Should the Queen invite the BNP to her party?
An elected BNP member has been invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party hosted by the Queen and he intends to bring his party's leader Nick Griffin — a convicted criminal — along with him. Should he be denied this opportunity?
Nick Griffin will accompany Richard Barnbrook, a BNP member of the London Assembly, at the event on 21 July. All members of the Assembly have been invited to the event.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, believes it's a "political stunt" and says that Mar Barnbrook "must either bring a guest who will not provoke political controversy, or consider his invitation rescinded."
In response Mr Barnbrook said: "These things are going to happen more and more as the party goes forward. It is something people are going to have to get used to because if we get elected MEPs, this is the kind of thing we are going to be doing on a regular basis. It is the emergence of a party from beyond the pale to mainstream."
Many of you who contacted today's Morning Extra told me you were disgusted at the party's "racist policies". BNP supporters, however, say they're standing up for Britain's "indigenous population".
However, whatever your views on their policies, should the leader of a party whose members have been democratically elected to positions in many councils be denied an invite to official functions like the Queen's garden party?
Links:
British National Party (official site)
HOPE not hate (anti-BNP site)
Relevant news stories:
BNP leader defends policy on race (April 2009)
What's driving the BNP? (March 2009)
EU workers 'no impact' on UK jobs (March 2009)
Hain voices fear over BNP victory (February 2009)
Profile: Nick Griffin (November 2006)
BNP leader cleared of race hate (November 2006)
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