BNP accused of inciting racial hatred with election leaflet (From Warrington Guardian)

BNP accused of inciting racial hatred with election leaflet

A EUROPEAN election leaflet produced by the British National Party has been referred to Cheshire Police under the Public Order Act 1986.

Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Racial Equality Council says that the leaflet constitutes incitement to racial hatred.

Shantele Janes, director of the Racial Equality Council, said: "This BNP leaflet contains insulting and inaccurate material, which in our view does nothing more than fuel racial hatred.

"It distorts figures in an attempt to portray asylum seekers as criminals and dole scroungers. It is a blatant attempt to provoke tension and incite racial hatred."

But Dr Phill Edwards, national press officer for the BNP, countered: "The word race is not mentioned on the leaflet.

"When an organisation like the Racial Equality Council wants to prevent a party like the BNP from promoting their ideas, it shows that their ideas are not really welcome. If it were such a wonderful thing to have a multi-racial country we would not need a Racial Equality Council and we would accept this enforced multi-racialism without question."

The leaflet has been distributed to homes across the north west for Nick Griffin, BNP chairman, who is a candidate in the European elections on June 10.

The front of the leaflet shows a picture of a British flag being burned, but the REC claims that the image is unrelated to the asylum issue.

Cheshire Police has confirmed that it has received a complaint about the leaflet from the REC and will be referring it to the Crown Prosecution Service.