July by-elections

| Tuesday, 4 July 2006 Source: Searchlight

Anti-fascists are campaigning strongly against the BNP in a by-election in Bridge ward, Redbridge on 13 July.

A large group of anti-fascists braved the heat to put copies of the July issue of Searchlight magazine through letter boxes in the ward on 2 July, organised by the community group Redbridge and Epping Forest. A much smaller number of BNP members out leafleting that day appeared to be rather upset by this. Perhaps it was because of the large numbers of news items in the magazine that exposed the true nature of the BNP as Holocaust deniers, criminals, hypocrites, woman-haters and losers.

Danny Warville, the BNP candidate, kept a very low profile in the BNP until a couple of years ago when he was appointed as the party's counter-intelligence officer in London. He was among the group of BNP activists who were rushed north to Leeds during the trial of Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, and Mark Collett at the beginning of the year after the regular heavy mob had gone on strike.

The BNP has one councillor in Redbridge, Julian Leppert, elected in May for Hainault. When Leppert attended a Redbridge council meeting recently, Warville turned up to look after him together with the football hooligan Jason Douglas, Paul Neville, a Redbridge BNP activist, and a handful of other BNP members.

Michael John Clark is the BNP candidate in an Ashfield council by-election in Hucknall West ward on 13 July. This area has been a hotspot for BNP violence and threats to its political opponents in the past.

In Kirklees Barry Reginald Fowler is standing for the BNP against five other candidates in a by-election in Greenhead ward on 27 July. This ward produced the BNP's poorest showing in Kirklees in the elections on 4 May, when Stuart Exley came bottom out of five candidates with just 6.7%. The party currently has three councillors in Kirklees.

In May Labour won in Greenhead by a huge majority. A Respect candidate may take votes from Labour this time, though this is very unlikely to be enough to let the BNP in.

On the same day the BNP is fielding Kevin Saunders in a by-election in Heath ward, Dartford. The right-wing nationalist vote is likely to be split as his five opponents include the New England Party, which already has two councillors in Dartford, and the UK Independence Party. The ward's other two councillors are Conservatives. Dartford did not have elections in May.

The BNP is also standing in Filey ward, Scarborough on 27 July. Patricia Scott is standing against representatives from the three main parties and three independents.

Janette Pedrick is having another try at winning Grange ward, Rushmoor Borough Council, in a by-election being held unusually on Tuesday 25 July. When she stood for the same ward in the May elections, she received 257 votes (16.9%) coming third out of four.