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We will also post relevant news worthy items and information on Human rights issues, racism, extremist individuals and groups and far right political parties from around the world although predominantly Britain.

Monday 22 March 2010

Hope Not Hate 2010: BNP leader Nick Griffin on the gravy train

A year after the BNP's Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons were elected to the European Parliament on an "antisleaze" ticket, the pair stand accused of exploiting expense allowances.

The Daily Mirror can reveal that much of the party leadership is on the EU payroll, including a personal bodyguard.
Last June Nick Griffin's website claimed the "BNP is going to set a higher standard in politics when our two MEPs-elect, Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons, take their seats in the European Parliament on July 17".

But unlike Labour, the Conservatives, the Lib Dems, the Greens and UKIP, they have not even submitted quarterly accounts.
Bnp leader Griffin, who represents Britain's North West region, has filed partial accounts. Brons, elected to represent Yorkshire, has not filed any. There is no obligation to do so but it is common practice to submit accounts in the interests of transparency.

Yesterday Hope not Hate launched a petition calling for an investigation - amid fears the two could be misusing taxpayers' money to fund their general election campaign.
Campaign co-ordinator Nick Lowles said: "There have been thousands of letters to the EU Anti-Fraud Office and the President of the EU.

PROMISE
"There is no legal obligation to submit quarterly accounts but every other UK political party is doing so. We now call on the BNP to prove they are not taking taxpayers for a ride."
In addition to their £84,000-a-year salary, MEPs are entitled to spend £220,000 annually on administrative and constituency support. But it appears the BNP may be using this money to bankroll its leadership.

Griffin's website records that he employs Tina Wingfield and her husband Martin, plus Clive Jefferson, part-time. Andrew Brons also employs Martin Wingfield and the BNP candidate in Morley and Outwood, West Yorks, Chris Beverley.
Also on the EU payroll is Griffin's bodyguard. Others believed to be funded by the taxpayer include Eddy Butler, the party's head of elections.
He lives in Essex, far from Griffin's and Brons' constituencies but close to where Griffin is standing in the general election as candidate for Barking.
Griffin's MEP region includes the Cumbrian towns and villages hit by floods last November. But he failed to visit the stricken areas until last month.
In the days after the devastation, he instead visited his target seat in East London and travelled to Spain as a guest speaker at a rally to commemorate the 1975 death of the fascist dictator General Franco.

Hosted by the tiny far-right National Democratic Party, the event was also attended by Griffin's political mentor Roberto Fiore, the convicted former leader of the terrorist Armed Revolutionary Nuclei, involved in the 1980 bomb massacre at a Bologna rail station.
Griffin did find time to criticise the Government's £1million in aid to Cumbria, saying he would offer "the most appropriate assistance I can".
Seven weeks ago he offered a £1,000 donation to Cumbria. Eddy Butler, who is running Griffin's general election campaign, bizarrely declared "the terrible damage caused by Cumbrian floods was the result of global capitalism".

Griffin's constituents have seen little of him since his election in June.

His most high-profile statements so far have been on foreign affairs.

He condemned the Government for sending aid to earthquake-devastated Haiti and said: "Sending aid to rioting ingrates while our own people die is stinking, elite hypocrisy."

He attended the Copenhagen talks on climate change but called it an "elite scam".

In a Channel 4 interview he described Islam as a "cancer" that should be removed from Europe.

ABANDON
Labour MEP Arlene McCarthy, who also represents the North West, said: "Less than 12 months after he was elected to represent us he is set to abandon the region and is seeking to subsidise his salary by standing to become the MP for Barking.
"Griffin claims to be elected on an anti-sleaze ticket yet there are some question marks over the use of public money which he needs to answer.
"His accounts don't appear to be reviewed or signed off by an independent accountant.
"If BNP staff are now being paid by the European Parliament, are they working for the BNP or are they working for their constituents?" Asked to respond, BNP communications officer Paul Golding, a councillor in Sevenoaks, Kent, said: "I'm very sorry, we don't deal with the Daily Mirror."

Deputy press officer John Walker referred us to the party's website and added: "We don't have to justify ourselves to anyone."
Today the Daily Mirror launches the Hope not Hate campaign for 2010 - our annual celebration of modern, diverse Britain.
Backed by a coalition of celebrities, trade unions and tens of thousands of ordinary people, our campaign to combat racism in politics is now in its fourth year.
Over the coming weeks we will bring you inspiring stories of hope and courage from all over the country.

But first we turn the spotlight on the organisation whose ideas foul Britain - the hate-fuelled British National Party.

On the Europe payroll

JOHN WALKER
Deputy press spokesman. Lives in Wales. Standing in Alyn & Deeside

MARTIN WINGFIELD
Communication officer for leaders. Standing in Workington, Cumbria.

TINA WINGFIELD
Runs Griffin's office. Standing in Salford, Greater Manchester, against Hazel Blears.

CHRIS BEVERLEY
Yorkshire organiser and candidate in Morley & Outwood, top target in Yorks.

CLIVE JEFFERSON
North West organiser. Standing in Copeland, Cumbria, in the election.

MARTIN REYNOLDS
Griffin's personal minder.

To add your voice to the petition, go to action.hopenothate.org.uk/fraud www.mirror.co.uk/hopenothate
Original item Daily Mirror
 
Here's a great fan made video in support of the Hope Not Hate campaign.