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Anti-BNP protesters interrupt Lancashire County Council meeting

4:30pm Thursday 25th June 2009 in


PROTESTERS interrupted a council meeting this afternoon with chants against the far-right British National Party.

Stunned Lancashire County Councillors looked on as the group, who were sitting in the public gallery, shouted “BNP out! Fascists out!” before being ushered out of the chamber.

Earlier, police had been on duty as about 60 protestors demonstrated ahead of the full council meeting.

It was the first since the June 4 election, which saw the BNP’s Sharon Wilkinson become the first county councillor in the party’s history.

Coun Wilkinson told the Lancashire Telegraph she had brought her own “security” and was not worried about the protests, organised by Unite Against Fascism.

A handful of BNP supporters sat alongside the demonstrators in the upstairs gallery.

It was expected to be a routine meeting, the first under the new Tory administration, with councillors appointed to the key positions on the council.

The chants began as members of Lancashire Police Authority were being appointed.

The council’s new deputy chairman, Ribble Valley’s Chris Holtom, struggled to make himself heard above the din.

Coun Wilkinson, who sat two rows back from the other members, sat motionless as the protestors were evicted.

New Tory council leader Geoff Driver vowed she would not be put forward to serve on any committees, and added: “Protests like that can only help the BNP because people sympathise with them.”

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "Around 60 protesters have taken part in a demonstration outside County Hall in Preston ahead of Lancashire County Council’s first full meeting of the new cabinet.

"A relatively small policing operation was carried out, which was pre-planned in conjunction with the Council and the demonstrators themselves, Unite Against Fascism.

"The demonstration passed off peacefully without incident."

Comments(38)

willybob says...
2:41pm Thu 25 Jun 09

get over it you anti-bnp muppets, the bnp are here to stay.

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Darren Reynolds says...
2:45pm Thu 25 Jun 09

We can do without this sort of thing. The BNP are wrong, intensely, deeply wrong, but having been elected, anyone childishly interrupting meetings at which one of their members happens to be present is being unhelpful in the extreme. On behalf of the Liberal Democrats in East Lancashire let me declare that we disapprove of it intensely.

The way to protest against the BNP is at the ballot box.

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bgrs says...
2:46pm Thu 25 Jun 09

Seems like these anti bnp types are unemployed, they seem to turn up at anytime. Probably claiming benefits while they stifle democracy.

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pull some strings says...
2:47pm Thu 25 Jun 09

I don't agree with their policies but they have been elected by the people so they have a democratic right.

They will be marginalised by the other parties anyway, the protestors are just giving more publicity to them.

No doubt the protestors are left-wing communists/socialist
swith equally ridiculous policies.

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Hugo Syn says...
2:56pm Thu 25 Jun 09

Yet again the unelected, unelectable and unwanted "UAF" prove just who are the real "fascists"!

These people would not recognise freedom of speech or democracy if it jumped up and bit them in the throat.

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brunlea says...
3:00pm Thu 25 Jun 09

why all this protest and i think there is no need for this cos the bnp will get more publicity by all this stun and its not gonna do any good.

the only way to kick bnp out is by the ballot box.

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akon says...
3:13pm Thu 25 Jun 09

The way to protest against the libdems is through the ballot box !!Just like many did in the latest elections .
Ref the scum who have all the time in the world on their hands,Anal etc Charge them & take their benefit's away,
utter VERMIN !!

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StrangeTimes says...
3:14pm Thu 25 Jun 09

Cut off the free benefits for these UAF thugs and force them to work for a living. They are the ones who give this country a bad name.

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duke bar says...
3:25pm Thu 25 Jun 09

These people are scum .

Its like whats going on in Iran with the secret Police stopping the demonstrtions.
If you do not like the bnp vote against them.SIMPLE AS THAT.

If this had been the otherway round with bnp supporters interrupting a County Council meeting it would be on the BBC NEWS and would be talked about in the houses of parliment.

