Standing up for Britain(?)
On 20th of November, during the Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM), one of the main topics in UK’s politics for the last few months was discussed. Passionate debate about the British national Party (BNP) and its role within society was held.
By Julija Jegorova and Stephen Fothergill
The BNP – “Britain’s most democratic party.”
The British National Party gained widespread notoriety after its leader won a seat in European parliament. However, some feel that the BNP should be known as a “Nazi party” as it proclaims that “…
BNP exists to secure a future for the indigenous peoples of these islands in the North Atlantic which have been our homeland for millennia.”
According to Anindya Bhattacharyya (Unite against the fascism), BNP members are trying to get rid of “three H’s” – Hard image, Hitler and Hooliganism. They want these terms to become less negative and to become regularly used in our day-to-day vocabulary. The only way we can stop BNP is try to break its support and show its real aims. Bhattacharyya said: “Every mistake should be published. People must know that it is an organisation based on lies.”
Question Time
Media, as the fourth estate, is one of the most influential powers a democracy possesses.
The BNP reached the peak of its popularity following the BBC’s “Question Time”, where for the first time a representative of a far right political party was asked to take part in the show.
Media against fascism: facing problems.
The majority of journalists strongly believe that the BNP should not be covered in the media. However, due to the work deadlines and the industry’s competition to get the “hottest headlines” journalists are being forced by editors to interview and observe topics about the BNP.
Things to be done
Speakers during the meeting called for a number of ways of fighting against the BNP’s methods. They said:
- Big events are needed around the country, exposing British’s National Party aims
- Debates must be made for young inexperienced journalists to debate the nature of political coverage
- Try to prevent BNP’s support from increasing, by accurate reporting of social issues
- Media should take responsibility for intelligent comment on these issues
They expressed concern that without those steps the BNP might never be exposed and would continue to gain support from disaffected voters unaware of their true intentions.
Bhattacharyya said: “Many people don’t understand the concept of the “far right”, but they instictivley know that when a party is described as having Nazi beliefs they are inherently wrong.”
