Schoolboy confronts Griffin at memorial
BNP leader argues with a 13-year-old at WWI monument to Indian troops
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Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, has paid a secret visit to a First World War memorial in Belgium – only to become embroiled in an angry confrontation with a 13-year-old schoolboy, The Independent has learnt.
On Wednesday the pupil, William Robey, was in Ypres visiting the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing as part of a school trip. It was built to commemorate the thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient in 1914-17, and its walls are inscribed with the names of 54,360 men who died for the British cause – including the 40th Pathans, an Indian infantry regiment which suffered great losses. But as "The Last Post" was about to be played, the schoolboy spotted Nick Griffin surrounded by some of his supporters.
William told The Independent: "I asked him if I could take his picture, next to the memorial for Pathan Indians. He reluctantly agreed, but as I went to take my photo I asked him, 'Isn't this against your party's policy?' One of his supporters put his hand over the lens, told me to 'get my facts straight', and grabbed my arm.
"I took the picture but it's very blurry. I said to him, 'Your party's built on hatred.' He started shouting at me, pointing his finger. The rest of his lot were all laughing and smirking. I just felt a bit sick inside to see him there to be honest. There they were with their poppies on, trying to put this respectable front on, yet they're happy to confront a 13-year-old at a war memorial to try and get their point across.
"He was just saying 'I've got lots of Sikh friends' when my teacher stepped in and took me away."
A BNP spokesperson said Mr Griffin often visits War Memorials when he returns to the European Parliament. He said the BNP leader "doesn't recall any jostling,." He also "It wasn't one of Nick's security entourage who put his hand over the camera. It was someone else who was there."
William's mother, Lucy, said that since the incident her son had been approached by a number of people who wanted to congratulate him for "standing up against racism".
She added that William was "very into his politics" and "knew his stuff", hinting that he might have a career in public life ahead of him – although his talent for asking difficult questions of politicians suggests that a career in journalism might also beckon.
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Comments
Nick Griffin's posse includes quite a number of knuckledraggers and thugs with convictions for GBH and other violent crimes.
Any one of these vicious nutters might have smashed your skull. Think twice before approaching convicted criminals like Nicko the Nazi.
You Tube has a wonderful encounter between an Indian soldier and a German paratrooper who shared a hole in the ground together at Monte Cassino. Neither could move out. They shared their water & cigarettes.
about racism except what's been force fed via the British media and press, and he is with his school
etc., why would he even wish to photograph someone he obviously does not like.??
The boy;s behaviour is so strange and peculiar for a typical 13years old kid that i honestly can;t
believe this tale. Whether you disagree or agree with mr.griffin he surely has a right to be at a war
memorial on a private visit without this sort of thing because you know I suspect no matter what Mr.griffin did it would be considered wrong. If he had ignored this boy that would be criticised[he should have ignored him] and if he agrees to being photographed he is supposed to accept accusations in the process from a boy he doesn't even know?
Well the only true aspect of this episode is that the boy;s mother wants some publicity and as for this kid;s future >>>well he'll fit right in with the current crop of useless people in Westminster.
In the 1960s I used to live first in the north of London, and later in Central London. I used to drive through London on my way to and from my parents' home in Kent. If I make the same journey to visit Central London now, I simply cannot recognise south London in terms of the people occupying it. The place is simply a sea of black now. You cannot simply uproot hundreds of thousands, or even millions of indigenous people from areas they have occupied for hundreds of years, replace them with immigrants, and expect everything to be humky-dory. It's not a matter of racism, it's a matter of commonsense.
No Sikh or Asian would ever be friends with the leader of racist party, the same racist party who would want to repatriate them because they are not white.
Nick Griffin and the BNP have yet again have shown they are hypocrits as he poses next to a memorial for Pathan Indians, But according to the press the BNP have recently made a racist video and have put this on you tube.
That video yet again shows the BNPs true racist colours.
Precocious little boy.
I don't think Nick and the neanderthals are shy in confronting other people
demonstrations, policiticians, immigrant groups etc etc.
but you are getting your knickers in a knot because a 13 year old asked Nick a question
diddums
Let's get our Armed Forces to forcibly deport the BNP and their supporters from our land, and replace them with the Ghurkas and other heroes who have served our country. I sense that it is only a matter of time before this happens.
Ok....Well its good to see so many people personally attacking Griffin/BNP/Nationalism but not the reasons behind the rise of the group and its ethos? a great many people are voting BNP as a protest vote due to ALL the other parties refusal to look facts in the face...our country is becoming a broken and fragmented society...just because you give someone a British passport and a welcoming slap on the back it does not mean they will subscribe to an indigenous moral and social ideal? since when does it make you a better British citizen to learn about mohammed rather than Alfred the Great? indeed i have friends in the south west whose children go to schools that are still predominantly white/English and even they have a constant barrage of other culture without learning about WHO they are and WHERE they come from?
I think it will be interesting when Griffin moves aside and lets someone younger, more eloquent and charming take his place because the man now is a rather easy target for this media frenzy over the BNP. many working class Britions ARE voting for him! MOST of the British Infantry AGREE'S with the BNP. a great deal of British Army members ARE BNP members/voters. my own battalion has more than 40 members of the (democratically recognised) BNP? As a country you cheer our patriotism and fighting spirit yet you hate us??? what is it to be?
So when people are so hasty in condemming them and calling them idiots/thugs/morons etc? please acknowledge the fact you are saying the same to all the lads out in the patrol bases? out here in the FOB's and all those hard working people who are sick of the state of the country!
Maybe its time we actually dealt with the reasons and cause behind the situation instead of trying these rather childish attempts of making the BNP look stupid. as for forcible deportations? i think you will find it VERY HARD to MAKE us deport BNP supporters? not when the average British Soldiers would prefer to deport the people on the other end of the scale!
Your cretinous comment was neither relevant nor useful.
Really, why did anyone vote for Nick Griffin and his disgusting party?
I think the reason is that Blair's party has done its best to rebrand racism as "legitimate concern about the "problem" (sic) of immigration" to distract people from real issues, and it has borne its strange and unpleasant fruit.
Most of us BNP members had families in both wars who didn’t come home including myself and many in our ranks are today’s ex-service personal
But the BNP have harmed no one and only told the British people the truth and will put their own countrymen before any one else
But if that’s racist or being fascist to the ignorant so be it
Gurkas are hindu not muslim.