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University halts BNP speech plan

Kirklees Unity | 10.05.2007 18:37 | Anti-racism | Migration | Social Struggles

BNP leader Nick Griffin has been blocked from making a speech at a university meeting amid fears over security.

BNP leader Nick Griffin has been blocked from making a speech at a university meeting amid fears over security.

He was due to address students at the University of Bath after permission had initially been granted.

But a university spokesman said it was concerned a large number of protesters would create public order problems.

The BNP said it was disappointed that free speech and debate had been prevented.

Bath Students' Union President Paul Jaggers welcomed the decision and said students had spoken.

The row began when first year politics student Danny Lake, a national organiser for the youth wing of the party, invited Mr Griffin to make a speech on campus.

The university initially agreed to the meeting, due to take place on Monday, before changing its position late on Thursday.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has a no-platform policy for the BNP, but Bath Students' Union which is only affiliated to the NUS, is not bound by the code.

It held an emergency meeting and voted to condemn the BNP as an organisation and to oppose the decision to allow Mr Griffin to speak.

Mr Jaggers added: "This is a demonstration of student collectivism. Students have spoken and I am glad the university has listened."

Variety of opinions

In a statement, the university said: "Many people have argued passionately against the event taking place, but a substantial minority have argued strongly in favour of it proceeding.

"Some staff and students have registered with us their serious concerns for their safety if this event proceeds, as well as fears of disruption to examinations given the likely scale of protests on the day."

But it said the considerations had to be balanced against the need to hear and challenge a variety of opinions.

Dr Phill Edwards from the BNP said "We are disappointed the lecturers' unions have yet again prevented free speech and debate and also an opportunity for the union and interested parties to hear from Nick Griffin privileged information about how the BNP is making so much progress.

"Normally people have to secretly infiltrate the party to get information but this way it is offered for all to hear."
Story from BBC NEWS:
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/somerset/6644117.stm

Kirklees Unity
- e-mail: kirkleesunity@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://kirkunity.blogspot.com/

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

This is exactly the kind of treatment the BNP Recommend.

11.05.2007 21:27

The BNP portray themselves as a party of British Identity and seek to keep the horrors of Multiculturalism out. They promote exclusivity and censorship by their position. So this refusal of platform is exactly what they propose for the overwhelming majority of society. If no platform is good enough for Us it is good enough for them. It is a BNP Policy - so why the whine.

A Critic


You silly criminals!

12.05.2007 00:51

You have the nerve to call the BNP "Fascist"!!

You intimidate, threaten and use violence as a means to your end to stifle free speech and debate. That sort of behaviour IS fascism in action.

Do you seriously imagine that you are furthering the cause of "democracy" here?

One (probably unintended and unexpected) side effect of you and your mates attempt to suppress democracy and free speech is that it is actually causing people to think "hang on a minute, they can't be THAT bad can they" and check out their policies for themselves (wonderful thing, the internet) - That is, I am sure, a contributing factor to the recent growth of the BNP... Keep it up lads and lasses..

I think that Lenin (a man who I am sure is a hero to many of you), when he coined the phrase "useful idiots" would have had people just like you in mind... Do you honestly think that if (for example) the Islamofascists are strong enough to take over in 20/30 years time your arses will be less likely to be on the end of their "jackboot" simply because you yourselves used fascistic tactics to try to stop the progress of the one political party with a real prospect of using the benefits of our democracy to avert the catastrophe of implementation of Sharia Law in this country?

On the other hand, do you honestly think that when the encroaching police state promoted by the existing cabal of the Liblab Con is fully implemented you will be immune from George Orwells vision of the future summed up in "1984" as the booted foot stamping on a human face - forever - simply because you signed up to "stop the BNP".

If "Unite Against Fascism" lived up to their name they would be turning on themselves as they are the true fascists to a man (and woman).

Carry on sleepwalking to disaster "comrades".


Leodis



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leodis


The First Mention of Fascism...

12.05.2007 12:36

Was not made in the article. Was not made in the first response. The First Mention of Fascism was made by Leodis. Nobody mentioned Fascism as it was not relevant to the article. The BNP claim to have no Fascist among them. So this is news indeed.

The University is Private Property: free speech does not apply. The University can pick and choose whom it allows to speak there.

