Reviewing politics
and culture since 1913

  1. Politics
15 February 2010

Will non-white people join the BNP?

And if not, er, why not?

By James Macintyre

Nick Griffin has said that he expects “a trickle not a flood” of people from ethnic minorities to join his British National Party following a ruling at an “extraordinary general meeting” in Essex allowing non-white people to join the racist group.

Well, quite, though I think he’s being optimistic. I cannot imagine any sane non-white person seeking to join such an organisation. And that there won’t be a “flood” is instructive of what sort of a party it is, behind the gloss.

Talking of gloss, here’s a worrying point.

Asked about the ruling, which was forced by the Equalities Commission, a BNP spokesman, Simon Darby, said: “Let’s put it like this — if, as a result of this, a court rules that we are now a bona fide party, that’s a great stamp of approval. If anyone says we are racist, we can say, ‘No we’re not, it’s been proved in court.’ ”

Following Griffin’s appearance on BBC1’s Question Time, this once again raises the question: is it right to bring this party in from the cold?

Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
Trees underpin environmental leadership
The benefits of UK consulting go far beyond the economic
Energy storage must not be overlooked on the road to net zero