THE British National Party's attempt to invite its former leader to Burnley
last week flopped as only a handful of hardcore Nazi activists turned up.
Burnley BNP had invited John Tyndall, the party's founder and an open
Hitler-worshipper, to speak at a rally on Thursday 1 August. But the few
Nazis who bothered to attend were confronted by some 150 Anti Nazi League
demonstrators and had to be shepherded in behind heavy police protection.

Among the 30-odd Nazis coming to pay homage to Tyndall were David Edwards,
BNP councillor for Burnley's Cliviger ward, and Mick Treacy, organiser of
Oldham BNP, who has five criminal convictions for theft and violence.

Anti Nazi League demonstrators, including local trade unionists and
students, congregated outside the venue and jeered at the Nazis as they
petered in. Many local people were outraged at the massive police operation
deployed to protect the Nazi meeting. Burnley Council has persistently
banned anti-racist activity in the town, yet it spends huge sums on ensuring
that BNP events go ahead.

Previous BNP meetings in Lancashire have attracted audiences of up to 250.
However, these meetings were not publicised. The failure of Tyndall's
Burnley rally shows that the Nazis cannot organise openly without
encountering trenchant opposition from an anti-Nazi majority that is
absolutely determined to prevent a repeat of Hitler's terror.


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Anti Nazi League
PO Box 2566, London N4 1WJ
tel 020 7924 0333