The Official National Front ( ONF ) was one of two far-right groups to emerge in the United Kingdom in 1986 following a split within the National Front . Following ideological paths that were mostly new to the British far-right , the ONF stood opposed to the more traditionalist Flag Group .
144-475: The ONF emerged in the early 1980s when young radicals such as Nick Griffin , Derek Holland , Patrick Harrington and David Kerr became attracted to Third Position ideas and, eschewing the route of electoral politics favoured by the National Front up to that point, hoped to develop a cadre of devoted nationalist revolutionaries. Emphasising a strong anti-capitalist as well as anti-communist line,
288-626: A "British Justice team" would give them "a bit of drama", but took no further action. Louis Farrakhan Louis Farrakhan ( / ˈ f ɑːr ə k ɑː n / ; born Louis Eugene Walcott ; May 11, 1933) is an American religious leader who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI), a black nationalist organization. Farrakhan is notable for his leadership of the 1995 Million Man March in Washington, D.C., and for his rhetoric that has been widely denounced as antisemitic and racist. Prior to joining
432-590: A "Eurocratic state", a process he called " Mussolini fascism ... under Gordon Brown." He supported the Gurkhas , stating that the BNP would allow them and their families entry to the country for medical treatment "for as long as they needed treatment, or for as long as they lived." He also suggested the removal of 100,000 Muslims "disloyal to Britain" and their replacement with the Gurkhas. After assuming control of
576-430: A "moderniser", and "new nationalist", and after his election as leader of the BNP, according to The Guardian contributor Francis Wheen , was "contemptuous" of the party's traditional supporters. He changed the BNP's traditional focus on immigration and race, to a defence of what it sees as "our traditional principles against the politically correct agenda" espoused by mainstream politicians. He has portrayed himself as
720-717: A "race of devils " by an evil scientist named Yakub , a story which originated with the founder of the NOI, Wallace D. Fard . The NOI's division into two factions after Elijah Muhammad's death was caused in part by the fact that new leader Warith Mohammed wished to reject the Yakub myth, while national spokesman Farrakhan wanted to reaffirm it. At an event in Milwaukee in August 2015, Farrakhan said: "White people deserve to die, and they know, so they think it's us coming to do it". Both
864-566: A Black Man's Hell, a record album which was issued on Boston's A Moslem Sings label in 1960. The summer after Farrakhan's conversion, Elijah Muhammad stated that all musicians in the NOI had to choose between music and the Nation of Islam. After nine months of being a registered Muslim in the NOI and a member of Muhammad's Temple of Islam in Boston, where Malcolm X was the minister, Farrakhan became his assistant minister. Eventually he became
1008-515: A Cambridge-educated family man was in contrast to the extremist image presented by the BNP under Tyndall's leadership. In October 1999, Nick Griffin, supported by Tony Lecomber stood against Tyndall for leadership of the BNP. John Tyndall received just 30% of the votes, while Griffin the majority, 70%. Griffin stood as his party's candidate in several English elections after joining the BNP. In 2000, he stood in West Bromwich West , in
1152-724: A June 2009 interview with Channel 4 News , Griffin claimed that "There's no such thing as a black Welshman ", which was criticised by Vaughan Gething , the first black president of the Welsh NUS and the Welsh TUC , and the first black candidate for the National Assembly for Wales . Commenting on Griffin's claim, he said "on that basis, most white people wouldn't qualify. It's quite clear that Nick Griffin just doesn't accept that black British people or black Welsh people are entitled to call themselves proper, full citizens of
1296-603: A by-election triggered by the resignation of Betty Boothroyd . He came fourth, with 794 votes (4.21% of those cast). Following the Oldham race riots he ran in Oldham West and Royton in the 2001 general election . He received 6,552 votes (16%), coming third ahead of the Liberal Democrats , but closely behind the second place Conservatives , who received 7,076 votes. He again stood for election in
1440-472: A concerto by a Jewish composer was, in part, an effort to heal a rift between him and the Jewish community. (Mendelssohn's family converted to Christianity). The New York Times music critic Bernard Holland reported that Farrakhan's performance was somewhat flawed due to years of neglect, but "nonetheless Mr. Farrakhan's sound is that of the authentic player. It is wide, deep and full of the energy that makes
1584-672: A debate on extremism in December 2002, with Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Öpik . The venue was changed twice after protests from property owners, but the threat of a violent confrontation between the Anti-Nazi League and BNP supporters forced the president of the Cambridge Forum, Chris Paley, to cancel the event. Paley called the decision an "own goal" for the values of free speech, and Öpik criticised it, emphasising his belief in "people's right to make their own decisions in
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#17327725663741728-489: A defender of free speech, and has repeatedly spoken out against multiculturalism . During 2000, he attempted to further the BNP's popular appeal by targeting specific groups, including lorry drivers—some of whom were at the time engaged in mass protests against fuel prices—and farmers. The BNP also produced a journal devoted to rural matters. The BNP's constitution grants its chairman full executive power over all party affairs, and Griffin thus carried sole responsibility for
1872-548: A democracy". In February 2005, Griffin was asked to take part in a debate on multiculturalism at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He was invited by the president of the students' debating society, who said "We believe that the only way to get the truth of what the BNP are saying and to combat them is to do it in public in a debate." The move was attacked by anti-racist groups, some of whom refused to participate in
2016-702: A disagreement with Harrington (who subsequently formed the Third Way ), and objections over the direction the party was heading, in 1989, Griffin left the National Front. Along with Holland and Fiore, he helped form the International Third Position (ITP), a development of the Political Soldier movement, but left the organisation in 1990. In the same year, he lost his left eye when a discarded shotgun cartridge exploded in
2160-532: A dozen cheeky, funny tunes as "The Charmer" in a mixed mento / calypso style, including "Ugly Woman", "Stone Cold Man" and calypso standards like "Zombie Jamboree", "Hol 'Em Joe", "Mary Ann" and "Brown Skin Girl". Some were reissued: "Don't Touch Me Nylon" has mild, explicit sexual lyrics as well as "Female Boxer", which contains some sexist overtones and "Is She Is, Or Is She Ain't" (inspired by Christine Jorgensen 's sex change operation). When Farrakhan first joined
2304-530: A finger for white people—that's a simple lie." Following the Admiral Duncan pub bombing by former BNP member David Copeland , Griffin stated "The TV footage of dozens of 'gay' demonstrators flaunting their perversion in front of the world's journalists showed just why so many ordinary people find these creatures so repulsive." The BNP states that, privately, homosexuality should be tolerated, but that it "should not be promoted or encouraged". It opposed
2448-810: A formal complaint about the format of the programme, which he said was "... not a genuine Question Time ; that was a lynch mob ". He suggested that he should appear again, but that "... [we] should do it properly, and talk about the issues of the day", and added, "That audience was taken from a city that is no longer British ... That was not my country any more. Why not come down and do it in Thurrock, do it in Stoke, do it in Burnley? Do it somewhere where there are still significant numbers of English and British people, and they haven't been ethnically cleansed from their own country." Griffin describes himself as
