Police arrest publicity director accused by BNP leadership of plotting 'palace coup'
Nick Griffin and Mark Collett after winning a court case in 2006.
The BNP has been thrown into turmoil weeks ahead of the general election after a senior party member was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Nick Griffin.
Key party officials have been summoned to a meeting tomorrow to discuss "urgent organisational matters" after Griffin and colleagues made statements to police resulting in the BNP's publicity director, Mark Collett, being detained on Thursday.
Collett, 29, had been due to contest Labour MP David Blunkett's Sheffield Brightside seat in the election but has been stripped of his position within the party which accused him of conspiring to launch a "palace coup" against Griffin.
The BNP alerted members to the crisis on Wednesday. In a message to party organisers, the party said its internal security team had been investigating "alleged financial irregularities" relating to leaflets and publications, the "leaking on to the internet of sensitive party information" and "feeding lies to certain anti-BNP blog sites" for several months.
"As a result of this investigation, a very serious matter has been uncovered," the memo said. "Earlier this week, the police were made aware of very serious allegations potentially affecting the personal safety of party chairman Nick Griffin MEP and senior management/fundraising consultant James Dowson. Formal statements have now been made to the police, including by Mr Griffin."
The message said it had been necessary to act immediately "to ensure the safety of those at risk".
The timing of the row is a further blow to the BNP as it looks to build on success in last year's European elections by winning its first seat in the House of Commons. Last month the party's membership policy was ruled to be discriminatory, despite the BNP having removed a whites-only clause in February.
The BNP said it was unable to provide further details of the alleged threat to Griffin – who is standing against Labour's Margaret Hodge in Barking and Dagenham – and Dowson for fear of prejudicing legal proceedings.
The memo continued: "Since political, as opposed to allegedly criminal, conspiracies are not illegal, we are able to say that Mark Collett was conspiring with a small clique of other party officials to launch a 'palace coup' against our twice democratically elected party leader, Nick Griffin, and that in order to create the artificial climate of disillusionment necessary for this to stand any chance of success, lies and unfounded rumours have been spread, and were planned to be spread much further."
Officers asked Collett to attend a Humberside police station last week. A spokeswoman said: "A 29-year-old man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of making threats to kill. He was interviewed by detectives at Humberside police and he has been released on bail pending further inquiries. The investigation was initiated as a result of a complaint by the member of the BNP."
BNP regional organisers and key officials have been asked to attend an "urgent briefing meeting" tomorrow to discuss the events of the last few days and the party's future plans.
A spokesman for the anti-fascist organisation Searchlight said rows over finance, particularly Griffin's European expenses, had led to the conflict. Griffin and Andrew Brons were elected to European parliament in June 2009 but have been criticised in recent weeks for failing to publish details of their spending.
"Nick Griffin is constantly claiming he is the leader of a moderate, non-violent organisation," the Searchlight spokesman said. "It is difficult to see how he can square that assertion with his statement to the police that his own head of publicity has been plotting to kill him."
The Guardian attempted to contact senior figures within the British National party, but none were available for comment.
NWN: For a discussion see here;
http://www.nwn-forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3827
16 comments:
It's always crisis to bloody crisis with Griffin isn't it ?
He is a bloody jinx.
I do think it's about time he went.
Just shows you that Kenny, Sadie, Steve, Ian et al were right (all bar the actions of Matt Single) after all. What does everyone here have to say about that? I left the BNP when they were booted out. But all along they said that Collett was over charging with the leaflets and that he had bragged about making money off groups, now he has been 'exposed' by Dowson for doing just this. They said that Walker was incompetent and didn't have a clue when he was treasurer - also a drunk, turns out this was all true and he never got the accounts in on time. Now he has gone too. The BNP has just lost the last two competent people it had in Butler and Colgate. There is no one left except Griffins sycophants like Darby, Barnbrook, Jefferson, The Walker brothers - they all lick his arse and will continue to be subservient to their boss. Griffin has kicked out everyone who can possibly challenge him in anything that he does and that is just how he wants it. All of you who are left are just his sheep who like hypnotised griffin junkies wander aimlessly posting leaflets in areas where they is no chance of real, positive community change. Simply because there are just no decent active community focused BNP groups anymore. This is like a wonderful Easter gift to hear that Collett has been finally exposed for what he is. The BNP should burn into ashes now so that something amazing can rise from them.
gri££in is such a drama queen collit coul.nt kill a ant!
