BNP leader Nick Griffin: Question Time was a ‘lynch mob’

[FL Patriot]

The far right leader described the way that the programme had been produced as “unfair,” because the usual format was altered to concentrate on him and his policies, with all but one question focused on the BNP.
The BNP will now make a formal complaint to the BBC demanding that Mr Griffin be allowed to return to the show in the near future and adding that audience members who denounced him during filming were “not British”.

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Mr Griffin also called for his next Question Time appearance to be held away from London, which he said had been "ethnically cleansed," so that the audience could be drawn from a town with more "English and British people".
His performance, in which he defended the Ku Klux Klan, failed to refute being a Holocaust denier and described homosexual men as “creepy,” was widely panned by critics.
But hundreds of viewers contacted the BBC to complain that panel did not discuss current affairs topics such as the postal strike or MPs’ expenses, and concentrated too much on Mr Griffin’s views and past statements.
The BNP called a press conference to demand that the leader be given a second chance to appear on Question Time, this time to discuss the issues of the day.
Mr Griffin said: "That was not a genuine Question Time; that was a lynch mob.
"The British public are aghast at the display of bias from the BBC, the venom from the political class, and the sheer unfairness.
"People wanted to see me and hear me talking about things such as the postal strike. One or two questions about what a wicked man I am, fair enough, but the whole programme – it was absurd. Let’s do it again but do it properly this time."
During the debate, Mr Griffin was repeatedly challenged by panel members Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, Baroness Warsi, shadow community cohesion minister, Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrats' home affairs spokesman, and Bonnie Greer, the black playwright and critic.
He also faced angry criticism from members of the audience, who described him as “disgusting” and “repulsive”.
Mr Griffin complained about the make-up of the invited audience, adding that Question Time should not have been broadcast from BBC Television Centre, scene of angry protests before and during filming, because London was “not my country any more”.
He went on: "That audience was taken from a city that is no longer British.
"That was not my country any more. Why not come down and do it in Thurrock, do it in Stoke, do it in Burnley?
"Do it somewhere where there are still significant numbers of English and British people [where] they haven't been ethnically cleansed from their own country."
Viewing figures peaked at 8.2 million, more than half of all those watching television at the time and around four times the number who usually tune in to Question Time.
The Corporation said that it had received 350 complaints by midday, with 240 protesting that Mr Griffin had been treated unfairly. Ofcom, the broadcasting watchdog, is also considering a number of complaints.
Peter Hain, the Welsh Secretary and anti-apartheid activist, accused the BBC of giving the BNP the “biggest favour in its grubby history,” amid reports that the far-right group’s membership was likely to receive a boost as a result of Mr Griffin’s appearance.
A party spokesman disclosed that hits to the BNP’s website had soared during and after transmission.
Mr Hain said: "The BBC should be ashamed of single-handedly doing a racist, fascist party the biggest favour in its grubby history.
"Our black, Muslim and Jewish citizens will sleep much less easily now the BBC has legitimised the BNP by treating its racist poison as the views of just another mainstream political party when it is so uniquely evil and dangerous."
But with the Cabinet split over the decision to share a platform with the party, Mr Straw insisted that it had been a "catastrophic" week for the BNP, which had seen Mr Griffin exposed on Question Time as a "fantasising conspiracy theorist".
He added: "For the first time the views of the BNP have been properly scrutinised."
Downing Street said that Gordon Brown did not watch Question Time but did telephone Mr Straw to thank him for appearing.
The BBC defended the decision to invite Mr Griffin on to the programme, and denied that the BNP leader had been treated unfairly.
Mark Byford, deputy director general, said: "Over eight million people watched Question Time last night.
"This very large audience clearly demonstrates the public's interest in seeing elected politicians being scrutinised by the public themselves.
"The agenda of the programme was set by the audience's own questions.
"The BBC is firm in its belief that it was appropriate for Mr Griffin to appear as a member of the panel and the BBC fulfilled its duty to uphold due impartiality by inviting him on the programme."



BNP leader Nick Griffin: Question Time was a ‘lynch mob’ - Telegraph

[Jamie Kelso]

Nick Griffin Creates Media Tidal Wave

On my radio show I've been following the Google News coverage of Nick Griffin's appearance on the BBC program Question Time. It seemed that Nick Griffin had a tidal wave going on Oct. 21 when Google News showed 1,480 newspapers, magazines, and web news sites writing articles featuring Mr. Griffin's appearance. But by the day of his appearance the total had soared even more to 2,900 articles on Oct. 22.

Well, it's gone even farther now, the day after that appearance. Today, Oct. 23, 2009, the search "Nick Griffin" in Google News brings up a top story being carried by 3,445 news outlets! This is unprecedented news coverage for our cause.

Here's a screen capture I just made showing the current Google News search return of 3,445 articles on Nick Griffin and Question Time:

Googe News screen showing 3,445 stories on Nick Griffin's Question Time
Graphic by Jamie Kelso - use freely

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