Leigh with the loss of his licence and a taxi contract if he allowed the event to go ahead.

"This threat is of course totally illegal and utterly groundless, but worried about his business and the jobs of his staff in these hard times, the club owner reluctantly agreed to cancel the event."