Townsfolk form anti-BNP group

| Friday, 1 September 2006 Source: Times & Star

A COMMITTEE will be set up to stop the BNP gaining a foothold in Maryport.

A public meeting last night, called by two town teenagers, agreed to form the group, with the sole purpose of keeping the right-wing party out of office in Allerdale.

Duncan Money, 18 and Jonathan Wood, 17, organised the meeting because they were outraged at the fact that the BNP had held a meeting in Maryport to form an Allerdale branch.

The party held one other meeting in Workington but a member of the audience said the last Allerdale meeting had to be held in Carlisle because they could not find a hall or pub willing to host them.

Fifty people attended the public meeting in Maryport. Among them was Workington MP Tony Cunningham, who paid tribute to the youngsters for their idealism and courage in calling a meeting to expose the BNP.

Duncan presented a long list outlining the performance of BNP members elected to councils throughout Britain.

He said the fact that the party had to pose as a group of pigeon fanciers to get a venue for a meeting in Maryport said a lot about how people view their policies.

But he said the party presents itself as a reasonable group of people who only want to improve the lot of "ordinary working class Britons."

He then listed the performances of 53 BNP candidates in local authorities around Britain.

He presented a picture of councillors who did not attend meetings, even when there were important votes. He gave examples of BNP councillors voting with the Conservatives even when those votes completely contradicted their own policies.

He cited councillors with criminal records including football hooliganism, domestic violence and benefit fraud.

Colin Smith, BNP organiser for South East London has 17 convictions, he said, including possession of an offensive weapon, driving while disqualified and possession of a controlled drug.

He said there was also a case, in Stoke, where BNP councillors had "accidentally" voted in favour of a motion that called for a fairer deal for asylum seekers and condemned the government's harsh treatment of them.

Piers Hobson, a Carlisle man opposed to the work of the BNP outlined their policies and how what they say differs from what they mean.

At the end of the meeting it was moved and accepted, by an overwhelming majority, that a group be set up to fight any attempt by the BNP to enter Allerdale politics.