2592-429: A four-page leaflet written in 1999, Webster claimed to have had a homosexual relationship with Griffin, then the BNP's publicity director. Griffin has denied any such relationship. From 1977, Griffin studied history, then law, at Downing College, Cambridge . His affiliation with the National Front was revealed during a Cambridge Union debate, and his photograph was published in a student newspaper. He later founded
2736-451: A group of Islamic fundamentalists . The ' scientific racism ' that had been the cornerstone of NF ideas up to that point was abandoned by the ONF in favour of an emphasis on ethnopluralism and expressions of admiration for Black separatist leaders such as Farrakhan and Marcus Garvey , a new departure illustrated by the August 1987 edition of National Front News in which the slogan ' Black
2880-556: A hand injury. He is a fan of Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe , and an admirer of Amir Khan . Following his graduation, Griffin became a political worker at the National Front headquarters. As a teenager he had accompanied his father to a National Front meeting, and by 1978, he was a national organiser for the party. He helped set up the White Noise Music Club in 1979, and several years later worked with white power skinhead band, Skrewdriver . In 1980, he became
3024-582: A homogeneous white nation". On 14 December 2004, Griffin was arrested at his home in Wales, on suspicion of incitement to racial hatred, over remarks he made about Islam in an undercover BBC documentary titled The Secret Agent . He was questioned at a police station in Halifax, West Yorkshire , before being freed on police bail . He said that the arrest was "an electoral scam to get the Muslim block vote back to
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#17327725663743168-467: A laptop to post daily updates on a blog on the BNP's website. In his closing address, defence barrister Timothy King QC said, "The British National Party is a legal, political entity. It has a right in a democratic society to put forward ideas and policies which some might find uncomfortable and some might find even offensive. There has been a tendency in this case to over-analyse speeches, to take one line here and one line there. You have got to look at
3312-455: A letter of approval from the Nation of Islam acknowledging his official membership as a registered Muslim/registered believer/registered laborer in the NOI. As a result, he received his "X." The "X" was considered a placeholder, used to indicate that Nation of Islam members' original African family names had been lost. They acknowledged that European surnames were slave names , assigned by the slaveowners in order to mark their ownership. Members of
3456-446: A magazine before developing it into a movement for White power bands independent of the parties. The departure of these groups also meant a loss of one of the ONF's main sources of revenue and the split proved fairly divisive with B&H supporters dubbing the ONF the "Nutty Fairy Party" due to their unusual ideas and rumours of homosexuality within the leadership. The split came at a bad time as membership had already been curtailed by
3600-483: A megaphone. He attacked Tony Blair and the BBC , and defended the BNP's right to freedom of speech. BNP Deputy Chairman Simon Darby later claimed that had Griffin been convicted, the BNP leader planned to go on hunger strike . Mainstream opinion in this country will be offended by some of the statements that they have heard made. At the same time, of course, the courts make their judgements on these things. But if there
3744-557: A member of the party's governing body, the National Directorate, and in the same year launched Nationalism Today with the aid of Joe Pearce , then editor of the NF youth paper Bulldog . As a National Front member, Griffin contested the seat of Croydon North West twice, in the 1981 by-election and 1983 general election, securing 1.2% and 0.9% of the vote. Membership of the National Front declined significantly following
3888-453: A pile of burning wood, and since then he has worn a glass eye. The accident left him unable to work, and owing to other financial problems he subsequently petitioned for bankruptcy (the accident occurred in France, where he later lost money in a failed business project). For several years thereafter, he abstained from politics and was supported financially by his parents. He later stewarded
4032-545: A policy of support for Ulster nationalism , a fringe idea within Northern Ireland , and through this shift forged links with the Ulster Defence Association and in particular John McMichael who was advocating such an idea at the time. Separate links were also maintained with sometime Democratic Unionist Party activist George Seawright who, although not avowedly an Ulster nationalist, was
4176-596: A political party has never been done before." In May 2009, he was invited by the BNP representative on the London Assembly , Richard Barnbrook , to accompany him to a Buckingham Palace garden party hosted by Queen Elizabeth II . The invitation prompted objections from several organisations and public figures, including the Mayor of London Boris Johnson , and the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight . Griffin declined this first invitation, out of fear of embarrassing
4320-519: A post modernist rightist party, but what they perceived to be a strong, disciplined organisation with the ability to back up its slogan "Defend Rights for Whites" with well-directed boots and fists. Tyndall, also previously in the National Front, had founded the BNP in 1982, but his "brutal, streetfighting background" and admiration for Hitler and the Nazis had made any kind of respectability impossible. In his 1999 leadership campaign, Griffin embarked on
4464-590: A public Holocaust denial meeting hosted by David Irving . Griffin re-entered politics in 1993 and, in 1995, at the behest of John Tyndall , joined the British National Party (BNP). He also became editor of two right-wing magazines owned by Tyndall, Spearhead and The Rune . Referring to the election of the BNP's first councillor, Derek Beackon , at a 1993 council by-election in Millwall , he wrote: The electors of Millwall did not back
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4608-546: A racist, and the Southern Poverty Law Center considers the Nation of Islam (NOI) as a hate group and a black nationalist organization. According to the SPLC, the NOI asserts that black people are racially superior to white people and promotes a "fundamentally anti-white theology" amounting to an "innate black superiority over whites". According to the NOI, whites were created 6,600 years ago as
4752-451: A revival of country "values" and a return to feudalism with the establishment of nationalist communes. Writing for Bulldog in 1985, Griffin praised the black separatist Louis Farrakhan , but his comments were unpopular with some members of the party. He also attempted to form alliances with Libya's Muammar al-Gaddafi and Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini , and praised the efforts of Welsh nationalist movement Meibion Glyndŵr . Following
4896-447: A secret. It was a badge of honor. Everybody talked about it, yes." In a 60 Minutes interview that aired during May 2000, Farrakhan stated that some of the things he said may have led to the assassination of Malcolm X. "I may have been complicit in words that I spoke", he said. "I acknowledge that and regret that any word that I have said caused the loss of life of a human being." A few days later Farrakhan denied that he "ordered
5040-515: A sense you could say there is a similarity in that we are rising our people up from nothing, but don't compare me with your wicked killers. At a later meeting of the Nation of Islam at Madison Square Garden in 1985, Farrakhan said of the Jews: "And don't you forget, when it's God who puts you in the ovens, it's forever!" He has also claimed that German Jews financed the Holocaust in a speech at
