Labour candidate boycotts meeting with BNP (From Salisbury Journal)
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Labour candidate boycotts meeting with BNP
8:51am Thursday 22nd April 2010 in News By Annie Riddle
SALISBURY’S Labour candidate has refused to attend a hustings event because the British National Party will be taking part.
Tom Gann said it would be “morally wrong” for him to debate with BNP candidate, Sean Witheridge.
Sharing a platform with the BNP would give the impression that its racist views were “part of the legitimate political spectrum,” he insisted.
He has written a statement for the organisers, Churches Together, to read out at St Francis Church Hall on Sunday, and he will be outside to explain in person as the audience arrives.
The campaign group, Hope Not Hate, will also be handing out leaflets.
“I believe the BNP should be able to hold its own meetings and speak to voters,” Mr Gann said.
“However, there is a difference between this and the BNP being invited to an event by a respected organisation such as Churches Together.
“The basis of democracy is that all citizens are equal. The BNP do not view every British citizen as equal.
“There will be people in the room who the BNP do not believe have a right to be there.”
A BNP spokesman said: “They have realised they can’t defeat us in debate so they want to put pressure on the organisation to withdraw our invitation.
It’s happening all over the south west.”
Other candidates have said they will take part in the event, chaired by the Dean of Salisbury, the Very Rev June Osborne, because it is better to defeat the BNP with reasoned arguments.
Conservative, John Glen, said: “I think people need to hear the Conservative point of view. Exposure of the BNP will reveal its nasty, unpleasant politics.
“I would rather beat them in debate than not give them a platform. Although I am very sympathetic to Tom’s view, I would much rather Tom was there.”
Nick Radford, the Liberal Democrat candidate, agreed, saying: “As much as I despise what the BNP has to say, it is a legally-registered political party. The best way to defeat it is in open argument.”
UKIP’s Frances Howard said: “I am prepared to take part in a controlled debate rather than let this issue fester underground.”
Independent candidate, Arthur Pendragon, will also be attending. He said: “As Voltaire put it, I may not agree with what they say, but I would die for their right to say it.”
And Green candidate, Nick Startin, said: “I respect Tom’s decision, but we have decided that getting our message across is the most important thing.”
The event’s organiser, the Rev David Scrace, said: “I understand Tom’s position but I am disappointed that someone representing a major party doesn’t feel able to be there. It would be a better meeting with him in it.
Comments(13)
shaftesbury
says...
4:45pm Thu 22 Apr 10
Denoula
says...
7:15pm Thu 22 Apr 10
Slick-rocker
says...
9:11pm Thu 22 Apr 10
Obvously a concept unknown to certain Labour Politicians!
If he REALLY believed all BNP members (& therefore their Parliamentary Candidates) are just ignorant racists then he would have been happy to (metaphorically) 'cut them to pieces' in open debate!
At least the representatives of the other Parties have the confidence to attend & join in rather than stay outside like a small school-child saying "don't listen to HIM, he's nasty"!
As for the comments by "Shaftsbury", there is the living proof of someone who actually knows nothing about the BNP except for the lies & propaganda spread by the "main" Parties & their controlled media.
I apologise for sounding reasonable, rational & betraying my private education for I am PROUD to be a long-standing BNP Member, perhaps I would fit the expected stereotype better if I had typed a string of mis-spelled obscenities!
pcncr
says...
12:23am Sat 24 Apr 10
So, I consider this to be a brave, principled and correct decision by Mr Gann, who would no doubt like to represent his party in other circumstances, and a poor decision by Churches Together. His views would be of much more interest to me than those of these hateful men.
I also understand that this was far from a unanimous decision by Churches Together.
Slick-rocker
says...
9:22pm Sat 24 Apr 10
You state that "No limits are being placed on the BNP's rights to free speech". This rather conflicts with the TRUTH where BNP potential candidates have been refused access to hustings, newspapers have refused our election adverts, canvassers have been attacked, bill-boards defaced or pulled down, public buildings (which HAVE to be made available to ALL parties during the lead-up to elections) have refused to allow BNP meetings, intimidation & violence from left-wing & UAF mobs, etc, etc.
This is NOT democracy, those who try to try to use force to stifle opinions other than their own are using Fascist methods used in 1930's-40's Nazi Germany, if Mr Gann was genuinely interested in 'proving' his opinion of the BNP, he would engage them in debate, accepting that everyone has a right to a view-point & the right to express it, while hoping to prove that HIS view was the better one.
YES, we want ILLEGAL immigrants removed, (& why not, as most of them have crossed numerous safe countries to reach & abuse our Country).
We ALSO want our troops out of Labours war, more Police on the streets, more discipline in schools, better provisions for our pensioners (who saved our Country from invasion the LAST time), Britain out of the E.U, the death penalty as an option for murderers & many other policies which are not in the LEAST "fascist, racist" OR "hateful" & are agreed with by a large proportion of the population.
Never mind, keep wearing the blinkers & believing the lies, it's easier than facing up to the truth.
pcncr
says...
1:50am Sun 25 Apr 10
Leading members of the BNP, such as Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons, stood in multiple elections for the National Front. Brons was its leader! Both have a rich record of holocaust denial.