Suprised it got a mention in this paper at all

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andy1 says...
4:12pm Thu 25 Jun 09

akon wrote:
The way to protest against the libdems is through the ballot box !!Just like many did in the latest elections .
Ref the scum who have all the time in the world on their hands,Anal etc Charge them & take their benefit's away,
utter VERMIN !!
Jua=st like your party full of criminals from drug dealers to rapists and past terrorists. I do wish however the UAF would stop giving the BNP any kind of voice leave that to the other partys to simply ignore and isolate simple as that. There is one BNP member on the County Council its not even a group she will be given what ever commitees the Political Groups want. The BNP member will have very limitations on what she can do. The real vermin akon are the facists I promised you some more exposure so a quote from an elected BNP Councillor. Steve Batkin (Stoke-on-Trent). Steve Batkin attended none of a possible thirty committee meetings in the nine months to March 2005. Batkin has only spoken twice in his first two years as a councillor and one of those was to ask what “abstain” meant. Was once told to stop talking to the media after he questioned key facts relating to the Holocaust, including saying that Jewish people refused to debate the subject because they would be exposed as liars. LOL to ask what abstain meant my god where did the BNP get him from? More to come akon on your fellow comrades they make such stupid gaffs. I want at County Hall before you ask like Ive said there are better ways to expose the BNP.

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bgrs says...
4:27pm Thu 25 Jun 09

andy1, haven't people been "exposing" the BNP for years? Still their support grows as people are intersted in the here and now and not the past. Their support will keep growing until the main parties start to listen, which will be quite some time i think. Stronger by the day.

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David Shapcott says...
4:56pm Thu 25 Jun 09

This just goes to show who the Facists are its the UAF thugs paid for by the New Labour Commies! The BNP have a mandate from the British people who voted them in to office but New Labour do not believe in Democracy!

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Truth will out says...
5:04pm Thu 25 Jun 09

Well done to Unite Against Fascism - you've probably just secured even more votes for the BNP.

When will the penny drop with these knuckle-heads. The BNP have been elected in a fair election. As odious as that is, that is what the people have voted for and if you want to change it do it at the next election.

Sometimes you wonder who the real fascists are.

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holsten pils says...
5:28pm Thu 25 Jun 09

The true knuckleheads are those that believe all the anti BNP hype , they dont have a brain cell between them , it appears democracy only counts when it is any other party than the BNP , i love the bit by some idiot about BNP terrorists , criminals etc when this government have many more criminals than the BNP will ever have and was it not prescott that thumped a guy ?? and ! would the idiots on here that are anti BNP rather we kept giving housing and benefits to the hate preachers in our country that the majority of us want thrown out but labour let stay at our expense , the BNP would get rid of thereal scum within days and rightly so .

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carpymick says...
5:39pm Thu 25 Jun 09

These UAF ought to be put away. I make no bones I support the BNP. However I don't agree with all their policies no more than a tory would agree with all conservative policies.Nor would a labour voter agree with all labour policies. The BNP will adapt and soften their views over time. All parties do.As for being nazis or fascists what a load of twaddle I suggest they (UAF) try looking up the meaning of the word and then see if it really applies. I think they will find it is an accurate description of themselves and their activities. If they couldn't protest about the BNP they would be harassing animal scientists or fox hunters. Idiot student type spongers the lot of them. Let democracy take its course please!

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clairewdg says...
7:48pm Thu 25 Jun 09

I'm not having that. The definition of fascism fits the BNP precisely. I agree that we need to allow democracy to take its course; I can only hope this means that the BNP are voted out next time round.
As for the UAF 'idiots', surely political expression takes many forms. At least they're taking a stand for something they believe in.

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happycyclist says...
7:58pm Thu 25 Jun 09

Yesterday's Telegraph: "Take off burkas" call by Euro MP. NW Euro MEP Chris Davies of the Lib Dems....
Seems the BNP weren't the only fascist, racist party you could have voted for.

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chris vanns says...
8:12pm Thu 25 Jun 09

I was there today, The protest was by a load of just out of school children led by a couple of old losers, they were very childish and their silly chants, Swearing and hand gestures made the BNP members there laugh, Sharon was ignored in the main by the other councilors, What were they scared of? Agreeing with her? Sharon has more backbone than the rest of them put together, A message to them, Be a man or woman not a sniveling little lapdog to your party, You are there to do the best job for the people who voted for you, And believe it or not even for those who did not vote for you, And if that means agreeing with the BNP get over it, If you can not then you have no right to be there.

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carpymick says...
8:42pm Thu 25 Jun 09

for clairewdg
the trouble with the UAF is they use violence to deny someones democratic rights hence they are facsists! If they want to change the BNP join and change from within.If you ever listen to a discussion from members of UAF they can't even reason. All they do is chant "smash the BNP" sad misguided fools that they are.Try listening to play radio sometime.
Also do you agree with immigration as it stands? The main parties are deafeningly quiet on this one and no I am not a racist I have some very good ethnic friends who actually agree that immigration has gone too far.

