BNP sets sights on town after dairy unrest

| Friday, 3 November 2006 Source: ic Berkshire

THE BNP is targeting Windsor after widely reported unrest resulted in a petrol bomb being launched at a Muslim-owned dairy.

The British National Party has started a campaign to sign people to the party after last month's troubles around Vale Road.

The far-right party distributed leaflets last weekend to homes throughout Dedworth and Clewer entitled 'Welcome to the front line'.

The leaflet urges residents to vote BNP in next year's local elections and condemns both the police and local MPs.

Four days of agitation around Medina Dairy culminated in eight people being arrested and a dispersal order being introduced giving police powers to order people out of the area.

Royal Borough council leader and Clewer East councillor Mary Rose Gliksten received the leaflet and said: "This is horribly opportunistic. We're dealing with a local issue which needs to be resolved locally.

"It is tragic that these outsiders have taken an opportunity and have come to inflame things is west Windsor."

West Windsor Residents' Association (WWRA) member Mike Sullivan also found the leaflet on his doormat but said everyone had a part to play in tensions getting to this stage.

"This is quite worrying, and I think it is a wake-up call to everyone such as the WWRA, council and police, that there appears a groundswell of unrest and the BNP see a window of opportunity."

But Mr Sullivan added: "The BNP didn't create an opportunity to start developing leaflets. We allowed the situation to develop, something we should all be mindful of.

"I think the police, council and residents allowed the situation to develop and should be mindful of that in the future.

"We all collectively allowed this to happen and are all responsible."

A Thames Valley police spokesman issued a statement saying: "Police are aware of leaflets distributed in the Windsor area last weekend. We continue to speak to a number of community groups.

"The situation in Dedworth has been calm in recent weeks, and this has been most welcome.

"However, we continue to monitor the situation closely."