Are you ignorant, racist, or both?
Out of respect to your private education, I'm just going to assume you're totally racist. If you think there's nothing wrong with having tons of ex-National Front candidates, denying the holocaust, or opining that non-white British citizens should be repatriated, then you are also deluded.
You claim the same rights to the British democratic process that you would love to deny groups of people born in Britain. You are beneath contempt.
Slick-rocker
says...
6:59pm Sun 25 Apr 10
Are you stating that it is impossible for people to modify their view-point?
Tony Benn was a respected member of the Labour Party when he had previously been, (while using his FULL name of Sir Anthony Wedgewood-Benn), a respected member of the Tory Party, numerous M.P's have changed sides or view-points, why is that only assumed to be possible when they are Lib-Lab-Con Members?
Nick Griffin is on record as admitting those views in the distant past & has refuted his earlier beliefs many times.
If you actually KNEW the aims of the BNP, you would understand that we ONLY want to repatriate people with no right to be here, bogus asylum seekers & illegal immigrants. There is no problem with people here LEGALLY & willing to live by BRITISH law (as opposed to trying to force THEIR laws & ways on US).
If we had someone like the Australian prime-minister who correctly stated that it is the IMMIGRANTS who should have to accept THEIR ways, instead of the other way round, then you would have no need to 'fear' the BNP & we would not have got just under a million votes & two MEP's in the Euro Elections which would have been a better result if not for the Fascist actions of the other parties & their 'puppets' & the corrupt election practices which would have made Robert Mugabe proud.
I can only assume that as you totally ignored my earlier points concerning our OTHER policies, OR the facts concerning the so-called 'freedom of speech' given to the BNP that you are unable to contest the truth?
fearnofoe
says...
9:00am Mon 26 Apr 10
Some democacy!!!???
fearnofoe
says...
9:18am Mon 26 Apr 10
pcncr wrote:A fascist rascist party??...Oh really!! Tell that to the Siekhs we now have as full members pf our party! The only fascists in this race are those attempting to silence our so called freedom of speech. You people should look in the mirror and ask yourselves who the REAL Nazi's are!! Our leafletters have been violently attacked and hospitalised by the U.A.F an organisation that members of the Labour party and Mr Cameron openely support and actually give money to...you people are the thugs not the B.N.P!!
Mr Gann is making entirely the right decision. No limits are being placed on the BNP's rights to free speech, but he is totally correct that we should deprive their exclusionary views of legitimacy. The BNP are a fascist, racist party because they would use racial criteria to exclude people from public life and citizenship. As a nation proud of our tolerance, we have a duty to show solidarity to deprive them of any chance to do this. So, I consider this to be a brave, principled and correct decision by Mr Gann, who would no doubt like to represent his party in other circumstances, and a poor decision by Churches Together. His views would be of much more interest to me than those of these hateful men. I also understand that this was far from a unanimous decision by Churches Together.
Eurolord
says...
2:18pm Tue 27 Apr 10
My family have lived in the Salisbury area for many hundreds of years and many of them served in the armed forces of the crown to protect our way of life and culture.
I myself have served in HM Forces for 36 years and have been proud to defend my country from all external and internal threats to its security. I am still serving in Afghanistan as a linguist.
I have no intention of allowing immigrants, particulary Muslim ones, to take over the UK.
PCism and a lack of proper reporting by the media are not allowing a fair playing field at the elections.
To the people who have previously posted calling BNP members fascists, I would advise you not to call me that to my face.
I am English and proud of it. I want my country to remain English and will do all that is necessary to protect it for the sake of my children and future generations.
Slick-rocker
says...
3:35pm Tue 27 Apr 10
The Lib-Lab-Con-merchant
s & their puppet Ukip are terrified to give us a chance to be heard as they KNOW many (if not MOST) of our Policies are supported by a large proportion of the population, hence the 'Mugabe-esqe' way of running elections with their UAF thugs doing their dirty-work for them, while the controlled media print their lies.
Take care while you are over there, if we had OUR way our Forces would be removed from Lie-bores illegal wars & used to defend OUR Country which is as it should be.
fearnofoe
says...
8:31am Tue 4 May 10
Slick-rocker wrote:It would be nice to see some action from certain members of the Salisbury Branch actually getting out and helping with leafletting and canvassing! Members from Amesbury and as far away as Andover have leafletted Salisbury and surrounding villages and we haven't seen any activists from these areas actually leafletting their own towns and City!! Bar the usual couple! Shame!!!
'Eurolord', you have my respect, spoken like a TRUE Patriot who cares about their Country, its future & the legacy of those who defended it in past wars. The Lib-Lab-Con-merchant s & their puppet Ukip are terrified to give us a chance to be heard as they KNOW many (if not MOST) of our Policies are supported by a large proportion of the population, hence the 'Mugabe-esqe' way of running elections with their UAF thugs doing their dirty-work for them, while the controlled media print their lies. Take care while you are over there, if we had OUR way our Forces would be removed from Lie-bores illegal wars & used to defend OUR Country which is as it should be.
Frank Forte says...
3:24pm Thu 22 Apr 10