Far-Right Candidates in Beds, Bucks, Herts

Bedfordshire
Given the BNP's strategy of trying sneaking onto parish councils elected, South Beds BNP thought they could emulate Simon Deacon in Markyate by putting 2 candidates up in Slip End and Caddington. With activists (pictured, 2010 General Election count) down to a bare minimum, organiser Peter Fehr was forced to put himself up for candidature in Slip End with Houghton Regis' Stephen Bridgeman taking the ward of Caddington, where the party has a good number of its (paper) supporters. Local anti-fascists have already completed 2 drops in the area - one with the Hope not Hate tabloid and another with UAF literature. The BNP are so strapped for cash that they have been forced to put out left-over leaflets from the Barnsley parliamentary by-election. Interestingly, Fehr gives a High Town address for this election, whereas he lived in Leagrave acting as an agent for last year's general election. Of course Fehr was well-known previously as an activist in the Farley area - gets around, this guy.With former North Beds organiser Phill Carter moved away from Shefford with her fiancee and Bedford organiser Robin Johnstone disillusioned and inactive, there are no candidates at in the Central Bedfordshire council elections.

Luton
In 2007 it was Steve Sherwood, Barry Taylor and the rest of the Milton Keynes BNP crew who poked their nose into the Luton Council election, standing Rob Sherrat and our friend Chris Brennan in Round Green and Farley respectively. Four years later and they can only muster a single candidate - Stephen Bridgeman again. Fehr only had to wander into the living room to get his son Damien to propose the nomination.Ageing skinhead Michael Bluestone (pictured) is seconder.Unfortunately, Farley English Defence League activist Kevin Carroll was not one of the nominees this time round, unlike in 2007 ......

Hertfordshire
Whereas Simon Deacon is pictured here shaking hands with Eddie Butler, the BNP's one-time Eastern Organiser, he fell out with the BNP leadership a year ago. Along with the core of the BNP Broxbourne activists, Deacon has moved over to the English Democrats. Deacon is standing to be re-elected on the Markyate Parish Council (there will be an election this time,) as well as in the Bennetts End ward of Dacorum Borough Council. Four BNP stalwarts stand in Broxbourne, including former councillor Ramon Johns and sub-regional organiser for the East of England, Steve McCole. North Herts activist Reg Norgan has hung up his snooker cue and so, unlike previous years, there are no BNP candidates in Hitchin, Letchworth or Stevenage.

Buckinghamshire
The very active BNP group in Milton Keynes decided not to stand for election this year - instead they decided to campaign against the building of a mosque on the site of the Plough pub, Bletchley. They have shown their intention of standing next year, however. An old face from the past - Anna Seymour (pictured) - has decided to stand for the Stantonbury - Bradville parish council seat, however. Anna is a former BNP activist associated with the dreaded Barry Taylor and key organiser of memorial meetings for the late John Tyndall for the past few years. in 2008 she broke ranks with the national BNP and stood for the English First Party in the Whaddon Ward bye-election. Interestingly, Anna has mixed-race children through her marriage to a black American. She is not standing under a party banner for this forthcoming election, preferring to describe herself as "Bradville Resident for Twenty Six Years."

Milton Keynes BNP Youth Leader Arrested

Kieren Trent, leader of the British National Party’s “young adults” organisation Resistance, was arrested by Thames Valley Police yesterday (Sunday), according to a report on a far-right activist’s blog. His computer equipment was seized.

The arrest followed a demonstration in Wolverton, Milton Keynes, against a local councillor who voted in favour of granting planning permission to Bletchley mosque. Councillor Mike Galloway, a Liberal Democrat, is a member of the Milton Keynes Development Control Committee, which deals with planning applications, and chair of the Local Development Framework Advisory Group.

Bletchley mosque has been the target of BNP opposition since last autumn, with Trent leading several protests.

Trent and another person were held in custody on suspicion of committing an offence under section 5 of the Public Order Act – disorderly behaviour, the report said. If convicted he could be fined.

The report says the demonstration forms part of a new approach to activism consisting of “explaining the failures of an individual councillor to their immediate neighbours and ensuring that the community realise who is responsible for the changes that are coming about”.

