NUJ protest against BNP "intimidation"
01 January 2004
Between 250 and 300 journalists, workers and students rallied to a call by The National Union of Journalist (NUJ) to defend free speech after the British National Party (BNP) announced a picket of their offices in Kings Cross on February 16. The NUJ condemned the picket as intimidatory and called on members to mount "a dignified counter protest to declare that we will defend our union from fascist attacks." The union said:
The NUJ deplores the demonstration by BNP members outside its office. The union condemns all attempts by the BNP to harass and intimidate journalists and anybody else... The BNP does not believe in free and balanced reporting. The BNP uses physical threats to try and intimate journalists. They put details of journalists whose coverage they don't like on race-hate websites, to make them targets of attack.
NUJ members in the north of England have "received direct threats from these thugs" and have passed a dossier of them to the police. It is part of an ongoing campaign to silence those who do not share their racist views.
The BNP rally was part of their ongoing "rights for whites" campaign and they carried placards complaining of bias in the media and commemorating the death of Gavin Hopley, a 19-year old white youth who died after a fight with Bengali youths in Oldham. The far-right party had erected a plaque in memory of Hopley near where he died, but it has been removed by the local council after complaints from the teenager's family, who have stressed that they not do wish to be associated with the extremism of the BNP. NUJ speakers at the rally pointed to the "avalanche of racist reporting against refugees and asylum seekers in sections of the tabloid press." NUJ members have protested at coverage in the Express newspaper in particular.
The forty or so BNP members and supporters arrived at the NUJ after protesting at the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) offices. The BNP contingent was led by Tony Lecomber, who served a prison sentence after being found guilty of a car bomb attack on opponents in south London and another for a racist attack on a Jewish teacher in east London. Lecomber is described as the "Branch Development Officer" for the organisation. Also present was at least one former member of the Chelsea Headhunters, the notorious football firm that has close links to Combat 18.
The National Union of Journalists, Headland House, 308-312 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8DP, email: info@nuj.org.uk