How do you like your eggs Mr. Griffin?

Well seeing the convicted holocaust denier and newly elected MEP Nick Griffin covered in egg brought a strange dual feeling of pleasure and disgust to my mind. Members of Unite Against Fascism have a worthy cause in fighting against the fascist BNP, and have from seeing their work in spreading awareness done an awful lot of good informative work that attempted to bring about a dialogue with BNP supporters and the general public. Recently in my local area students set up stalls alongside those of the BNP, on a fair and more importantly democratic level, distributing their own materials and actually talking to people in a calm, respectful manner.

Using physical violence and a loud voice however seems to sit well with the Far Left leading groups such as the SWP (whom I assume builds part of the very same ranks as UAF), and manning the streets causing all forms of destruction and tyranny only goes to tarnish the good rapport that genuine opposition to fascism have built within communities and the press. Not allowing those to have a say and a view that differs from you sounds more like early 20th fascist logic to me, allowing a basis for their movement to be criticised unnecessarily and takes away from its good intentions.

The reputation of the UAF is incomparable for the open dishonesty peddled by Nick Griffin when he is given a platform to subversively spread his filth. Speaking on his election to the European Parliament, Griffin's attempt at covering his attitude towards immigration seemed purposely paper-thin. He noted that the problems currently facing the British public "are not just a matter of mass immigration, although that's the most obvious symptom of it", the immigration issue usually being that which the BNP focuses on in the poor, working class areas it targets much like my local town. He endeavours to remind the public of his racist and fake nationalist standpoint when he blames the "liberal elite" support of UAF in both his election speech and his post-egging interview with the BBC, equating the personal choice to back such movements made by elected MPs to "government funding", truly engaging in reactionary and sensationalist propaganda that typifies the elction campaigns of BNP candidates.

People like Nick Griffin need to be given a platform to speak, we need to hear what they have to say and let them do so with no illegal interuption, for fuel is being given to them to fire up their propaganda machine at full speed. As evidenced by the actual reduction of votes for the BNP from 2004, the three main parties, including the Conservatives who had little effort needed to clean up at the polls, for voter apathy has allowed them entry into the world stage. The European elections saw a drop in votes overall, and so efforts for voter registration and actually getting people to the polling stations in order to democratically force the BNP out of the politics of this already shaken country.