Disgust at racist graffiti on shops

POLICE were today hunting a racist vandal who daubed vile graffiti on shops.

The attacks took place in Kirkham at around 2am yesterday.

CCTV cameras captured the young vandal using a can of spray paint to daub offensive slogans and symbols across store frontages on Poulton Street.

Nine shop windows were targeted by the lout, who escaped on a bicycle.

Elaine Silverwood, owner of SilverDell bookshop and ice cream parlour, said: "This was a really awful thing to find on our shop window and something we've never really had a problem with in Kirkham before.

"You get kids writing their names somewhere and the police go and pick them up.

"But these were really nasty comments which left me feeling sick.

"I've been going through my CCTV to see if I could spot whoever's done it.

"The police have been in and spoke to us and I believe they've been to see the other businesses who have been targeted.

"We've not got it anywhere near as bad as other places.

"There's an empty charity shop across the street which has it all over the full window.

"I've contacted the council to see if they can clean it off, but if they can't I'll go and do it myself because it just looks awful."

Police spent yesterday conducting inquiries in Kirkham while viewing CCTV in the area.

Sgt Paul Fowler of St Annes Police said: "There has been graffiti sprayed on to some of the shop windows in Kirkham.

"Some of that was racist in nature and it has all now been removed.

"Inquiries are ongoing and we are looking at CCTV to try to identify the person responsible.

"We would like to hear from anybody who may have seen something or might match the description of the person we want to speak to in connection with this incident."

Police believe the vandal was a teenage boy.

CCTV footage shows him wearing a light grey Parka-style coat with the hood pulled up, light grey tracksuit trousers and dark trainers with light laces or a logo on the tongue.

He rode a dark mountain bike with white forks and front suspension.

Anyone with information can contact St Annes Police Station on (01253) 604697 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Blackpool Gazette
01 January 2009

Furious row in shop led to smashed windows

A MAN kicked in shop windows after a shopkeeper threw curry powder in his eyes, a court was told.

Martin Dalton, aged 21, of Southbank Avenue, Marton, pleaded guilty to racially-aggravated damage.

He was sentenced to do 100 hours’ unpaid work for the community and ordered to pay £500 compensation by Blackpool magistrates.

Prosecutor Pam Smith said that on November 16 at 3.40pm Dalton went into The Food and Wine Store, Whitegate Drive, and beckoned the shopkeeper to come outside and fight with him.

Dalton threw items off the shelves and a can of lager at the Asian shopkeeper before making a race hate remark to him and kicking in the shop windows.

Steven Townley, defending, said Dalton’s brother had previously been in the shop and when he put down a can of lager he had been drinking from on the counter, the shopkeeper objected and hit his hand with a bat.

Dalton went to the shop to remonstrate with the shopkeeper, who came at him with the bat.

Dalton threw a can of lager at him and the shopkeeper then threw curry powder in the defendant’s eyes.

Dalton lost his temper and kicked the windows, which cost £1,600 to replace.

Blackpool Gazette
31 December 2008

Singing led to racist abuse

A HOTELIER made homophobic remarks about a next-door neighbour's friend after a row about out-of-tune guitar playing and singing.

David Howse told the man to get back to Scotland, hurling racist and homophobic language.

Howse, 45, of The Regency Hotel, Charnley Road, Blackpool, admitted threatening behaviour.

He was fined £65 with £60 costs and ordered to pay the £15 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

Charity

Allan Cobain, defending, said his client, a former serviceman with a campaign medal from the Falklands, was also a member of The Buffaloes, a charity which encouraged good neighbourliness.

Over the past four years Howse and other hoteliers had problems with Howse’s next door neighbour.

Howse went to ask him to move a vehicle as it was blocking a delivery. He also asked if his neighbour would stop playing his guitar and singing.

Blackpool Gazette
13 December 2008

Keep Merseyside Fascist Free!

COUNTER PROTEST

SATURDAY 29TH NOVEMBER,

10AM, CHURCH ST (BOLD ST END), LIVERPOOL

BRING BANNERS, PLACARDS AND PEOPLE!

called by Liverpool UAF and Liverpool LMHR groups, supported by North West UAF

On Saturday 22nd Nov 2008, 12 members of the BNP were arrested in Liverpool city centre while handing out leaflets spreading their message of racism and hate ( racism cuts both ways leaflets) . The fascist BNP are planning to hold a demo in Liverpool this Saturday 29 November and are asking their activists to bring more leaflets !

We are organising a protest to stop the BNP spreading their racist lies in Liverpool. We are calling on everyone to unite against them and come to Liverpool and oppose the BNP !

BNP members under arrest for "racist" leaflets

Twelve men were arrested today on suspicion of distributing racist material in a city centre, police said.

The men were arrested after distributing leaflets at around 12.50pm in Whitechapel, Liverpool city centre.

Merseyside Police said those arrested were: a 29-year-old and a 51-year-old from the Liverpool South area; a 64 year-old from the Wirral area; a 19 year-old; a 46-year-old and a 41-year-old from Liverpool North; a 61-year-old and a 42-year-old from Knowsley; a 70-year-old; a 44 year-old; and a 29-year-old and a 48-year-old from St Helens.

Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Colin Matthews said: “Merseyside Police condemns racism in all of its forms and will take prompt action to support all of our communities.

“Merseyside Police today arrested 12 people on suspicion of distribution of racist material.

“This follows the distribution of leaflets in Liverpool city centre, which officers believe to contain racist content.

“Racist literature is not welcome on the streets of Merseyside in any circumstances.

“We serve many communities in Merseyside and it is important that all our communities are assured that we will take positive action where it is needed.”

The men have been taken to Merseyside police stations where they will be questioned about the incident.

A police source said tonight the arrests were linked to the British National Party (BNP).

The organiser of the Blackpool and Oldham branches of the BNP, Roy Goodwin, confirmed 12 members of the party had been arrested.

He said: “I understand 12 of our members have been arrested distributing official party leaflets in Merseyside.

“There was nothing unlawful in the leaflets - all the contents of the leaflets had been carefully vetted, or they would not have gone out.”

Liverpool Daily Post

Nov 22, 2008

Man attacked after anti-fascism demo

A man was attacked as he left an anti-fascist demonstration in Blackpool, Lancashire police said.
The protester had been attending the Unite Against Fascism demonstration when he was attacked on the promenade on Saturday afternoon.

A Lancashire police spokeswoman said: "The aggrieved, who had been at the BNP rally, was coming away from the demonstration along the promenade when he was approached by an unknown male and was attacked, causing cuts to his face and a possible broken nose."

Detectives are appealing for witnesses to the assault, which was carried out by a man in his mid-20s wearing a black baseball cap, black scarf and black top. Police could not confirm reports of a second assault.

Naomi Byron, spokeswoman for the Socialist Party, said: "We condemn this unprovoked assault. We thank members of the public and other demonstrators for coming to the support of these two peaceful young men.

""This will not deter us from continuing to oppose the far right."

Fleetwood Gazette
Published: 18 November 2008
Source: http://www.fleetwoodtoday.co.uk/latest-north-west-news/Man-attacked-after-antifascism-demo.4702644.jp

Entire BNP membership list goes online

Before reading this, you should appreciate that there are very strict limitations on what we are allowed to print and we intend to stay strictly within the law in the comments that we allow.

Having said all that, this breach of data security is startlingly bad for the BNP, not simply for the fact that the party has lost data - almost everyone seems to have managed to do that recently - but for the nature of that information.

Not only does the data, now available online, include the entire membership list with full names (and former names where there have been changes for any reason), addresses, contact numbers, email addresses and in many cases the member's age, particularly where those members are under eighteen. Yes, that's right. This list includes members as young as fourteen, male and female. Where a family membership is bought and paid for, the whole family is listed.

As if this isn't bad enough, the notes that are attached to many of the entries leave a lot of the members open to difficulties in their jobs, some of them being in the armed forces or the police and the BNP too - an illegal combination, and where not illegal, frequently frowned upon. Other members are noted as construction managers, receptionists, district nurses, lay preachers, police officers, company directors and teachers among many others.

Like this wasn't enough, the BNP has also listed hobbies or interests where for some reason they are deemed relevant. Thus we have short-wave radio hams, amateur historians, pagans, line-dancers and even a witch (male).

The contributors to nazi sites, many of whom are also members of the BNP, are suddenly in a frenzy, expecting to be outed at any moment. Here's just one comment from the North-West Nationalist blog:

'I've just had a call, I'm on it to. I want my fucking member money back, like has been mentioned here, I could lose my fucking job. I'm bloody angry.'

Not surprising really. I'd be pretty pissed off too.

Curiously, there are quite a number of BNP members abroad, presumably ex-pats or those working abroad temporarily - Australia, the USA, United Arab Emirates, Sao Paulo, Spain and the Netherlands were some that I noticed. Isn't the BNP opposed to foreign workers? I'm sure it was last time I looked.

One final thing (for the moment, because I'm sure this one will run and run): the list appears to include the December rebels. At first, I took this to mean that the membership list was a year out of date but after a good look through, it's become clear that by keeping a running list (as opposed to a clean list each membership year) the party is able to claim a much larger membership than it in fact has. Some of the additions to the list are as recent as September of this year, indicating that some of the members listed - though how many is anyone's guess - are not in fact members at all. The implication is pretty clear (to me, at least) - BNP members are being defrauded when they have been told that the membership is growing exponentially. Take off all the dead members, those who have resigned (many still listed along with their reasons for leaving) and the most recent batch of rebels and the size drops considerably.

It's been suggested that the party's former treasurer John Walker is responsible for posting the list up publicly. We wouldn't know but by doing so, the poster has stuck a stick of dynamite under Griffin's rear end. The consequences and the repercussions may be interesting to watch.

Just as a complete aside, I should point out that we do not have a copy of this list, nor do we want one. The information we had was obtained online and appears suddenly to have been removed, at least for the moment...

Source: Lancaster Unity