5184-525: A similar fanaticism that they saw in Islam . This idea led to the publication of the most notorious issue of NF News which featured a cover extolling the 'new alliance' of the party with the Ayatollah Khomeini , Muammar Gaddafi and Louis Farrakhan , a previously unthinkable stance in the NF. During a march for Quds Day in 1988 Patrick Harrington and Graham Williamson took their place alongside
5328-534: A strategy to make the party electable, by taking it away from Tyndall's extremist image. He was helped by Tyndall's lack of familiarity with the mainstream media, and in the party's September election he defeated Tyndall to become head of the BNP. One of Griffin's changes included moderating the party's emphasis on the removal of multiculturalism, a policy it claims has a destructive influence on both immigrant and British cultures. Griffin pledged to eliminate "the three Hs: hobbyism, hard talk and Hitler". This realignment
5472-520: A suspended prison sentence. In 2006, he was acquitted of separate charges of inciting racial hatred. He has been criticised for many of his comments on political, social, ethical and religious matters, but after becoming leader of the BNP he sought to distance himself from some of his previously held positions, which included Holocaust denial . Events where Griffin has been invited to participate in public debates or political discussions have often resulted in protests and cancellations. Since 2018, he has been
5616-461: A veteran of the League of Empire Loyalists and the publisher of the anti-Semitic journal Candour , who allowed these training seminars to be held on her Hampshire estate. Subsequently, these were moved to specially prepared buildings on land owned by Nick Griffin's father Edgar . Aided by Roberto Fiore , whose Terza Posizione held similar views, the ONF developed an ideology that stressed
5760-403: A £2,300 fine. Ballard was given a six-month sentence, also suspended for two years. He said, "I am well aware that the orthodox opinion is that six million Jews were gassed and cremated and turned into lampshades. Orthodox opinion also once held that the world is flat. Griffin claimed that the law under which he was convicted was an unjust law and he therefore had no obligation to follow it. He
5904-617: Is antisemitic, racist, or anti-gay. Farrakhan was banned from Facebook in 2019 along with other public figures considered to be extremists. Farrakhan, who is Black, was born Louis Eugene Walcott on May 11, 1933 in The Bronx , New York City . He is the younger of two sons of Sarah Mae Manning (1900–1988) and Percival Clark, immigrants from the Anglo-Caribbean islands. His mother was born in Saint Kitts , while his father
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6048-479: Is beautiful ' appeared. Copies of the Nation of Islam -linked newspaper The Final Call could also be purchased from the ONF. The desire to build a Political Soldier leadership meant that the ONF was by its nature exclusive and limited. Membership in its strictest sense was effectively closed off with outsiders only allowed to become "Friends of the Movement" and full membership being only open to those chosen by
6192-399: Is nothing to do with Islamophobia ; it is issues such as the grooming of young English girls for sex by a criminal minority of the Muslim population ... I am now there to give political articulation to the concerns of the mainly indigenous population. The ethnic populations have always had Labour to speak up for them. Finally their neighbours have got someone who speaks up for them. In
6336-485: Is something that needs to be done to look at the law then I think we will have to do that. Gordon Brown Following his election as BNP leader, Griffin was invited to participate in debates at several universities. In November 2002, the Cambridge Union Society invited him to take part in a debate the following January. Titled "This house believes that Islam is a threat to the west", the resolution
6480-650: The 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March: Justice or Else . Farrakhan is known for antisemitic statements and racist remarks directed at white people. His antisemitic statements and views have been condemned by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and other organizations. Farrakhan's views and remarks have also been called homophobic . He has denied assertions that he
6624-619: The Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center consider Farrakhan an antisemite. Farrakhan has accused Jews of controlling large sections of the media, the US government and the global economy, regularly referring to these Jews as "Satanic". He has repeatedly described Adolf Hitler as a "great man" and claimed Jewish involvement in the Atlantic slave trade , Jim Crow laws and black oppression in general. The Simon Wiesenthal Center included some of Farrakhan's comments on its list of
6768-788: The Episcopal St. Cyprian's Church in Roxbury. Walcott attended the Boston Latin School , and later attended and graduated from the English High School . He completed three years at Winston-Salem Teachers College , where he had a track scholarship. In 1953, Walcott married Betsy Ross (later known as Khadijah Farrakhan ) while he was in college. Due to complications from his new wife's first pregnancy, Walcott dropped out after completing his junior year of college to devote time to his wife and their child. In
6912-662: The New Black Panther Party leader Malik Zulu Shabazz , the activist Al Sharpton , Addis Daniel and others, Farrakhan marked the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March by holding a second gathering, the Millions More Movement , October 14–17 in Washington D.C. It is unknown who will lead the Nation of Islam after Farrakhan's death. Ishmael Muhammad has been speculated to be a potential successor. Before 1993, Khallid Muhammad
7056-809: The Oldham Council election , for a seat representing the Chadderton North ward. He came second to the Labour candidate, receiving 993 votes (28%). In the 2004 European Parliament election , when he was the BNP candidate for the North West England constituency, the party received 134,959 votes (6.4% of those cast), but won no seats. In the 2005 general election he contested Keighley in West Yorkshire, and polled 4,240 votes (9.2%), finishing in fourth place. Griffin
7200-580: The 10 questions and answers of the NOI's Student Enrollment. He then wrote a Saviour's Letter that must be sent to the NOI's headquarters in Chicago. The Saviour's Letter must be copied verbatim , and have the identical handwriting of the Nation of Islam's founder, Wallace Fard Muhammad . After having the Saviour's Letter reviewed and approved by the NOI's headquarters in Chicago in July 1955, Walcott received
7344-509: The 1950s, Walcott began his professional music career as a singer billed as "The Charmer". It was during a tour in Montreal , Quebec , Canada , that he took this nickname. At this point, earning $ 500 a week, Walcott was touring the northeastern and midwestern United States, sometimes also using the nickname "Calypso Gene". In 1953–1954, preceding Harry Belafonte 's success with his album Calypso (released in 1956), he recorded and released
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#17327725663747488-519: The Anti-Defamation League, referred to Farrakhan as the new "Black Hitler " and Village Voice journalist Nat Hentoff also characterized the NOI leader as a "Black Hitler" while he was a guest on a New York radio talk-show. In response, Farrakhan announced during a March 11, 1984, speech which was broadcast on a Chicago radio station: So I said to the members of the press, 'Why won't you go and look into what we are saying about
7632-547: The BNP, accusing it of treating elected representatives of the BNP as "second-class citizens". Following his election, in a press conference held at a public house in Manchester, he criticised the privatisation of national industries, such as the railway network, and accused MPs generally of being involved in this "... giant looting of Britain". He accused private corporations and the "ruling elite" in Britain of building