The cause is not of Democracy but of giving the BNP what they want: no platform. Because without a platform the BNP is exposed. The BNP needs to explain inconvenient facts. Such as why Nick Griffin appears to be on Youtube in a Tony Blair Mask or blacked up as an Asian Businessman. Why their finances have always been questionable. Why Nick Griffin appears in Sweden with self Proclaimed Fascists. Will these be explained to those people who "seek them out" - or glossed over?

The BNP have a systematic desire to be excluded and to exclude - that is their democratic right and it is being upheld by no platform policies. The BNP created the policy before any kind of UAF implementation of it.

The recent decline of the BNP is worrying the leadership. The average length of membership has fallen and the proportion of people expressing revulsion is rising. That creates an environment in which no kind of fascism will flourish. Not even that NeoCon marketing term Islamofascism. Remember the Red Fascists? Where did they go? By opposing the futile fascism of Racist Failure Politics everybody benefits - even democracy.

And the BNP is not a pro-democracy party. It cannot be. It is based on Identity Politics - so it opposed democracy and demands no platform for anybody except the ruling elite. Have you ever wondered why they use the Internet? Because it inflates their ego.


There is no sleepwalk to disaster: the disaster is here and it is fascism. We begin to awake by opposing the BNP.


Another Critic


To "Another Critic"

13.05.2007 13:17

I know that facsism was not mentioned in the article! But the first smear that springs to the lips of the likes of you and on your posters etc is that the BNP are fascists.

The University does indeed have the right to pick and choose who it allows to speak there. They chose to allow Nick Griffin to speak there until the hooligans and criminals of the left decided to threaten everybodies safety if it went ahead.... fascism in action from the left there!

The whole point of having a platform is that what is said on the platform is open to challenge. If you feel so strongly that the BNP are wrong then join the debate... The fact that you are so anxious to stop the debate happening at all "by any means necessary" shows how scared of the truth you really are!

As for having a desire to exclude and be excluded... There is absolutely nothing wrong in looking to put your own people first. Why don't the scum of the left protest when the Association of Black Police Officers has a meeting? They are by definition exclusionary. There are a host of other such organisations from which people of different creed, race or colour are excluded (usually the excluded happen to be white)... why no threats of violence against them?

You're trying to have your cake and eat it and in doing so are actively colluding with those who seek to finally drag this country to its knees.

I take back the "sleepwalking to disaster" comment. The likes of you know precisely what you are doing. I believe that what you are actually doing used to be called TREASON.

The BNP = The ONLY hope for the future of this country. The alternative will only be further breakdown in society and civil war.

Leodis


The No Platform Policy of the BNP - they invented it.

13.05.2007 14:47

Knowing that Fascism was not mentioned yet insisting it be discussed was the first smear of your response.

If you have information about Hooligans or Criminals, by all means inform the Police. You do not so you shall not. This is the empty bluster that pulls in the punters. The University took into consideration the "security" arrangements that Nick Griffin intended. The BNP pursues no platform policies. The security would have infringed the democratic right of the left to object to Griffin's stance. Claiming that it is fascism from the left is the big lie. If it is from the left it is from the right, the centre and the non-aligned. It is called antifascism and has no partisan home.

The BNP practices No Platform politics. No Platform is what they demand and it is their democratic right to have no platform. When the BNP ensures that the debate is stopped by "any means necessary" it show how scared they are of exposing their own lies.

The BNP claim to practice "identity politics" so there can never be any objection to black police officers organisations, chinese cultural organisations or any other identity group. Yet they do. Is that Race Politics? The politics of finding the identity of others and seeking to destroy it? Not because they are different but because you are terrified that you are different.

Collusion with Swedish and Dutch and German Fascists? Perhaps a visit to Tehran for the anti-Zionist conference for some collusion with the Islamofascists? Perhaps getting some donations from the American Friends? Who colludes - those who are revolted by the hateful nonsense of the BNP or those who take cash from convicted racists, employ convicted terrorists, have accounts that look suspicious to everybody?

Nobody is sleepwalking because people are awaking to the treasonable hatred the BNP spreads. Treason that threatens the law abiding and sensible citizen with breakdown in society and civil war. Your own words. The treason has never been from the left it has always been from the collusive fifth columnists of the BNP.

The day Nick Griffin gets on a platform to explain who his masters are, then he will have ended his ridiculous charade of being the only hope for Britain. That is why he loves no platform. No platform means no responsibilities.

Another Critic


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