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The secret agent showed once again that the BNP is a cesspit of
racism, anti-semitism and “criminal levels” of violence.
“On a barrister’s advice”, a constant mantra of the
programme, the vile comments we heard uttered by various BNP members
were deemed “threatening, abusive and insulting” - in
the legal sense.
BBC lawyers must have sat up pretty smartish when they watched
the demented John Tyndall - BNP founder and would-be fuhrer - constantly
taunt Michael Howard by calling him “Michael Hecht” -
a reference to the Tory leader’s Jewish-Romanian original family
name. Tyndall continued his Hitlerian attack on “Hecht”,
fulminating: “This interloper, this immigrant or son of immigrants,
who has no roots at all in Britain, has the effrontery to talk to
us about what is alien. It is not the BNP that is alien.” In
a grandstanding finale, Tyndall ‘did a Kilroy-Silk’ and
affirmed that Africans have only produced “black magic, witchcraft,
voodoo, cannibalism and Aids”.
Of course, the section of the programme which has attracted the
most attention is where Nick Griffin, the BNP’s Cambridge graduate
leader, tells cheering supporters that islam is “a wicked,
vicious faith” and ventures into theological exegesis - claiming
that the Koran tells muslims to rape white women and children, to
“take any non-muslim woman you want”.
It is no accident that Griffin made this speech in Keighley, West
Yorkshire - where it has been widely alleged that Asian men are
‘grooming’ under-16-year-old white girls for sex. This
allegation became the basis for a Channel Four documentary, which
was withdrawn at the last minute at the request of the police, thus
inevitably fuelling paranoia amongst those who want to believe that
there has been a cover-up by the ‘pro-Paki’ media and
police.
Gwynne actually referred to the withdrawn documentary in The secret
agent, saying that white men were involved in the ‘grooming’
racket as well, but apparently this was not the thrust of the girls’
testimonies. Naturally, this is all food and drink for the BNP,
which found a real live-wire issue to exploit, hence Griffin’s
demagogic appeal at the Keighley meeting: “You’ve got
to stand up and do something for the BNP because otherwise they
[the muslims - EF] will do for someone in your family.”
Significantly, during his outburst on islam and the Koran, Nick
Griffin went on to say that if he expressed such viewpoints in public
he would face a seven-year jail sentence and even went on to dare
David Blunkett to prosecute him: “If Blunkett wants to put
me on trial about whether we’re entitled to warn about the
dangers of islam, I will be absolutely delighted.”
Griffin’s goad is well timed, if nothing else. In the past
few weeks there has been renewed talk of ‘updating’ the
Public Order Act and, more pertinently, the Race Relations Act,
so that incitement to “religious hatred” will be on an
equal legal par with incitement to racial hatred - ie, a criminal
offence. The current ‘race hate’ laws incorporate religious
groups only if they can be classified as a distinct ethnic minority
community - such as Jews or Sikhs.
In a July 7 speech delivered to what is normally described as the
‘left-leaning’ Public Policy Research, Blunkett outlined
his desire to correct this ‘anomaly’, saying he wanted
measures put in place as soon as possible to combat “extremists”
who use religion to whip up conflict: “We tried unsuccessfully
to introduce an offence of incitement to religious hatred in the
aftermath of the September 11 attacks, but I hope we will now have
the parliamentary backing to put this in law.” Blunkett said
the new law, which will probably take more than a year to introduce,
even if it does not run into parliamentary opposition, would apply
equally to islamic extremists who urge their followers to violence
as to those who targeted muslims: “to far-right evangelical
christians and to extremists in the islamic faith”.
Just so as there can be no doubt on our views, let us make them
absolutely clear. The BNP are a gang of vicious, reactionary thugs
who hate not only foreigners, blacks and muslims, but class fighters
and communists too. However, we will not join in the chorus calling
for them to be banned or even silenced under existing or proposed
legislation.
Communists resolutely oppose the introduction of ‘anti-religious
hatred’ laws. Not that we are in favour of whipping up bigotry
and hatred against religious groups or communities, or that we think
discrimination directed against muslims or Sikhs is okay - quite
the opposite. We unequivocally defend the democratic right of individuals
to embrace any religion (or reject a religion) as they see fit.
But communists oppose all measures which give the authorities the
right to decide what can and cannot be said, or to adjudicate as
to what is ‘correct’ or not.