7776-552: The BNP. In the letter, he said that the party's ailing fortunes were a direct result of "attacks on the party". He also defended questions by the Electoral Commission about the transparency of BNP funding. In November 2009, Griffin was a witness at the trial of an Asian man, Tauriq Khalid, at Preston Crown Court . The prosecution claimed that in November 2008 Khalid repeatedly drove past a demonstration that Griffin
7920-452: The Bible's Book of Ezekiel . During this experience, he heard the voice of Elijah Muhammad , the leader of the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan indicated that Elijah Muhammad "spoke in short cryptic sentences and as he spoke a scroll full of cursive writing rolled down in front of my eyes, but it was a projection of what was being written in my mind. As I attempted to read the cursive writing, which
8064-628: The Flag Group's Ted Budden , who confusingly was standing as a "National Front" candidate. Both men received derisory vote shares. In 1989 Harrington, who was by then effective leader of the group, approached The Jewish Chronicle with a view to opening dialogue with the Jewish community. The move proved unpopular with Griffin and Holland who broke off in 1989 to form the International Third Position (ITP), which advocated anti-capitalist Strasserist views, as well as continuing anti-Zionism. With
8208-699: The Holocaust. He was also critical of Islam . His invitation followed the election of two BNP MEPs to the European Parliament, and led to significant debate over the merits of the BBC's decision. The appearance sparked a protest outside the BBC Television Centre prior to the recording of the programme, in which an estimated 500 people picketed the front entrance of the complex, many chanting anti-Nazi slogans and others trying to break into
8352-404: The Labour party" and that the Labour government was attempting to influence the results of the following year's general election. Griffin's arrest was made two days after those of John Tyndall and several other people, over remarks they had made in the same programme. Following its broadcast on 15 July 2004, the police began an investigation into the programme's contents. The following April he
8496-506: The May 2014 European election and stepped down as BNP leader on 19 July 2014, becoming the organisation's president. But on 1 October, the party announced that it had expelled Griffin, who, it claimed, was "deliberately fabricating a crisis" and leaking "damaging and defamatory allegations". Following his departure from the BNP, he founded British Unity, which he describes as "a growing team of experienced nationalist publicists and militants". He
8640-674: The Mosque Maryam, Chicago in March 1995: "German Jews financed Hitler right here in America...International bankers financed Hitler and poor Jews died while big Jews were at the root of what you call the Holocaust". Almost three years later at a Saviors' Day gathering in the same city, he said: "The Jews have been so bad at politics they lost half their population in the Holocaust. They thought they could trust in Hitler, and they helped him get
8784-456: The NF once again by following the example of the base itself on the Front National , which was experiencing growth in France through right-wing populism . Nick Griffin Nicholas John Griffin (born 1 March 1959) is a British far-right politician who was chairman of the British National Party (BNP) from 1999 to 2014, and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North West England from 2009 to 2014 . Following this, he
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#17327725663748928-466: The NOI used the "X" while they were waiting for their Islamic names, which some NOI members received later in their conversions. Hence, Louis Walcott became Louis X. Elijah Muhammad then replaced his "X" with the "holy name" Farrakhan, which is a corruption of the Arabic word فرقان furqan , which means "The Criterion". On a very different tone from his calypso songs, he recorded two tunes as Louis X, criticizing racism in A White Man's Heaven Is
9072-413: The NOI, Farrakhan was a calypso singer who used the stage name Calypso Gene . Early in his career, he served as the minister of mosques in Boston and Harlem and was appointed to the post of National Representative of the Nation of Islam by then-NOI leader Elijah Muhammad . He adopted the name Louis X before being named Louis Farrakhan. After Warith Deen Mohammed reorganized the original NOI into
9216-430: The NOI, he was asked by Elijah Muhammad to put aside his musical career as a calypso singer. After many years, Farrakhan decided to take up the violin once more primarily due to the urging of prominent classical musician Sylvia Olden Lee . On April 17, 1993, Farrakhan made his return concert debut with performances of the Violin Concerto in E Minor by Felix Mendelssohn . Farrakhan intimated that his performance of
9360-494: The NOI—as equal brothers, sisters, and friends. Mohammed gave some white people X's, and he extended efforts at inter-religious cooperation and outreach to Christians and Jews . Farrakhan joined Mohammed's movement and served as a Sunni Imam under him for 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 years from 1975 to 1978. In 1978, Farrakhan distanced himself from Mohammed's movement. According to The New York Times , Farrakhan "could not embrace its new philosophy. In particular, Mr. Farrakhan opposed
9504-470: The Nation of Islam's annual Saviours' Day address by Elijah Muhammad . Prior to going to Saviours' Day, due to then-Minister Malcolm X 's media presence, Walcott had never heard of Elijah Muhammad, and like many outside of the Nation of Islam, he thought that Malcolm X was the leader of the Nation of Islam. In 1955, Walcott fulfilled the requirements to be a registered Muslim/registered believer/registered laborer. He memorized and recited verbatim
9648-415: The ONF began to emerge as the most powerful group within the NF after the series of splits in late 1979 and early 1980 though they did not come to prominence within the NF until 1984 when Martin Webster was expelled from the Party. The Political Soldier faction began with the support of chairman Andrew Brons but before long differences between the two factions began to show. This came to a head in 1986 when
9792-445: The ONF in disarray, Harrington (by then effective leader, although the ONF had eschewed an individual leader at their peak) wound up the group in January 1990 and reconstituted it, along with about fifty NF members, as the Third Way , which continued to offer a programme akin to that of the Political Soldier movement. The Flag Group , led by Martin Wingfield and Ian Anderson , reclaimed the NF name and identity and sought to reposition
9936-488: The Old and New Testaments and termed himself a prophet sent by God to show America its evil. The event was organized by many civil rights and religious organizations and drew men and their sons from across the United States of America. Many other distinguished African Americans addressed the throng, including: Maya Angelou ; Rosa Parks ; Martin Luther King III , Cornel West , Jesse Jackson and Benjamin Chavis . In 2005, together with other prominent African Americans such as
10080-466: The Queen via association, but when invited personally in 2010 he accepted: This event shows just how far this party has come in the last few years but I won't be at the Palace for myself or my family. No! I will be there to represent the patriots who made this possible; I'll be there for you. I'll be there for all the stout-hearted men and women who down through the turbulent years tramped the streets with me in all weathers knocking doors, and those who ran
10224-538: The Top 10 antisemitic slurs in 2012. In June 1984, after returning from a visit to Libya , Farrakhan delivered a sermon that was recorded by a Chicago Sun-Times reporter. A transcript from part of the sermon was published in The New York Times : Toward the end of that portion of his speech that was recorded, Mr. Farrakhan said: "Now that nation called Israel never has had any peace in 40 years and she will never have any peace because there can be no peace structured on injustice, thievery, lying and deceit and using
