Small but significant vote for BNP

By SevenoaksHol | Friday, May 07, 2010, 07:23

While party leader, Nick Griffin, was defeated in his attempts to become Barking’s MP, his British National Party took 2.8% (1,384) of the Sevenoaks and Swanley ward votes.

Over 1,000 Sevenoaks ward residents play the race card and vote for BNP

Paul Golding, standing for the party, which was started as a splinter group from the far-right, Whites-only National Front in 1982, joined the party aged 17, when he became Director of Publicity.

A BNP hardliner, Golding was briefly expelled from the party in 2004 for allegedly attacking the BNP’s first ethnic minority candidate, half-Turkish Lawrence Rustem who stood in Barking.

Golding was then welcomed back, and in February 2009 won the Swanley St Mary's ward on Sevenoaks Council.

Until last year, membership of the BNP was restricted to people of “Caucasian origin” – this policy was only dropped in February 2010 under legal pressure.

Nick Griffin, leader of the party, was formerly a national organiser of the National Front and unsuccessfully stood for election in 1981 and 1983.

In 1998 Griffin was convicted of distributing material likely to incite racial hatred.

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Comments

Yes, I know the local politicians of all parties in Swanley are working hard on this one.

By biodiesel1 at 17:13 on 17/05/10
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On a personal level, Alan, I sincerely hope they do.

Holly

By SevenoaksHol at 16:32 on 17/05/10
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Paul Golding failed to turn up at the count. Judging by the performance of the BNP at Barking and Deagenham on election night, they may well also lose this seat in Swanley next year.

By biodiesel1 at 16:16 on 17/05/10
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