'BNP has right to hold its rally here'

A British National Party rally is to be held in Cleveleys

Wyre's Labour Group has objected to the meeting, which will be held at the council-owned Frank Townend Centre on Beach Road at 7pm on Tuesday.

Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, could be a speaker and the Labour group is worried there will be demonstrations. It has called for council bosses to step in and refuse permission for the rally – but Wyre Council has insisted the BNP has to be treated like any other political party before the Jubilee Ward by-election on October 22.

Labour group leader Coun Clive Grunshaw said: "Council premises should not be used in such a way during the middle of the Jubilee ward by-election. The Frank Townend Centre is in fact the site of the polling station for the by-election and giving permission for its use for political purposes at this time is clearly not appropriate.

"The fact is that Wyre Council is under no obligation to allow a political rally of this kind to take place on their premises. A rally by the BNP – which we believe to be addressed by Nick Griffin – will incite the inevitable demonstrations."

The Labour group also says it has concerns the community centre is in a densely populated area.

But Wyre chief executive Jim Corry said: "The BNP are a formally recognised political party and I am not going to make any distinction between them and any other political party when it comes to booking council facilities. I do not agree this will be viewed as the council giving tacit support to one particular organisation, not least as UKIP has booked the same venue on another occasion."

And the BNP branded the Labour group "undemocratic" by asking for the rally to be scrapped. BNP spokesman John Walker said: "The BNP is a mainstream political party, especially now in the North West we have a member of the European parliament. For the Labour group to ask for this meeting, which is a normal political meeting, to be banned is anti-democratic in the extreme."

Candidates for the by-election are James Clayton (BNP), Roy Hopwood (UKIP), Wayne Martin (Labour) and David Walmsley (Conservative).

Blackpool Gazette

09 October 2009