Vicar backs Kingston candidates' anti-BNP stance

7:00am Monday 2nd July 2012 in News By Clare Buchanan

Rev Jonathan Wilkes said the BNP did not promote a tolerant society Rev Jonathan Wilkes said the BNP did not promote a tolerant society

A vicar has backed an anti-racism group’s campaign to stop voters supporting a British National Party (BNP) candidate in an upcoming byelection.

Kingston Unite Against Fascism has released a statement condemning the decision of the BNP to stand David Child in the Grove ward byelection on Thursday, July 5.

The organisation believed the party was using the byelection as a platform to spread racism.

So far 82 people have signed the Kingston Unite Against Fascism petition, including other byelection candidates and community figureheads such as the Rev Jonathan Wilkes, the vicar at All Saints Church, Kingston.

The campaign’s organiser Richard Donnelly said: “We have to take a principled stand against the BNP wherever it raises its ugly head.

“The community has made it clear that racists aren’t welcome in Kingston.”

Rev Wilkes said: “It’s an expression of objection to the BNP being part of a democratic process in our neighbourhood. They don’t promote a tolerant and harmonious community.

“They promote ideas that I don’t believe build a civil society, but it is not for me to tell anyone else how to think.”

The Surrey Comet was unable to contact Mr Child despite several attempts.

Comments(37)

UKIP Surbiton says...
10:13am Mon 2 Jul 12

Lets not forget its a democracy , the fact that a BNP candidate is standing should encourage people to get out and actually vote in this Grove bi-election and ensure that he doesn't win .

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JohnnyDale says...
11:20am Mon 2 Jul 12

The price of a free and open democracy is that morons and bigots are free to put themselves up for election. The answer is not to try and stop them, but to defeat their arguments.

By the way, I just splurted coffee all over my keyboard when I read a cult leader say "... but it is not for me to tell anyone else how to think". Give us a bit of advance warning of jokes such as this please Guardian.

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Joan Walters says...
12:42pm Mon 2 Jul 12

A typical spiteful attempt to put people off from voting BNP - note UAF want to "stop voters from supporting the BNP" - not putting up a UAF candidate with policies for folk to vote for, instead just a ad hominem attack on the BNP (ad hominem means attack the person, not their argument). The Rev Jonathan Wilkes should be preaching the Gospel and not attacking a legal, democratic party by supporting a a neo Communist group like UAF. "A tolerant and harmonious community" - you must be joking. Certainly not "harmonious" and intolerant of the BNP!

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fedup58 says...
12:54pm Mon 2 Jul 12

Religion and Politics should not mix. This is still a free thinking country and people are free to vote as they want to. The BNP party receives constant bad press but many of there ideas are what people want. This does not make all supporters Racist but Realists. The Labour party realise they got it wrong I hope the Lib Dems and the Conservatives are listening otherwise the BNP will get more and more supporters.

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richarddonnelly says...
2:01pm Mon 2 Jul 12

Wow, BNP crank calls vicar a "neo-Communist". That's a headline in itself.

You can sign the petition on the link below. It doesn't call for the BNP candidate to stand down. It's simply a condemnation of their message of hate. David Child is a well-known Nazi activist, and a friend of Chris Hurst, the BNP London regional organiser who resigned after throwing Nazi saultes at a NeoNazi festival in Hungary.

www.gopetition.com/p
etitions/condemn-the
-british-national-pa
rty-s-candidate-for-
the/signatures.html

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fedup58 says...
2:08pm Mon 2 Jul 12

So guilty by association, keep your friends close but your enemies even closer. How dare Richard Donnelly start a hate campaign against David Child just because his opinions do not match. If this countries continues the way it currently is the BNP and other parties will get more supporters. It is upto the other parties to listen as to why they are gaining support and change there policies.

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richarddonnelly says...
2:22pm Mon 2 Jul 12

I didn't start the campaign, and David Child is a well-known Nazi who's been photographed on the BNP website giving out vile, extremely racist material about black people. He's a fascist, and the fascist BNP don't believe in democracy. And sadly for the Nazis, the UK will never want Nick Griffin as their Fuhrer.

Anyway, you can read the full list of signatories to the statement here.

http://kingstonuaf.w
ordpress.com/

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richarddonnelly says...
2:23pm Mon 2 Jul 12

Oh, and if you scroll down the page, you get to see Nick Griffin in a "white power" t-shirt. Ask yourself if anyone would ever vote for these Nazis if they knew what they were really about.

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Prince Philip of Greece says...
2:26pm Mon 2 Jul 12

Racism is a rejection of everything that democracy means. Racism is intolerance; racism is hatred of other people; racism is about denying other people.

