In Defence of The BNP

I fear a backlash for writing this.

The torrent of anti-BNP (British National Party) sentiment on and offline worries me.

I neither support or agree with the BNP’s policies. In fact I consider myself to sit on the complete opposite side of politics.

But.

I like to think that Britain is a society that allows, and within reason tolerates free speech.

When I reported from the BNP’s national conference earlier this week, I was surprised to see the lengths that members of the party have to go to avoid being attacked in public.

This ranged from them covering their signs up, to making press wait in a supermarket car park until just before the conference.

The “not in my back garden” sentiment exists online too.

Here are a selection of comments on the BNP from the Twittersphere:

robots_: @BNP_Supporter the BNP will never get in power, don’t be so deluded. your voters are racists and therefore i will insult them how i please.
MadMikeMacabre: Im Glad the BNP in the topics was full of Like minded Haters. Lets keep the “British National (Nazi) Party” Out.
urbanfly: RT:@danoliver The BNP: “We’re decent people”. Err, that’s one view, the other is that you’re a bunch of homophobic, racist, bigoted, c**ts.

Like any organisation, I’m sure there are extreme people in BNP.

I’d also like to point out that there are extreme types in both the Labour and Conservative parties who are in power right now. But general public opinion doesn’t allow for linching them (yet).

But do we really live in a society that condones this:

Having lived in East Asia, I’ve had first hand experience of what censoring people’s views and ideas can result in.

Historically it’s been dangerous, and arguably lead to some of the worst conflicts we’ve seen in recent years.

To set the record straight:

I do not agree with their policies or support them.

But these people feel the way the feel, whether we like it or not.

Isn’t it far more dangerous that we continue to push these people aside, and make it continue to vilify them?

Will our actions only make them more extreme?