The NUJ was out in protest against the BNP last Friday, the day of its first political broadcast in the run-up to European elections on 10 June.
The protests were part of the union’s policy of challenging the farright party, following intimidation of its members. They took place outside BBC premises in London, Manchester and Cardiff in conjunction with campaign group Unite Against Fascism.
They also demonstrated outside the offices of Five, which showed the longer BNP political broadcast – censored before going on air because a previous version breached Programming Code rules relating to racial hatred.
NUJ vice president Tim Lezard, who spoke at the London gathering, said it was the union’s policy to challenge the BNP since the party began intimidating its members in February.
The BNP sent threats, e-mails and phone calls, including a letter to the home of general secretary Jeremy Dear, after holding a demonstration outside the NUJ’s London HQ against “politically correct” journalists with “an anti-white bias”.
“BNP says it believes in free speech, but its belief only extends as far free speech in support of what they do,” Lezard told Press Gazette.
“We have a challenging policy against the BNP. And that’s why we oppose the broadcast. Their victims didn’t have a chance to answer back.”
By Wale Azeez
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