Howard says confront NF

By Jamie McGinnes | Sunday, 2 May 2004 Source: Kent on Sunday

MICHAEL Howard has spoken of his concern at far-right groups fielding candidates in Kent elections.The Conservative leader told Kent on Sunday the British National Party and National Front should be confronted.

Speaking after an NF candidate was defeated in a by-election in Ashford by the black former mayor of Ashford, George Koowaree, Mr Howard urged people not to vote for extremist parties.

"It is worrying for a democracy, but people are entitled to stand," Mr Howard said of the NF and BNP fielding candidates in Kent. "I hope we confront them and persuade the vast majority of people, as I'm sure that we will, that the BNP is full of unpleasant racists who really shouldn't be supported by any decent right-minded person."

During a visit to Maidstone on Friday he added: "I would rather people voted for any mainstream political party than the BNP and obviously I want as many people as possible to vote Conservative."

On Thursday Cllr Koowaree became the new Liberal Democrat Kent county councillor for Ashford South East, with 1,089 votes. John Kellam, of the National Front Britain for the British, had 135 votes.

Cllr Koowaree, who has been on Ashford Borough Council for 17 years, said some of his support may have been in the form of protest votes against his far-right opponent.

"It's possible that people thought they knew me and they voted for me just to prove a point to the National Front by voting in a black man," he said.

The Mauritius-born politician, who was called up for National Service in the RAF in 1959, said he was more British than some of the NF supporters he has seen canvassing in Ashford in recent weeks. "I have been in Britain for 57 years and I am more British than any of the young lads in their 20s I've seen canvassing.

"I regard Ashford, or anywhere for that matter, as a community of mixed religions and mixed backgrounds where we all have to respect that. I work for everybody, whether you are black, whether you are white, or whatever."

Kent Police's Chief Constable Michael Fuller - who in January became the first black officer to head a local police force - said he is determined to tackle racism.

He told Kent on Sunday: "What we don't want is people coming to our towns and our villages and trying to create racial disharmony. We want our streets and our towns to be peaceful places, safe places - we want people to enjoy harmonious relations.

"We'll be watching the activities of anybody and any groups who intend to cause disharmony within our communities."

It emerged this week that the BNP is putting forward 10 candidates in the June elections for new South East MEPs. Among hopefuls is former librarian Dennis Whiting of Whitstable.

Two men were bailed last Saturday after being arrested in connection with what police are treating as a racist attack in Ashford. An Asian man in his 20s was treated for head injuries at the town's William Harvey Hospital.

The men were arrested after an incident near a footbridge in Victoria Road at 3.30pm on Thursday, April 22. They were bailed until May 30.

Steve Dawe, the Kent Green Party's candidate for Ashford South East, blamed the attack on the NF's involvement in Thursday's by-election.

"The attack, within the county division also being contested by a National Front candidate, is an appalling indication of what happens when racism is tolerated.

"The area in which this attack took place has been subjected to a flow of vile and dishonest anti-asylum seeker leaflets with the apparent intent of stirring up racial hatred.

Mr Dawe added: "We all use businesses which are owned and run by ethnic minorities: they are part of our community."