Good post Anoymous.
"The BNP should burn into ashes now so that something amazing can rise from them."
This is what is required, no matter how difficult it may be and noi matter how hard itmat be for some.
The truth is this is what is required. For the BNP to be purified and melded into a force for change and decency and Real Nationalism.
Let the Pheonix arise from those ashes and with it a new leader of political and spiritual authority.
Come the hour, comne the man...
Vindicates those of us who left after the Sadie Graham business.
The party will go nowhere until the current leadership (plural) are gone.
They are pulling down the party and giving it completely the wrong image besides being totally corrupt and inept.
Get rid of them and let the real genuine people come back.
There are plenty of good leaders in waiting - most expelled from the party for that very reason by the fuhrer and his henchmen.
We now watch thieves falling out over the current booty.
Not a pretty sight for members or nation.
Has Eddy Butler gone?
For goodness sake?
Good comments Rosie, you've got it in one.
"We now watch thieves falling out over the current booty.
Not a pretty sight for members or nation."
Al Capone always said that whatever you do, they always get you on the money.
Now the chickens are coming home for roost as the fall-out over who has the most from the BNP finances escalates.
Collett is now feeling the cold light of day as he finds himself expendable inn the face of Griffin's sociopathic and greedy selfish personality.
Now, Griffin will be gradually exposed as he teeters on that long, slipery slope to his downfall.
The question is : if Griffin is in some way State, or State-guided, then his agenda will be to destroy the BNP as a viable political party and electoral force.
Remember what Griffin and his buddy, Harrington, did to the National Front.
This is the 80s repeated but this time we have lost time that cannot be made up. Time is running out for the indigenous British people and our nation is at stake, whilst the New World Order racks up the agenda for its plan of global domination and control.
Pikey Cockney Paul Golding is now the raising star in the Griffinite leadership circle, he's taken over Collett's roll.
This is f**king despicable, Gri££in & slippery shitbag Kemp are trying to make money out of Mr Terre'Blanche's brutal murder by two savage Wogs, they want people to buy Kemp nonsense lie filled book about the AWB. How much lower he these two vile creatures stoop? How could anybody what to capitalise from this awful incident?
"The only book in the world detailing the history and activities of Eugene Terre’Blanche and the AWB, which was responsible for the most serious campaign of bombing and violence in South Africa’s history as Apartheid came to an end in 1994.
No understanding of that country’s history is complete without this largely eyewitness account.
“An object lesson in what not to do, and how to fail at politics.” – Arthur Kemp.
Softcover, 214 pp. Price: £12.00 Order by clicking here."
http://bnp.org.uk/2010/04/terre%e2%80%99blanche-murder-symbolises-state-of-south-africa/
Collett couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag, I don't believe he made plausible death threat, may be just venting anger, Gri££in is a piece if shit for phoning the Old Bill. There were rumours going around the state plant Kemp had been sacked, this appears not to be the case, hopefully one day all the real rotten eggs in the BNP will be exposed?
The Collett story on ITN news today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5upkhRunDM
Anonymous (21:36hrs),
You said:
"Just shows you that Kenny, Sadie, Steve, Ian et al were right (all bar the actions of Matt Single) after all."
I say:
Could any sane person really have doubted that for a second.
Although Mat Single's actions (caused I'm sure by a genuine breakdown) were despicable, this in no way reflects on the justice of the Dec 2007 rebels cause.
At the risk of seeming to gloat, can I just say it was good to see Collett fall.
As for the others involved in this current revolt, why is organising to change the leader a problem? When in all other political parties it's accepted as part of normal party politics (ie: Gordon Brown a few months ago, Charles Kennedy in 2006, Thatcher in 1990 etc).
From
Chris Hill
(Lancaster)
Couldn't have been timed better to totally scupper the BNP's election prospects.
Do they think we are ALL blind and stupid?. No.... wait.... don't answer that.
Pip pip
Kemp is state.
Never mind terre Blanche I have personally heard him denigrating and attacking the late Ian Smith. Unforgivable.
However check out google.
Gail and Clive Darby-Lewis.
He was state agent provocateur and prosecution witness against these two patriotic and nationalist South Africans. Jailed for years.
I heard Collett has made a move to join the NF.
Henry.
golding doing graphic design - this will be fucking hilarious i cant wait.
Post a Comment