Questions raised over BNP donation
By Ian Dunt
Questions are being raised about the British National party (BNP) after a mysterious £5,000 donation was not declared by the leadership.
Party leader Nick Griffin then managed to get himself into more trouble while defending himself against the charges when he said he would be willing to break race laws.
“As you know, we don’t break the law,” he said in an internet broadcast.
“We never have, we never will, you know, on financial things. Don’t mind breaking the odd race law, or being accused of it, you know, inadvertently.”
Electoral Commission rules state that donations over £5,000 to political parties, or £1,000 to party members for political activity, must be declared.
Mr Griffin admits paying the £5,000, from a supporter who wished to remain anonymous, into his own bank account before transferring the money to Solidarity.
Solidarity is a far-right trade union, widely considered a front group for BNP members sacked from their jobs.
Mr Griffin said he gave the money to the union because it would have had to have been declared if it had gone to the party itself.
The news comes as the BNP bask in unprecedented media attention ahead of the local and European elections on June 4th.
The party is fielding 450 candidates for the local elections and 66 for the European parliament.
But yesterday, Mr Griffin dropped out of plans to attend a Buckingham Palace garden party, saying he did not wish to embarrass the Queen.
The decision coincided with a brutal attack on the party from Conservative leader David Cameron.
“They dress up in a suit and knock on your door in a nice way but they are still Nazi thugs,” he said.
Meanwhile, a group of artists and musicians have launched a campaign to not have their music sold by the BNP.
The bands, who include Blur and Pink Floyd are demanding the right to stop the party making a profit from their work.