The BNP is a racist party. They should be allowed no part in UK democracy.

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fedup58 says...
2:44pm Mon 2 Jul 12

So we are not a Democracy? There is too much reverse Racism in this country taht is why Parties like the BNP are gaining popularity. People are fed up of being put down in the name of Racism.

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richarddonnelly says...
3:00pm Mon 2 Jul 12

The BNP want to abolish democracy in the UK. Nick Griffin is a Nazi and holocaust denier. People like Griffin and Child lie about themselves to get votes. Here's a quote from Griffin:

"Of course we must teach the truth to the hardcore.....when it comes to influencing the public, forget about racial differences, genetics, Zionism, historical revisionism and so on......we must at all times present them with an image of moderate reasonableness."

And another:

"Yes, Adolf went a bit too far. His legacy is the biggest problem that the British nationalist movement has to deal with. It just creates a bad image."

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fedup58 says...
3:07pm Mon 2 Jul 12

Ask yourself why did Hitler get in power, it was at a time where the German people had had enough. That is why if the Politicians do not listen the same thing could happen here. Stop throwing insults at the BNP and start trying to get the other parties to listen to the concerns of the British people whatever colour creed or race because until they do the BNP and the like is the only way they can make themselves heard.

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gonewiththewind says...
3:35pm Mon 2 Jul 12

Rev Jonathan Wilkes should think twice before he gets himself involved with the UAF who are the extreme left of the Labour Party and funded by them. He should also remember that it is only the BNP that supports the Church of England in its stance against gay marriages in church.

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fedup58 says...
4:12pm Mon 2 Jul 12

David Cameron obviously belives that members of the Church of England do not vote and that the Gays will create more votes. How wrong he is the current Partnership contract is Legally binding and suffiecient. Do not mix Politics with Religion. The Bible states clearly how it would stand on mixed marriages and its wrong. Its that simple the C of E do not believe in same sex marriages.

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edstar says...
4:19pm Mon 2 Jul 12

fedup58 wrote:
Ask yourself why did Hitler get in power, it was at a time where the German people had had enough. That is why if the Politicians do not listen the same thing could happen here. Stop throwing insults at the BNP and start trying to get the other parties to listen to the concerns of the British people whatever colour creed or race because until they do the BNP and the like is the only way they can make themselves heard.
So let me see if I get this right. You are saying that unless the political parties listen to the people, they will vote in the Nazis (BNP) and that the only way anyone no matter their colour can get their voices heard is through the British Nazi party!

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fedup58 says...
4:22pm Mon 2 Jul 12

I thought Polticians are supposed to listen but it appears that they have stopped. This is when the dissent starts, look at the riots last summer has anything changed I don't think so.

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Prince Philip of Greece says...
4:53pm Mon 2 Jul 12

fedup58 (discussing Travellers on these pages) said: "I'm not a racist but..."

No wonder she apologises for Hitler and how he helped the German people.

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Surreydon says...
6:58pm Mon 2 Jul 12

Prince Philip of Greece wrote:
fedup58 (discussing Travellers on these pages) said: "I'm not a racist but..."

No wonder she apologises for Hitler and how he helped the German people.
You really should take of those rose-tinted glasses! fedup58 is telling it like it is and is a realist and certainly not a racist.

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fedup58 says...
8:41pm Mon 2 Jul 12

I do not believe I apologised for Hitler but tried to explain how and why it happened. You really need to study History otherwise the chances are it could happen again. Thankyou Surreydon for appreciating what I am trying to say.

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edstar says...
12:41am Tue 3 Jul 12

fedup58 wrote:
I do not believe I apologised for Hitler but tried to explain how and why it happened. You really need to study History otherwise the chances are it could happen again. Thankyou Surreydon for appreciating what I am trying to say.
But I thought that you wanted the British nazi party to win an election. So are you now saying that you dont want them to win?

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fedup58 says...
6:36am Tue 3 Jul 12

I believe they are called the British National Party and no I do not want them to win.

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Joan Walters says...
7:03am Tue 3 Jul 12

We have heard the sort of silly comments about the BNP from the likes of Richard Donnelly and violent, undemocratic and unrepresentative groups like UAF so many times that they cease to have any meaning. Using infantile expressions like "hate", "Nazis", "fascists" etc are a sign that these people have no genuine arguments against - just bluster and hysteria. Is a "Black Power" tee shirt acceptable, Donnelly, and just what have the events which occurred in Eastern Europe 70 or more years ago got to do with the politics of UK 2012? UAF's bullying and intimidating tactics have no part in a modern, mature democracy, but are reminiscent of old style, out dated Soviet totalitarianism.

