French National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen is expected to back the British National Partyâs European election campaign today. Le Pen is due to speak at a press conference to launch the BNPâs campaign which is being held at a secret location in Manchester this afternoon. A heavy police presence is expected at the event after the Home Secretary David Blunkett warned Le Pen he would be arrested if he stirs up racial hatred during his visit to Britain.
Following the press conference the National Front leader will attend a private dinner in Shropshire. The sell-out black-tie function, being held at an as yet undisclosed location, has been billed by the BNP as âthe patriotic dinner event of the year.â Anti-Le Pen protesters were planning a demonstration in Birminghamâs Victoria Square this afternoon to voice their anger at the Frenchmanâs association with the BNP. The demonstration is being organised by the Unite Against Fascism campaign group and has been backed by Birmingham Northfield MP Richard Burden, trade union groups and Muslim organisations. Dr Mohammad Naseem, chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque, said: âWe fought a war against the Nazis and we are now seeing Nazis invited to visit the region.
âWe need unity to face our problems. We need everybody to join together and work together... not create dissension and division, which is what this visit is designed to do. Le Penâs philosophy is one of hate, not unity.â
| Kinda like al-Muhajiroun, without the turbans? |
Salma Yaqoob, chair of Birminghamâs Stop the War Coalition, derided Le Pen as a white supremacist and questioned why he had not been banned from travelling to the UK.
| Why's Captain Hook still there? Why's Sheikh Omar Bakry still there? Why's Abu Qatada still there? |
âWe are very concerned that he has been invited to come here because he already has a number of convictions for inciting racial hatred,â she said. A spokesman for the BNP dismissed the protestersâ comments saying they were not relevant to the launch of their European election campaign. Home Secretary David Blunkett confirmed on Friday that Le Pen was free to visit the UK despite calls from Glasgow Kelvin MP George Galloway for the Frenchman to be banned from Britain.
| For that matter, why's Galloway still there? |
âIf he incites, if he fosters hate, if he causes a disturbance or public disorder, then the police will take appropriate action,â Mr Blunkett said of Le Pen.
| I'm no fan of le Pen, but is it that hard to ask for the same to be done with regard to Captain Hook and Co? |
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