Anti-BNP press ploy exposed

LABOUR'S National Executive Committee thought they were being very clever when writing to Lancashire Police to demand a cost breakdown for policing a recent Burnley BNP branch meeting.
Committee member Shahid Malik, even pre-empted what he thought the police might say and told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph that the bill was £30,000 and would be paid by the Burnley taxpayer.

But Labour's ploy, designed to try to discredit Burnley's three BNP councillors, backfired dramatically when Division Commander, John Knowles, announced that it was policing the ANL demonstration against the BNP that cost the money.

Chief Superintendent Knowles told the local paper.

"The purpose of the operation was to prevent any potential for disorder resulting from the Anti-'Nazi' League counter action, not because of any identified threat from the BNP meeting."

He also reassured the people of Burnley that the cost of such specific policing operations were shared across the Constabulary and not paid by the public.

* An ANL member who threw a glass of water over BNP chairman Nick Griffin at the Burnley election count in May has received an official police caution. Margaret Smith said that she was so enraged by the BNP's results in the town she had been unable to control herself.

The incident was seen by millions of viewers on Channel Four's main news bulletin.