Youth Council criticised over BNP article

The Press and Journal by Cameron Brooks | Friday, 10 July 2009 | Click here for original article

A group of aspiring politicians have come under fire for using taxpayers’ money to promote the British National Party, it emerged last night.

Aberdeen City Youth Council, which receives £5,000 a year from the local authority to cover operating costs, has been criticised for giving over a full page in its monthly newsletter to Scottish BNP leader Gary Raikes.

In the article, Mr Raikes, who lives at Turriff, argues that the BNP, having won two seats at the European Parliament elections last month, is a legitimate political party.

He said the commonly-held belief that the party – which does not have a single seat in Scotland – consisted of “racist hate-mongers” was outrageous.

Mr Raikes’s assertion comes after BNP leader Nick Griffin, recently elected an MEP, came under fire for saying the EU should sink boats carrying illegal immigrants to prevent them entering Europe.

Paul Robertson, 18, chairman of the youth council, which has 30 members aged 14-25, defended the article.

He said the organisation was “apolitical” and opinion pieces published in the widely distributed newsletter were “very successful in inspiring debate”.

But John Stewart, Aberdeen City Council’s leader-in-waiting, said yesterday he was “concerned and surprised” that the youth council, which gathers the views of young people across the city and beyond to help shape local authority policy, had decided to publish the article.

“I am surprised they have chosen to give publicity to a party like the BNP, whose views on a number of issues are not particularly savoury,” he said. “I am disappointed to hear there is no challenge to the points made in the article. It is not helpful to give any political party unfettered space.”

Labour group secretary Willie Young said: “It is understandable young people will be inquisitive about political parties but the youth council has gone too far by providing the BNP with free publicity at the taxpayers’ expense.”

Conservative group secretary Alan Donnelly said: “I am all for trying to get people involved in politics but I do not think promoting an extreme right-wing party is a good use of public money.”

Mr Robertson, an economics and politics student at Aberdeen University, said: “Aberdeen City Youth Council is an apolitical organisation.

“The short opinion piece, therefore, contains a disclaimer, which reiterates our apolitical status and states that opinions expressed in articles that are submitted to us do not represent the views of our organisation.”

Deputy council leader Kevin Stewart said the youth council published an article castigating the BNP recently and the latest newsletter piece was a right to reply.