It seems more a new excuse for harassment than anything else. Trent, who has stood unsuccessfully for election to Milton Keynes council, was one of a group of BNP activists involved in a violent confrontation with Asian youths in Barking a few days before last year’s general election. The incident was caught on film, posted on YouTube, but Trent was not charged despite being clearly visible landing blows and kicks to someone on the ground.

Trent is pictured posing with a gun in front of a UDA flag on page 91 of Lone wolves: myth or reality? in “chapter 6, these people are dangerous”, downloadable at http://www.lonewolfproject.org.uk/resources/LW-complete-final.pdf (pdf file 8mb).

Herts and Beds Sub-Regional BNP Organiser Resigns

It appears that the Griffin-supporting sub-regional organiser Danny Seabrook has resigned his post. A serial election failure, Seabrook had links with the only other Griffin-supporting unit in the 3 Counties - Kieren Trent's Bletchley group. This from Eddy Butler :

"I know hardly any of you will have heard of him, but I was interested to learn that the Herts and Beds Sub Regional Organiser Danny Seabrook has resigned. Mr Seabrook was ‘promoted’ to this position in the aftermath of wholesale sackings in Eastern Region last summer. There really isn’t a region left now, just a few units are struggling to exist. The Herts and Beds Sub Region now has two units compared to nine a year ago.

Danny Seabrook played a very poor role. He initially presented himself as an ultra supporter of me, ringing me at all hours (often in an emotional state) and he made extreme claims to other members about what was going on in the party. Then just as rapidly he switched sides and began spreading the most lurid accusations. I found this very disappointing and when people told me what he was doing and saying I initially refused to believe it."

Koran-protest pastor Terry Jones may be banned from UK

Home Secretary Theresa May has said she will be "actively looking at" whether to ban a controversial US pastor from entering the UK.

Terry Jones attracted condemnation when he threatened to burn copies of the Koran on this year's 9/11 anniversary.

He has been invited to the UK to share his views on Islam with activists.

Ms May told Sky News that Mr Jones had "been on her radar for a few months" and that "this is a case I will be actively looking at".

She said she had the power as home secretary to exclude an individual from coming to the UK if she considered they were not conducive to the public good or threatened national security.

Mr Jones has said his presence at an English Defence League rally in February would be "positive" but he admitted he would preach against "extremist Muslims".

Unite Against Fascism said it would be holding an anti-racism demonstration.

And the anti-extremist group Hope Not Hate is urging the home secretary to act.

The EDL said on its Facebook page that the rally in Luton, Bedfordshire, on 5 February would be "our biggest to date". It said Mr Jones would be joining the organisation to "speak out against the evils of Islam".

Mr Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, which has fewer than 50 members, told BBC 5 Live he had "no intention" of burning the Koran in the UK.

'Intimidation and division'
He said his speech would be "on harmony, on the subject that Muslims are welcome in our country".

He said: "We have no problem with Muslims - we have freedom of speech and religion - Muslims who want to make our country their country, obey our laws and constitution.

"We have a problem with them, which I believe you all have also, when they go on the street... and they call for the death of the UK, for the death of Israel, for the death of America. They call for Sharia law.

"They say they are going to turn Buckingham Palace into a mosque and the Queen must convert to Islam or leave the country."

Mr Jones admitted that his knowledge of the EDL was "somewhat limited".

"It's only what I know through conversations with them that my office has had and then of course the different material in the internet that they have put out. I would describe them as a group who, I believe, in their words they want England to stay English."

Weyman Bennett, joint national secretary of Unite Against Fascism, said: "Terry Jones is coming here to whip up Islamophobia and racism.

"We intend on calling a mass demonstration where everyone can oppose the growth of racism and fascism in this country."

Global demonstrations

Anti-extremist group Hope not Hate condemned the invitation to Mr Jones and has launched a petition calling on the home secretary to ban him from entering the UK.

Its director Nick Lowles said: "Only extremists will benefit from his visit and, as we know, extremism breeds hatred and hatred breeds violence.


Theresa May says Terry Jones's case has been known to her for several months "It is yet another example of how the EDL exists only to sow the seeds of intimidation and division."

