Media ban put on BNP leader's talk
BNP leader Nick Griffin is coming to Sevenoaks as a guest speaker at the party's first meeting in the town.
The location and specific details are being kept a closely-guarded secret until after the talk tonight.
"Despite the criminal actions of the Labour Party in banning the BNP from holding meetings in Swanley, this meeting is going ahead nevertheless," wrote Paul Golding, BNP councillor for Swanley, in his blog last week.
"This is not a dictatorship, it is a democracy, and the British National Party and our members, supporters and voters, will enjoy freedom of speech and there is nothing the Labour Party can do about it."
All media will be banned except for one "confidential publication", and non-members will be barred.
Others wishing to join are prevented by the membership freeze in place until January.
"We operate on an A-list system," said Cllr Golding, who celebrated his surprise win in the district council by-election for St Mary's Ward, Swanley, in February.
"We make an agreement with a certain newspaper that they get exclusive coverage and if they print lies about us or just slag us off they are struck off the list forever."
Michael Fallon, Tory MP for Sevenoaks, said: "It seems an odd way to defend their policies."
"I hope they decide to rethink their extremist policies – I loathe everything they stand for."
He added he did not believe the BNP were suited to Sevenoaks.
Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesman Alan Bullion said he thought the meeting signified the launch of a BNP campaign across Kent in the lead up to the General Election.
"Obviously they have the right to hold a meeting although it seems to me a little suspect they have banned the town's media."
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by Julian Wilson, Tonbridge
Friday, January 01 2010, 9:31PM
“I am white and British. Therefore I despise the BNP and everything that they stand for. 60 years ago, working people in our country stood up to bigots with identical values ¿ racism, anti-semitism, hatred of democracy, a refusal to accept workers¿ rights ¿ and defeated them. The bigots, then called the British Union of Fascists under the command of Oswald Mosley, were defeated at Cable Street by Londoners of every background and religion, defeated at the ballot box and, in 1939, were interned as traitors to the country. Even in Tunbridge Wells I am told that they were given a good kicking by local supporters of the Labour Party.
No doubt the BNP will claim that all these negative comments about them are part of a conspiracy ¿ Nick Griffin is good at seeing everything from history (e.g. the Holocaust) to ecology (climate change) as a conspiracy to harm his chances. But the reason people don¿t like him is that they recognise him for what he is. If about 2.5% of the vote at the European elections (on a very low turnout) in Tunbridge Wells means that they have a lot of support there, as they claim, it would appear that most people from West Kent hate the BNP, even if they can organise a couple of supporters from Merseyside and Birmingham.”
by Dave, Dunton Green
Thursday, December 31 2009, 5:51PM
“I strongly resent the left wing bigots who take it upon themselves to decide what opinion I can listen to.
How dare you?
This is a democracy and however distasteful you find other people's views, you may NOT try to forbid others from hearing them. You are, in many ways, as bad as the harder-core members of the BNP.
Personally I find the opinions of the Socialist Workers Party, Respect, et al, as revolting as the BNP. Kindly go back to your inner cites and leave the people of Sevenoaks to decide their own affairs.”
by Terry Truffle, Sevenoaks
Wednesday, December 16 2009, 2:32PM
“GOD, DID THOU NOT SCOOP ME UP LIKE MILK AND POUR ME OUT AS CHEESE?
It's worth thinking about, no?”
by Kimasabi, One Planet - One Love
Wednesday, December 16 2009, 11:08AM
“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqysOK95E6A
We're gonna chase those crazy baldheads out of town :-)”
by Alex.r, Kemsing/Sevenoaks
Tuesday, December 15 2009, 7:11PM
“Actually Kirsty scratch that last comment.
Here is the leaked BNP members list with the proximity location of Sevenoaks Chronicle on the top of the high street. you can see for yourself.
http://www.localgibson.com/bnp/index.php?postcode=TN13+1JG
And YES I do know that this is a member list and not a list of every BNP supporter in Sevenoaks but we will not know how many supporters there are until the next election while we know for a fact that Michael Fallon won 22,437 votes in 2005 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/constituency/1276/sevenoaks)”