10368-728: The University of Oxford's Jewish student chaplain. Several Holocaust survivors spoke at the rally. Stephen Altmann-Richer, co-president of the Oxford University Jewish Society, said "I don't think these people should be invited to the Oxford Union, by having them speak, it legitimises their views ..." On the night of the debate, about 50 protesters forced their way into the venue, and a crowd of hundreds gathered outside carrying banners bearing anti-racist slogans and voicing anti-BNP chants. Police blocked
10512-727: The Walcott family moved to Boston , where they settled in the largely African-American neighborhood of Roxbury . Walcott received his first violin at the age of five. By the time he was 12 years old, he had been on tour with the Boston College Orchestra. A year later, he participated in national competitions and won them. In 1946, he was one of the first black performers to appear on the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour , where he also won an award. Walcott and his family were active members of
10656-543: The Young National Front Student organisation. He graduated with a lower second-class honours degree in law ( 2:2 ), and a boxing blue , having taken up the sport following a brawl in Lewisham with a member of an anti-fascist party. He boxed three times against Oxford in the annual Varsity match, winning twice and losing once. In an interview with The Independent , he said he gave it up because of
10800-414: The assassination" of Malcolm X, although he again acknowledged that he "created the atmosphere that ultimately led to Malcolm X's assassination." In 1981, Farrakhan and his supporters held their first Saviours' Day convention in Chicago, Illinois, and took back the name of the Nation of Islam. The event was similar to the earlier Nation's celebrations, last held in Chicago on February 26, 1975. At
10944-472: The ballot box can place us in a position whereby those 14 words can be carried out." He reiterated his contention of Jewish control over the media, as well as his prior stance on Holocaust denial, and said that his aim was to "[take] political power so as to be able to institute changes, to undo the population shift which has taken place since 1948 with the first Immigration Act, to peacefully and as humanely as possible reverse that and to return Britain to being
11088-481: The brother of ONF activist David Seawright. Although there was no evidence of a direct connection between the two groups the ONF broke from the exclusively British nationalist vision of its predecessors to praise the activities of the Welsh nationalist Meibion Glyndŵr . The desire for the development of a fanatical Political Soldier also led the ONF to follow their Italian counterparts in expressing some admiration for
11232-404: The building to stop the programme being filmed. Some got past the police and security, but were expelled. Six protesters were arrested, and three police officers were injured, one needing hospital treatment. It was an odd show because almost all of the questions — even the five minutes on gays — were BNP-related, and the entire audience and panel anti-Griffin. Libby Purves The programme
11376-583: The children of Israel. I believe in the scriptures brought by these Prophets and the Laws of Allah (God) as expressed in the Torah . I would never refer to the Revealed Word of Allah (God)—the basis of Jewish Faith—as 'dirty' or 'gutter.' You know, Jude, as well as I, that the Revealed Word of Allah (God) comes as a Message from Allah (God) to purify us from our evil that has divided us and caused us to fall into
11520-540: The concept of working with whites to solve the problems of blacks". In 1979, Farrakhan's group founded a weekly newspaper entitled The Final Call , which was intended to be similar to the original Muhammad Speaks newspaper that Malcolm X claimed to have started. The day that Malcolm X was assassinated in Harlem, Farrakhan happened to be in Newark, New Jersey , on rotation, 45 minutes away from where Malcolm X
11664-475: The convention's keynote address, Farrakhan announced his attempt to restore the Nation of Islam under Elijah Muhammad's teachings. On October 24, 1989, at a press conference at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C., Farrakhan described a vision which he had on September 17, 1985 in Tepoztlán , Mexico. In the vision, he was carried up to "a Wheel, or what you call an unidentified flying object ", as in
11808-539: The country, and, on 6 March 2008, he was again interviewed on Newsnight ; when told of a poll that demonstrated that most working-class Britons were more concerned about drugs and alcohol than immigration, he linked the UK's drug problem with Islam, specifically Pakistani immigrants. His inclusion on the programme was criticised by contributor and radio presenter Jon Gaunt , who branded the decision as "pathetic". When asked by The Times about concerns that his recent success
11952-643: The country." Griffin's interview with Channel 4 News was in response to a decision by the Equality and Human Rights Commission to investigate the BNP's membership criteria, which, it stated, "appeared to discriminate on the grounds of race and colour, contrary to the Race Relations Act." He rejected claims that the BNP was "acting unlawfully" and said "... because we are here, as it was pointed out, for specific ethnic groups—it's nothing to do with colour, your reporter there said that we'll only lift
12096-601: The debate as a success. Griffin travelled to the United States and spoke at Clemson University and Texas A&M University , but the reception he received in October 2007 at Michigan State University was markedly different from that in the other venues. Intending to address the "overpopulation of Islamists in Europe", he was repeatedly interrupted, to the point where the event became a question and answer session. He
12240-481: The decision in 1986 to double the price of membership fees and to restrict membership to those considered worthy of Political Soldier status by the leadership. The group's devotion to the likes of Evola and Codreanu also damaged its chances as these thinkers were virtually unknown in Britain and as such the ONF's ideas were considered too foreign to be relevant to a British context. In an attempt to gain much needed funds, Griffin and Holland travelled to Libya in 1988 in
12384-489: The decision to allow the meeting. A large protest was planned, and following students' concerns over their personal safety, the University cancelled the invitation. Several months later, the Oxford Union invited Griffin to speak at a forum on the limits of free speech, along with other speakers including David Irving . The invitation was condemned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission head Trevor Phillips and
12528-402: The discussion. Griffin said "I am coming up because I was invited by the students at the university because they have a debate on an intelligent subject on which I have something to say. The people against it are the usual bunch of people who cannot win the argument and refuse to stand on a platform." The society withdrew the invitation before the event was to take place. In May 2007, Griffin
12672-532: The early part of September 1985". Farrakhan visited Turkey at invitation on February 18, 1996, and met with the country's leading Islamist political figure, Necmettin Erbakan , and his Welfare Party 's officials. He said that the Turkish people must decide whether it wants to have a secular or Islamic government . In October 1995, Farrakhan convened a broad coalition of what he and his supporters claimed
12816-540: The election of the Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher . As a result, the party became more radicalised, and a dissatisfied Griffin, along with fellow NF activists Derek Holland and Patrick Harrington , began to embrace the ideals of Italian fascist Roberto Fiore , who had arrived in the UK in 1980. By 1983, the group had broken away to form the NF Political Soldier faction, which advocated
12960-460: The entrances to the building, and removed the protesters encamped inside. Griffin was accompanied into the premises by security guards. The event was eventually split between two rooms, with Griffin speaking in one, and Irving in the other; many Union Society members were unable to gain access. Although many present found the debate objectionable, some were supportive of both Griffin and Irving's right to freedom of speech. The Oxford Union later endorsed