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John23 says...
8:49pm Thu 25 Jun 09

I think the UAF have a right to protest, protest is a part of democracy so it's not undemocractic. If the BNP are free to get elected people are also free to protest about it. Having said that protesting at a meeting is being distruptive and not going to win many people over. The BNP are a nasty piece of work but just allow them to talk and destroy their stupid arguments.

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holsten pils says...
8:56pm Thu 25 Jun 09

When the BNP are on par with what the moslems and the labour government are doing to our country the you can call them but at this moment in time the BNP are the only party that will truly address immigration/ the eu and asylum and the islamification of Britain , all other parties dare not even mention them.The BNP are working on the preservation of Britain and the hope that we will be able to say what we think in our own country without fear of arrest , at the present time only the mad moslem preacher seem to be able to do this .
And ! for some idiots to fall for the hype of the BNP are facist , do they really think all the thousands of ordinary people from all walks of life are facist ?? Get real and dont believe the anti BNP hype that this government + other parties want you to believe , all aided by the unions that many BNP supporters actually belong to , its a shame union members cannot ask for their contributions to be with held from supporting labour and their positive racism policies that gives ethnics etc jobs before our own.

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SylvieM says...
1:35am Fri 26 Jun 09

This disgusts me. The UAF are nothing more than paid Labour thugs. The BNP have done nothing wrong. They have been democratically elected, and so has Councillor Wilkinson.
So why won’t they go head to head with the BNP in front of the media? I’ll tell you why, they are scared to death of them. Griffin would make mincemeat them and they know it. They say they don’t want to share a platform with them – I bet they don’t, they are just violent cowards. They obviously do not work, as they turn up at a drop of a hat. They need to get this through their skull. The British National Party is here to stay. So get yourselves a job. And while you’re at it – grow up.

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Mike Costa says...
7:49am Fri 26 Jun 09

Mike Costa says:

This is quite amazing. I wasnt aware until now just how many wrong thinking people there were in BNPley.

Have you craven fools learnt nothing from history? This mass stupidity is exactly why Hitler and Mussolini were able to come to power.

That said, two wrongs dont make a right. The best way to get rid of the tide of filth that is the BNP is through a strong willed populace turning their backs on them. Unfortunately, it appears that BNPley is full of weak willed sheep.

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clairewdg says...
11:48am Fri 26 Jun 09

Carpymick:

It makes little sense to say that in order to change the BNP members of the UAF need to join the party and change it from the inside, mainly because to do so they'd have to - at least on the surface - change their views entirely. I can't really see that happening, can you? Since when was chanting 'Smash the BNp' violence? I'm sure protests are a real and legitimate part of the democratic procedure - democracy isn't just about voting, it's about being able to make your views known.

As for the definition of fascism, you may be right there. Perhaps the BNP isn't fascist because fascism implies a strong political ideology on many fronts, not just a right-wing xenophobic attitude to other races and nations.

Immigration doesn't really bother me, in all honesty. It's alright to want to heark back to the glory days of the Empire when we controlled half of the world, but not ok to live with the inevitable consequences of allowing whole continents to be British, even for a short time? No, England has never been self-sufficient, not really, and to pretend that we could be now is misguided. We need other countries and other races, and they need us. It's as simple as that.

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RAyzer says...
12:19pm Fri 26 Jun 09

easiest way to stop these protesters is to stop there dole,and get them working,to much time on there hands..they love labour because labour love losers

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Old Timer says...
12:27pm Fri 26 Jun 09

Makes interesting reading and while you and I from the lower decks are arguing the toss the capitalists are still ruling an unjust world.... gone on since time began.

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phoebesgrandad says...
12:34pm Fri 26 Jun 09

I have to agree with Holsten Pils almost 1 million people voted for the BNP in the euro elections and the outstanding reason is they have the platform to say what a great number of ordinary working people think about immigration but are scared to open their mouths because of the race laws and the pc police.So they can voice their opinions via the ballot box in secret.So get used to the BNP doing well because until someone listens their support will grow and grow,helped of course by the press and UAF.

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Lanc's Lad says...
2:57pm Fri 26 Jun 09

Just have a look at what you voted for.