George Readings, spokesman for counter-extremism think tank, Quilliam said: "Terry Jones is only coming to the UK to address a rally by the EDL, a far-right group whose protests have a track record of degenerating into violence.

"This suggests that his presence in the UK will not be conducive to the public good. The EDL has only invited him here to stir up trouble."

Mr Jones came to prominence in September after he announced plans for his "International Burn a Koran Day".

His plan was internationally condemned and sparked many demonstrations around the world. He eventually called off his protest.

BNP Opposes Bletchley Mosque Plans - MK News 24th Nov

The Muslim community are hoping for a new place of worship, after applying to transform a biker bar - but not if the BNP get their way.

Former music venue, The Plough, on Manor Road, Bletchley, is planned to be converted into a mosque, as the current Duncombe Road venue has become too small for the widening community.

Over the past weekend, the British National Party branch in the city launched a public campaign comprising leaflets, petitions and public protest actions against the conversion of a pub into a mosque in Bletchley.

BNP organiser, Kieren Trent said: "We decided to start the campaign after being approached by angry members of the public.

"We have warned local people about the threat of creeping Islamification, and the conversion of an English pub into a mosque shows how our culture is gradually being replaced by a different culture.

"Another mosque in the area will change the nature and character of the area, as has happened everywhere else where these buildings have been allowed."

Mr Kalamdar Ali, 54, secretary at Bletchley Mosque, said: "If the application goes ahead, we will be using the building for worship, especially on a Friday.

"Right now, the mosque at Duncombe Road simply is too busy for the residential area, and the traffic is really bad.

"So we want to open this new mosque to give the local people another place to pray.

"The community has grown so much, and with opening a new mosque, it could help a lot.

"The property at Manor Road isn't that big, but what we are hoping is that eventually we can get permission for an extension which we could then use for anyone in the community to hold events, meetings and educational classes."

Mr Ali, of Bangladeshi origin, opened the first Indian restaurant in the city 35 years ago, The Golden Curry in Bletchley. He also owns the Passage to India restaurant in Stony Stratford.

BNP Demo, Saturday 20th Nov, Hemel Hempstead

Word is that Herts BNP has organised a demo at Bank Court, Hemel Hempstead on Saturday 20th November, starting at 11 or 12.

A Message to Our Blog

My name is John Pater.

I was a member of the BNP and the British First party. As you know.

What led me to this path and making these mistakes may be of interest to you but what saved me from it and the fact I have woken up should be.

I have seen on the Searchlight website the motto ‘Hope not Hate’. I believe you do not harbour hatred of any one, I hope you don’t. Even those in the BNP and other organisations like it. If that is the case and you can forgive and believe in that hope as I do, there is hope for me and the opposition against the far right.

I left the British First Party, the BNP and all other organisations like it. Indeed I have been threatened by the EDL to keep away from them as they try to represent a front of non racism (hardly a claim to fame).

I left without any statements or reasoning to them because I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t carry around with me a constant hatred, a constant fear and suspicion of everything diverse, I couldn’t bear the burden of such negativity weighing heavy in my heart another second longer. And I just couldn’t cope with the constant barrage of racism, historic distortion and evil ranting at every meeting and on every bulletin.With the love and support of a beautiful Lady and the companionship of the Lord I have re-discovered my humanity.

This humanity exists in the vast majority of those you oppose (granted not all). If you can reach out to that, if you can try and connect with this humanity then there is hope. Hope that people can accept a better way of living, and a better outlook on their future without the need to perpetuate a sense of fear and destruction spread by these parties.It is easy to move on from all this hideousness and find a growing harmony.

I am not pitching my services as a reformed character to your efforts as I believe I would not be trusted (rightly so considering my history), and I’m sure you will read this with a high degree of scepticism, but to be perfectly honest I just want my life back, and atone for what I have done in charitable works completely unconnected with any politics what so ever.

I hope my post here is of interest to you. Please publish it if you think there is a chance it could boost your readers/activists resolve to continue with hope in their hearts and perhaps remind others to reconnect with their own humanity within these organisations (and leave them.)