13104-661: The front page of The Atlanta Constitution , the truth of my vision was verified, for the headlines of The Atlanta Constitution read, 'President Reagan Planned War Against Libya.'" Farrakhan added "In the article which followed, the exact words that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad spoke to me on the Wheel were found; that the President had met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and planned a war against Libya in
13248-410: The gauntlets of hate wherever we went. The Palace later decided to deny Griffin entry to the event, claiming that he had used his invitation "for party political purpose through the media", and citing security concerns. Griffin claimed the decision was an "absolute scandal", and appeared to be "a rule invented for me". In September 2009, he appealed to party activists for £150,000 of extra funding for
13392-402: The greatest fighting machine of the twentieth century, brothers and sisters, and even though Europe and America had deciphered the code that Hitler was using to speak to his chiefs of staff, they still had trouble defeating Hitler even after knowing his plans in advance. Now I'm not proud of Hitler's evil toward Jewish people, but that's a matter of record. He rose Germany up from nothing. Well, in
13536-410: The gutter. Over the centuries, the evils of Christians, Jews and Muslims have dirtied their respective religions. True Faith in the laws and Teaching of Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad is not dirty, but, practices in the name of these religions can be unclean and can cause people to look upon the misrepresented religion as being unclean. In response to Farrakhan's speech, Nathan Pearlmutter, then Chair of
13680-421: The hope of persuading Muammar Gaddafi to provide money to bankroll the ONF. However, the pair were able to secure only a consignment of copies of the colonel's political testament The Green Book , meaning that the group's financial woes were not alleviated. Breaking from its own ban on electoral activity, Harrington ran as a candidate in the 1989 Vauxhall by-election , during which his rival candidates included
13824-584: The independent Saint Felix School in Southwold, one of only two boys in the all-girls school. Griffin read Adolf Hitler 's Mein Kampf when he was 14, and "found all but one chapter extremely boring". He joined the National Front in 1974, while he was still 14, though he had to pretend he was 15, and at the age of 16 is reported to have stayed at the home of National Front organiser Martin Webster . In
13968-466: The intention of "stirring up racial hatred". Griffin was also accused of calling murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence a drug dealer and bully who stole younger pupils' dinner money. In the witness box he defended himself by quoting passages from the Qur'an , saying that his comments describing Islam as a "vicious, wicked faith" were attacking not a race, but a religion. During the two-week trial he used
14112-406: The introduction of civil partnerships and wishes to ban what it perceives as the promotion of homosexuality in schools and the media. A series of messages he posted in October 2012 on the social network Twitter , regarding a discrimination claim won by a gay couple, sparked widespread opprobrium. Cambridgeshire police investigated the tweets, which included the couple's address and a suggestion that
14256-643: The jury's right. They saw all the evidence, I accept their decision. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it." In the 2010 general election he contested the Barking constituency polling 6,620 votes and finishing in third place. In 2011, following the loss of many of the council seats the BNP held in England, Griffin narrowly survived a leadership challenge. In 2010, Griffin announced that by 2013 he would stand down as leader, to focus on his European Parliament election campaign. He lost his seat in Europe in
14400-745: The late 1970s, taking most of its members into a closer relationship with orthodox Islam, and renaming the group "World Community of Islam in the West". Eventually, Warith Deen Mohammed renamed the group the American Society of Muslims . He rejected the deification of the Nation of Islam's founder Wallace D. Fard , the Mahdi of the Holy Qur'an , and the messiah of the Bible . Mohammed also welcomed white people—who were once considered devils and enemies by
14544-525: The leadership. The ideas held less appeal for the racist skinheads that the ONF still had links with. The ONF saw the skinheads as a source of eager foot-soldiers for their revolutionary struggles, a factor that led the ONF to host Rock Against Communism concerts in the mid-1980s. However, disillusionment set in with the ONF's esoteric ideas and in 1987 sometime NF member and Skrewdriver singer Ian Stuart Donaldson joined with British Movement organiser Nicky Crane to set up Blood and Honour , initially as
14688-552: The likes of Corneliu Codreanu and Julius Evola . The party put emphasis on the values of ruralism with Nick Griffin, who lived on a farm in Wales, running a "Smash the Cities" campaign for the ONF that has been compared by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke to Pol Potism . Unlike the earlier NF, that had emphasised British identity, the ONF showed sympathy towards indigenous nationalisms within the United Kingdom . The ONF adopted
14832-400: The man "leaned out of the car and pointed at me and made a gun and gang gesture", and that he threatened him by shouting "I'm going to ...". Griffin said he had left the demonstration early, fearing for his safety. The 23-year-old defendant denied his comments had any racial intent, and was found not guilty. Griffin later commented "I think it's unfortunate and I think it's wrong, but that's
14976-527: The name of God to shield your dirty religion under His holy and righteous name. After it was reported that Farrakhan called Judaism the "gutter religion", he repeatedly denied referring to Judaism as such by explaining that he was instead noticing what he believed was "the Israeli Government 's use of Judaism as a political tool." In a June 18, 1997, letter to a former Wall Street Journal editor Jude Wanniski he stated: Countless times over
15120-474: The national spokesman/national representative of the NOI and was appointed minister of the influential Harlem Mosque (Temple), where he served until 1975. Warith Deen Mohammed , the seventh son of Elijah and Clara Muhammad, was declared the new leader of the Nation of Islam at the annual Saviours' Day Convention in February 1975, a day after his father died. He made substantial changes in the organization in
15264-411: The need for a "New Man" with the cadre structure influenced by the "nest" system of the pre- Second World War Romanian Iron Guard . The two main sources of ideology for the ONF were the journal Rising published from 1983 to 1986 and The Political Soldier , a 1984 book by Derek Holland. Within the pages of these works the ONF committed itself to a revolt against modernity, echoing many of the words of
15408-467: The official minister after Elijah Muhammad transferred Malcolm X to Muhammad's Temple of Islam No. 7 on West 116th St. in Harlem, New York City . Louis X continued to be mentored by Malcolm X until the latter's assassination in 1965. After Malcolm X's death, Elijah Muhammad appointed Farrakhan to the two prominent positions that Malcolm held before being dismissed from the NOI. Farrakhan became
15552-578: The orthodox Sunni Islamic group American Society of Muslims , Farrakhan began to rebuild the NOI as "Final Call". In 1981, he officially adopted the name "Nation of Islam", reviving the group and establishing its headquarters at Mosque Maryam . In October 1995, Farrakhan organized and led the Million Man March in Washington, D.C.. Due to health issues, he reduced his responsibilities with the NOI in 2007. However, Farrakhan has continued to deliver sermons and speak at NOI events. In 2015, he led
