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Vote BNP and give Britain a dictator, says Tony Martin

Telegraph | 23.04.2004 19:04

Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer jailed for shooting dead a gypsy burglar, has become a supporter of the British National Party, urging people to vote for the far-Right racist movement that wants legal immigrants "voluntarily repatriated".

Vote BNP and give Britain a dictator, says Tony Martin
By Daniel Foggo -- The Sunday Telegraph, 18/04/2004

Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer jailed for shooting dead a gypsy burglar, has become a supporter of the British National Party, urging people to vote for the far-Right racist movement that wants legal immigrants "voluntarily repatriated".
Martin has admitted attending a meeting of the BNP in the past two weeks and says that he has recently been to gatherings of the National Front, the other well-known far-Right party in Britain.

His endorsement of the BNP is likely to be seized on by its leader, Nick Griffin, in the hope that it will give his party a boost in June's local elections. The BNP currently has 17 councillors, predominantly in northern England.

Martin, who was released from prison last July after having his murder conviction reduced to manslaughter on appeal, also says he thinks that people should support the United Kingdom Independence Party, which has the removal of Britain from the European Union as its main policy platform.

The 59-year-old, whose conviction was largely based on evidence that he had a hatred of gypsies, told The Telegraph last week: "I am urging people to vote for the BNP and the UK Independence Party because the two-party system we have now is not working. It is a stalemate and something has to be done.

"I have not voted myself for 20 years and won't start now but others have to. I have been to a BNP meeting in the last two weeks. It was held in the back room of a pub and the talk was of how it is the fastest growing party in the country."

Martin, whose late uncle Andrew Fountaine was a founder of the National Front, said: "I am not aware of all the BNP's policies but voluntary repatriation seems a good idea to me. There are young Jamaicans who come to this country but if they could be given £20,000 they would be rich men back in Jamaica. If this is what people wanted it would be very good.

"Apparently we haven't got enough labour so we are going down the same road as the 1960s when we brought in the Pakistanis and Jamaicans. It is all very ill-thought-out.

"Charity begins at home. It would be more economical to look after foreigners in their own countries than having them come here. Is it all the people coming over here creating a shortage of homes that is making the prices go up?"

Gerry Gable, publisher of the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight, was dismissive of Martin's stance. "It comes as no surprise that another convicted criminal is giving his endorsement to a party that claims to be representing law and order," he said.

Martin, who was jailed four years ago for shooting dead the 16-year-old burglar, Fred Barras, and wounding his accomplice, Brendon Fearon, during a raid on his isolated farmhouse, is backing the BNP's "get tough" attitude on law and order.

The party's policies include reintroducing corporal punishment for petty criminals such as burglars and bringing in the death penalty for paedophiles, murderers and terrorists in cases where "guilt is proven beyond dispute". Martin said: "What we want to see is crime reduced and we want to bring the police into the real world so they get their priorities right.

"One of the National Front people told me that at a court case recently a probation officer said these criminals are reared from a very young age to steal and so, to them, it is not a crime. I have never heard so much stupidity." He believed in an authoritarian approach. even where it meant foregoing democracy.

"There is going to be a dictator in this country, but there are such things as benign dictators. Too much liberalism is worse than too little. The politicians as we know them are already anachronisms.

"There are things that want doing today, right now. A dictator is the way to go. For instance, we must keep out of Europe. We are a unique island people."

Piers Morgan, the editor of the Mirror, which bought Martin's story last year for £100,000, said that while he did not agree with his political views he had no regrets about the deal.

He said: "If he's advocating voting BNP, we obviously don't agree with that, and neither would our readers."

Norfolk police found Martin safe and well last night after launching a search for him earlier when a neighbour reported him missing.

The neighbour became concerned when he discovered that Martin's house in the hamlet of Emneth Hungate was locked and empty, even though his car, mobile telephone and dog were all present. The farmer has received death threats from gypsies wanting revenge over the killing of Fred Barras.

Telegraph