Copy and paste the url

http://video.google.
co.uk/videoplay?doci
d=-61457934876760119
77

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holsten pils says...
3:33pm Fri 26 Jun 09

People that voted for the BNP know what they voted for and that is a party " the only party " that is trying to preserve Britain while labour give it away bit by bit and allow immigrants more say in this country than our own and they get more in benefits than the actual people that fought in a war to save our country , how can this be right ?
Mike Costa says Burnley people are weak willed sheep but surely they are the opposite as they have the strength to speak up and say enough is enough we dont want any more moslems / immigrants we dont want any more bloody mosques that make our town look islamic etc , this is not racism it is realism and self preservation and there is nothing wrong with that at all , which other party will stand up for the rights of the white indigenous population and stop all the crao that is happening ? None ! is the answer and the tide of filth that is in this country are the immigrants with their backward ways and the diseases they bring here " hiv aids , TB etc for us hard working taxpayers to pay for their treatment.
AQnd just because we used to have an empire it does not mean we have to be the worlds health service , when are the idiots on here going to realise we are an island with limited space and funds and we cannot accommodate or keep all these people for free and the other thing is the majority of the country do not want them and these are just a few of the reasons people are turning to the BNP and good on them.

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milty says...
4:21pm Fri 26 Jun 09

Do people realise these UAF thugs are costing the taxpayer, due to a constant police presence everytime they show up somewhere, with there threats and violent behaviour, maybe its time to start stationing bars of soap and cans of deoderant at meetings now, surely that would be more of a deterrent to these thugs than the police it should work out a lot cheaper to.

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The Artful Labourer says...
4:23pm Fri 26 Jun 09

This how democracy works isn't it? The Anti-BNP Brigade should have stood at the election, amassed enough votes and stopped them at the ballot box.

If the boot was on the other foot and it was the BNP protesting in such a manner then all hell would break loose!

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floydbrfc says...
10:49am Sat 27 Jun 09

i have yet to read anything published by the bnp that has anything to do with the nazi,s or hitler quite the opposite in fact all this crap is whipped up by the frightend to death liberal leftie types who are the real fascists with there anti democratic rants ,yes they are very right wing and i dont agree with everything they say ,so why arnt all left wing parties associated with the communist regime of josef stalin which was every bit as evil as his great nemisis mr hitlers nazis .if we are going to start calling everyone with a bit of pride in being british or having a right wing veiw on any subject then lets have a level playing field and start linking all trade unions all socialists etc with stalin and the mass murders which his regime was guilty of.?? maybe not eh

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holsten pils says...
12:17pm Sat 27 Jun 09

Correct floyd, it is just the feeble minded that believe the nazi etc hype all i do is ask the idiots that say tyhis is why are so many old soldiers voting for the BNP if the nazi crap were true .
I think its because they see all they fought for being given away to immigrants and while the old soldiers struggle to keep warm they see immigrants getting everything paid for by us and even some communities getting benefits for their extra wives , its disgusting what this government are doint to our country and people are finally realising we should not be keeping the world and being put second in our own country.

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dave bax says...
10:26pm Sat 27 Jun 09

Holsten pills get a life! Not every white brit with a brain would think that, and that is not the reason to vote for BNP. Its people like you with your childish racist comments that gives this party a bad name, something Nick Griffin strongly warned us about in his last party conference. Have a read of some of your comments over the last few days and grow up! God save the queen.

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holsten pils says...
4:17pm Mon 29 Jun 09

Dave bax , i do not need to get a life and i think you will find it is the Brits with brains that do think it and those like you that do not . As for childish racist comments there have been none by me but just statements of fact that you cannot seem to grasp.
As for me giving the BNP a bad name ! what planet are you on ? they already have a bad name down to the media , unions etc but basically by you saying we should not make comments you are saying we should say and do nothing ! get real and get into the real world and grow up yourself with your childish comments .

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dave bax says...
10:31am Tue 30 Jun 09

Holsten pills correct me if I am wrong but I am sure you are asian but not muslim maybe Sikh or Hindu. Your efforts to try and have a go at muslims but to do it with the guise of the BNP is simply not working. Come on Malkit Singh show your true colours!

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holsten pils says...
5:39pm Tue 30 Jun 09

Oh goodness gracious me !! i have been rumbled . Not !!!
Tell you what though we dont get any trouble from the indians , do we ??

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ChiRho says...
2:11pm Fri 3 Jul 09

I have nothing to do with either the BNP or the UAF but I would like to know where the UAF were when several Romaniain families were hounded out of their homes in Northern Ireland by openly hostile racists ?

Or do the UAF only target passive racists these days ?

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