15696-420: The overall impact of these speeches—remember the context of each speech. Griffin and Collett were cleared of half the charges against them—the jury remained divided on the other charges, and a retrial was ordered. On 10 November 2006, after five hours of deliberations, the jury at Leeds Crown Court cleared them of all charges. They were met outside the court by about 200 supporters, who Griffin addressed with
15840-420: The party and people who had expressed an interest in joining the party, but had not signed up). Griffin claimed that he knew the identity of the individual responsible, describing him as a hard-line senior employee who had left the party in the previous year. He welcomed the publicity that the story generated, using it to describe the common perception of the average BNP member as a "skinhead oik " as untrue. He
15984-493: The party split in two, with around 2,000 of the NF's 5,000 membership following Griffin into the ONF and the rest departing for the Flag Group. The ONF maintained the monthly newspaper the National Front News and took control also of Nationalism Today during this period. With control assured the ONF took on responsibility for instructing its members ideologically and gained the backing of Rosine de Bounevialle ,
16128-626: The party's legal and financial liabilities, and had the final say in all decisions affecting the party. Upon his election to the European Parliament Griffin unsuccessfully tried to form an alliance with right-wing parties, which would have entitled the group members to extra funding. He also held talks with other far-right European parties, such as Vlaams Belang and Jobbik . The BNP maintains ties with Roberto Fiore and fascist groups across Europe. Griffin criticised Gordon Brown 's Labour government for its attitude towards
16272-515: The party, Griffin sought to move it away from its historic identity, although on the BBC 's Newsnight on 26 June 2001 he stated that Hindus and whites had both been targeted in the "Muslim" riots of 2001, and in the August 2001 issue of Identity (a BNP publication) he said that radical Muslim clerics wanted "... militant Muslims to take over British cities with AK-47 rifles". On The Politics Show on 9 March 2003, he appeared to accept ethnic minorities who were already legally living in
16416-608: The plot to assassinate Malcolm X. For many years, Betty Shabazz, the widow of Malcolm X, harbored resentment toward the Nation of Islam—and Farrakhan in particular—for what she felt was their role in the assassination of her husband. In a 1993 speech, Farrakhan seemed to confirm that the Nation of Islam was responsible for the assassination: We don't give a damn about no white man law if you attack what we love. And frankly, it ain't none of your business. What do you got to say about it? Did you teach Malcolm? Did you make Malcolm? Did you clean up Malcolm? Did you put Malcolm out before
16560-690: The president of the Oxford Students' Union. The Conservative MP Dr Julian Lewis resigned his membership of the Union. A rally against the invitation was held at Oxford Town Hall on 20 November, and included the Oxford Students' Union president, the National Union of Students black students' officer, and the Trades Union Congress south east regional secretary. Representatives of Unite Against Fascism also attended, as well as
16704-536: The threats on Reverend Jackson's life?' Here the Jews don't like Farrakhan and so they call me 'Hitler'. Well that's a good name. Hitler was a very great man. He wasn't great for me as a Black man but he was a great German and he rose Germany up from the ashes of her defeat by the united force of all of Europe and America after the First World War . Yet Hitler took Germany from the ashes and rose her up and made her
16848-681: The vice-president of the Alliance for Peace and Freedom . Griffin's father, Edgar Griffin (born 1921, Brighton , East Sussex) was previously a long-standing Conservative Party member, and from 1959 to 1965 a councillor for the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone . He was also a councillor on Waveney District Council during the 1980s. He was later expelled from the Conservatives amid accusations of racism . Griffin's mother, Jean (née Thomas), whom Edgar married in 1950,
16992-580: The violin gleam." ' In 2021, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, Farrakhan performed Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 61 with the New World Symphony . In February 1955, Walcott was headlining a show in Chicago, Illinois, called Calypso Follies . There he first came in contact with the teachings of the Nation of Islam (NOI) through Rodney Smith, a friend and saxophonist from Boston. Walcott and his wife Betsy were invited to
17136-549: The world? Was Malcolm your traitor or ours? And if we dealt with him like a nation deals with a traitor, what the hell business is it of yours? You just shut your mouth, and stay out of it. Because in the future, we gonna become a nation. And a nation gotta be able to deal with traitors and cutthroats and turncoats. The white man deals with his. The Jews deal with theirs. During a 1994 interview, Gabe Pressman asked Shabazz whether Farrakhan "had anything to do" with Malcolm X's death. She replied: "Of course, yes. Nobody kept it
17280-547: The years I have explained that I never referred to Judaism as a gutter religion, but, clearly referred to the machinations of those who hide behind the shield of Judaism while using unjust political means to achieve their objectives. This was distilled in the New York tabloids and other media saying, 'Farrakhan calls Judaism a gutter religion.' As a Muslim , I revere Abraham, Moses, and all the Prophets whom Allah (God) sent to
17424-471: Was Jamaican . The couple separated before their second son was born, and Walcott says he never knew his biological father. Walcott was named after Louis Walcott, a man with whom his mother had a relationship after becoming separated from Percival Clark. In a 1996 interview with Henry Louis Gates Jr. , Walcott speculated that Percival Clark, "a light-skinned man with straight hair from Jamaica", may have been Jewish . After Walcott's stepfather died in 1936,
17568-415: Was "the most likely heir apparent". Farrakhan has been the center of much controversy with critics saying that his political views and comments are antisemitic or racist . Farrakhan has categorically denied these charges and stated that much of America's perception of him has been shaped by the media. His critics have labeled him a cult leader. The Anti-Defamation League classifies Farrakhan as
17712-634: Was a founder-member of the European far-right party, the Alliance for Peace and Freedom (APF) in 2015. In 2018, a new APF board was elected with Griffin as the vice-president. In March 2015, Griffin attended the International Russian Conservative Forum in St. Petersburg, wherein he told his audience that Christendom would either face a "terrible civil war", become an Islamist caliphate or perhaps both. In 1998, Griffin
17856-570: Was an unsuccessful BNP candidate for Enfield North in the 1997 general election , in Chingford & Woodford Green for the 2001 general election and for London in the 1999 European elections . Griffin was born on 1 March 1959 in Barnet and moved to Southwold in Suffolk aged eight. He has one sister. He was educated at Woodbridge School before winning a sixth-form scholarship to
18000-460: Was assassinated. Farrakhan made numerous incendiary statements about Malcolm X, contributing to what was called a "climate of vilification". Three men from a Newark NOI mosque— Thomas Hagan , Muhammad Abdul Aziz (aka Norman 3X Butler) and Kahlil Islam (aka Thomas 15X Johnson)—were convicted of the killing and served prison sentences. Only Hagan ever admitted his role. Many, including Malcolm X's family, have accused Farrakhan of being involved in
18144-420: Was attending, and on the second occasion shouted "white bastards". Khalid admitted shouting derisory comments at Griffin and other demonstrators, telling the jury he shouted "Nick Griffin, you fucking wanker" and "Get the fuck out of Burnley , you're not welcome here", but denied shouting "white bastard". Griffin gave evidence against Khalid, and affirmed that Khalid had shouted "white bastard" at him. Griffin said