This is precisely why we want to ditch the utterly barmy blasphemy
law, which accords the christian cult a privileged status - theoretically
banning anything which might give all or any offence to believers
in christ, the man-god. In this same backward spirit, Monty Python’s
The life of Brian was banned by some local government authorities
such as Torbay, meaning that the film could not be shown in any
public authority-owned venue.
Quite frankly the last thing we need now is a situation in which
such an approach is extended to include just about every religious
faith or belief-system you can think of (moonies, scientologists,
pagans, UFOologists, jedis, etc). This would lead to a draconian
nightmare which would turn the democratic right to freely think
and criticise into nothing but an empty husk.
The establishment’s reaction to the BBC programme has of course
been predictable - something must be done. The Guardian, The Mirror
and even The Sun joined together in an unlikely united front. A
spokeswoman from West Yorkshire police - which not so long ago was
deemed ‘institutionally racist’ - duly issued a statement
saying that “we always prosecute where we find evidence of
anyone being involved in racially motivated crime”. Barclays
Bank has already closed down five accounts linked to the BNP, not
all of which are registered in the party’s name.
Then there are those on the sharp end of the BNP’s filthy propaganda
and often the boots and fists of its membership too. Iqbal Sacranie,
the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, argued that
the BNP has been exploiting a “loophole” in legislation
which outlaws incitement to racial hatred, but does not forbid “incitement
to religious hatred”. Bary Malik, a local magistrate and president
of Bradford’s Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, demanded that David
Blunkett take action: “The home secretary should see there’s
no room for a party like this.”
We would not dream of raising a finger to save BNP members from
being prosecuted for assault, arson, threatening behaviour, etc.
Indeed we communists, along with many trade unionists and other
leftwing militants, consider it an obligation to physically stand
alongside any community being targeted by the BNP or any such outfit.
However, that does not mean calling for some sort of state ban or
prohibition. While communists loathe the BNP just as much as both
Sacranie and Malik, we do not trust the existing state - whether
it is headed by Tony Blair or Michael Howard makes no difference.
In point of fact, communists fearlessly say that it is the British
state, not the BNP, which is the main enemy. Britain forcibly colonised,
savagely oppressed and ruthlessly plundered Ireland, India and half
of Africa in order to further enrich the already fabulously rich.
It was a past master of divide and rule. Religion was pitted against
religion, tribe against tribe and people against people.
Nor has the beast changed it nature. Today the British state demonises
migrants and poor foreigners. It stands before the world as the
most loyal ally of US superimperialism, a thug nation-state, ever
ready to use nuclear, chemical or other such WMDs. Hypocritically
and criminally it helped the US starve, bomb and then invade Iraq.
And it is the state which ultimately stands guard over the whole
rotten system of inequality and exploitation which breeds alienation,
poverty and the social sickness which is the BNP. In extremis the
very same state, and, of course, the class that stands behind it,
would energetically promote and if need be unleash the BNP - just
as the Italian capitalists did with the blackshirts and the German
capitalists did with the Nazis.
Moreover, as history repeatedly shows, in all likelihood, if not
certainly, anti-racist, anti-fascist laws would be turned against
progressive and working class organisations and individuals. That
is what happened in the 1930s.
Reactionary and backward ideas can only be genuinely eradicated
by overturning existing social conditions. Meanwhile they are in
general best fought in the open, where they have no room to hide
and fester. Jason Gwynne’s film was an excellent example of
this approach in practice.
Unfortunately, some sections of the left have a poor record when
it comes to defending freedom of speech - indeed, at times they
are the most vocal in agitating for state prohibitions on ‘extremist’
political organisations. Individuals like not-so-red Ken Livingstone
and Diane Abbott advocate state ban on the BNP - their model being
the German state which outlaws Nazi groups (also till recently the
Communist Party of Germany and communists teaching in schools).
The same goes for Searchlight, which talks approvingly of plans
to ban online “hate speech”.
What is particularly sad though is when an avowedly Marxist organisation
like the SWP chooses to go along with the liberal, pro-banning stream.
While Socialist Worker will repeat the appeals of the Muslim Council,
the Anti-Nazi League and Unite Against Fascism the SWP itself maintains
a formally correct position. However this takes the form of silence
- the SWP does not initiate, or take a lead, in demanding that the
capitalist state to extend its powers and ban far-right/fascist
groups. But on the other hand nor does it not voice any objections.
The is a word for this spineless opportunism - tailism.
Eddie Ford
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