18288-416: Was awful. But this nonsense about gas chambers is exposed as a total lie." Transcripts released under a 2014 Freedom of Information (FOI) request by The Guardian claimed that everything he did could be summed up as follows: "We must secure the existence of our race and a future for white children. Everything I do is related to building a nationalist movement through which peaceful persuasion and through
18432-492: Was charged with distributing material likely to incite racial hatred. Fellow BNP member Paul Ballard was also charged, but entered a guilty plea and did not stand trial. Griffin pleaded not guilty, and was tried at Harrow Crown Court . He called the French Holocaust denier Robert Faurisson and the nationalist Osiris Akkebala as witnesses, was found guilty and given a nine-month sentence, suspended for two years, and
18576-694: Was charged with four offences of using words or behaviour intended or likely to stir up racial hatred. The trial began in January 2006. Griffin stood alongside fellow party activist Mark Collett , who faced similar charges. Prosecuting, Rodney Jameson QC told the jury of six speeches that the accused had made in the Reservoir Tavern in Keighley on 19 January 2004. Reading excerpts from them, he claimed that they included threatening, abusive and insulting words directed at "people of Asian ethnicity", with
18720-463: Was chosen the following day. A line of police blocked a large group of protesters, who chanted "No platform for Nazi Nick" and "Nazi scum off our streets". Griffin viewed the election as an important victory, claiming that his party had been demonised and blocked from holding public meetings. "In Oldham alone there have been hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on employing bogus community workers to keep us out. To triumph against that level of pressure as
18864-403: Was controversial; alongside more moderate speakers, one of those invited was Abu Hamza al-Masri , a fundamentalist Muslim cleric. Some participants threatened to withdraw, and several official bodies criticised the invitations. The two had met earlier in the year, in a debate chaired by Rod Liddle , then editor of BBC Radio 4 's Today programme. He was also invited by the Cambridge Forum to
19008-549: Was convicted of violating section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986 , relating to the offence of 'publishing or distributing racially inflammatory written material' in issue 12 of The Rune , published in 1996. Griffin's comments in the magazine were reported to the police by Alex Carlile , then the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire. Following a police raid at Griffin's home, he
19152-583: Was designed to position the BNP alongside successful European far-right groups, such as the French Front National . Street protests were replaced by electoral campaigning, and some policies were moderated (the compulsory repatriation of ethnic minorities was instead made voluntary). Other policies included the introduction of capital punishment for paedophiles, rapists, drug dealers and some murderers, and corporal punishment for less serious crimes such as juvenile delinquency. Griffin's image as
19296-453: Was elected as a member of the European Parliament for North West England in the 2009 European Elections . The BNP polled 943,598 votes (6.2%), gaining two MEPs . Griffin and fellow MEP Andrew Brons were subsequently pelted with eggs as they attempted to stage a celebratory press conference outside the Houses of Parliament . A second venue – a public house near Manchester –
19440-445: Was heckled by hostile elements of the audience, and at one point the fire alarm was activated. On 22 October 2009, Griffin took part in the BBC's topical debate programme, Question Time , as a representative of the BNP. He appeared alongside Bonnie Greer , Jack Straw , Baroness Warsi and Chris Huhne . He was challenged by members of the studio audience, and questioned by host David Dimbleby on comments he had previously made on
19584-653: Was in English, the scroll disappeared and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad began to speak to me". [Elijah Muhammad said], "President Reagan has met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to plan a war. I want you to hold a press conference in Washington, D.C., and announce their plan and say to the world that you got the information from me, Elijah Muhammad, on the Wheel". During that same press conference, Farrakhan stated that he believed his vision had been proven: "In 1987, in The New York Times ' Sunday magazine and on
19728-429: Was invited to address a meeting at the University of Bath by politics student and BNP youth leader Danny Lake. Lake wanted Griffin to visit the university and explain the BNP's policies to lecturers and students. The invitation was viewed by some as an attempt by the party to establish a foothold on the university campus. Eleven union general secretaries wrote to the university's vice-chancellor and asked her to reconsider
19872-640: Was one million men in Washington, D.C., for the Million Man March . The count however fell far below the hoped-for numbers. The National Park Service estimated that approximately 440,000 were in attendance. Farrakhan threatened to sue the National Park Service because of the low estimate from the Park Police. Farrakhan and other speakers called for black men to renew their commitments to their families and communities. In Farrakhan's 2 1 ⁄ 2 hours he quoted from spirituals as well as
20016-498: Was presaged in Enoch Powell 's Rivers of Blood speech , Griffin replied: The divisions are already there. They were created by that monstrous experiment: the multi-cultural destruction of old Britain. There is no clash between the indigenous population and, for instance, settled West Indians, Sikhs and Hindus . There is, however, an enormous correlation between high BNP votes and nearby Islamic populations. The reason for that
20160-438: Was president of the BNP between July and October 2014, when he was expelled from the party. Born in Barnet , Griffin was educated at Woodbridge School in Suffolk . He joined the National Front at the age of 14 and, following his graduation from the University of Cambridge , became a political worker for the party. In 1980 he became a member of its governing body, and later wrote articles for several right-wing magazines. He
20304-563: Was secretly recorded by the ITV programme The Cook Report in 1997 describing Carlile as "this bloody Jew ... whose only claim is that his grandparents died in the Holocaust". In the same programme, Griffin said of the Holocaust, "There is no doubt that hundreds, probably thousands of Jews were shot to death in Eastern Europe because they were, rightly or wrongly, seen as Communists or potential partisans or partisan supporters. That
20448-623: Was the BNP candidate in the 2007 Welsh National Assembly Elections , in the South Wales West region. The BNP received 8,993 votes (5.5% of those cast), behind the Labour party's 58,347 votes (35.8%). In May 2007, he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Thurrock Council election . In November 2008, the entire membership list of the BNP was posted on the Internet (though the list may have included lapsed members of
20592-449: Was the National Front's candidate for the seat of Croydon North West in 1981 and 1983, but left the party in 1989. In 1995, he joined the BNP and in 1999 became its leader. He stood as the party's candidate in several elections and became a member of the European Parliament for North West England in the 2009 European elections . In 1998, Griffin was convicted of distributing material likely to incite racial hatred , for which he received
20736-529: Was watched by an estimated 8.2 million viewers, more than three times the average figure for Question Time , and on a comparable level with prime time entertainment shows. Griffin's appearance dominated the following day's media; a follow-up report in the New York Times said that "the early reading by many of Britain's major newspapers was that Mr. Griffin lost heavily on points." In a press conference held on 23 October, Griffin stated that he would make
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