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edstar says...
9:12am Tue 3 Jul 12

Then why do supporters/members of the bnp give Nazi salutes?

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edstar says...
9:13am Tue 3 Jul 12

fedup58 wrote:
I believe they are called the British National Party and no I do not want them to win.
Sorry, my apologies

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Joan Walters says...
9:50am Tue 3 Jul 12

edstar asks "why do supporters/members of the bnp give Nazi salutes?” - apart, perhaps, for a few rascals who are larking about and playing to the gallery, they don't "give Nazi salutes". There's absolutely nothing at the heart of the British National Party, in their publications, website, policies, leaflets etc which has anything remotely connected with Nazis and Nazism. The link was dreamed up as part of a "guilt by association" tactic by desperate leftists who have no avalid arguments against the BNP's sensible policies on British culture and identity - the usual ad hominem attacks. Accusations of Nazism are very powerful and only persist because the mass media never analyse such accusations to show they are false - ie the lie is propagated by the media. Enemies of Britain (like UAF) should realise that Nazism has nothing to contribute to solving our current problems, and the British public also realise this.

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richarddonnelly says...
10:26am Tue 3 Jul 12

Here's a picture of John Tyndall, founder of the BNP, wearing a Nazi uniform and standing in front of a swastika flag. He started his political career in the "National Socialist Movement" group.

http://4.bp.blogspot
.com/-TFqmCjlZNoY/Tp
hNl_0q5xI/AAAAAAAAAS
8/D2vxhMfo6VM/s1600/
2.jpg

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edstar says...
1:36pm Tue 3 Jul 12

richarddonnelly wrote:
Here's a picture of John Tyndall, founder of the BNP, wearing a Nazi uniform and standing in front of a swastika flag. He started his political career in the "National Socialist Movement" group.

http://4.bp.blogspot

.com/-TFqmCjlZNoY/Tp

hNl_0q5xI/AAAAAAAAAS

8/D2vxhMfo6VM/s1600/

2.jpg
What a rascal! So British Nazi Party is accurate after all.

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RevRMBWest says...
2:26pm Tue 3 Jul 12

The vicar is wrong on a number of counts. Firstly, Britain is a participatory democray where we encourage all viewpoints to slog things out in the democratic debating chamber of an election. It is for the public to render verdict once they have heard all sides, not for the vicar to short-circuit this process and exclude the publics' choice on this.

Secondly, it is the main parties who have fragmented society by introducing too many foreign nations and cultures into Britain without giving anyone enough time to integrate culturally. The British National Party have opposed this fragmentation process.

Thirdly, the vicar does not seem to know his Bible. In Genesis 10 and 11 God separated the nations into their homelands and in the New Testament, Matthew's Gospel 28: 19 compared with Mark's 16: 15, we are to go into all the world to make disciples of all nations, not bring all the nations here.

Fourthly, the vicar in question must give heed to what is wrong in his own church, first, if he is to be healthy enough to remove the mote from his brother's eye. The Archbishop of Canterbury has actually advocated the sharia in England and endorsed, to some degree, the sin against nature!

These are horrigying things which the vicar and his friends in UAF seem ill fitted to address.

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Jeff Marshall says...
3:40pm Tue 3 Jul 12

The headline of this article is misleading. The vicar is not backing any candidates’ anti-BNP stance.

The UAF group do not put up candidates in elections. They merely try to interfere with candidates' democratic right to stand.

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Prince Philip of Greece says...
4:05pm Tue 3 Jul 12

@REVrmb
The argument is often abbreviated to "no platform for racists" since racism is be definition anti-democratic.

I am an atheist but even I know that Jesus's most imprtant commandment was "love thy neighbour".

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RevRMBWest says...
4:27pm Tue 3 Jul 12

Racism is not what you have been told.

Who said that wanting to keep your own country is racist?Surely racism is where someone else wants to take it from you!

And it is not your right to impose your view of what is acceptable on everyone else: that is the prerogative of the electorate collectively. That is the whole point of an election.

Love thy neighbour does not mean giving away your country any more than it means giving away your wife, home, or job. You must not pitch one part of the Holy Bible against another - that would lead to chaos.

We should certainly help foreigners where we can; but that does not mean, surely, ceding our country to them.

They have now got their independence (quite rightly): it is about time we had ours.

"If any man provide not for his own and especially for those of his own household he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel" (1 Tim 5: 8).

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing! The clergy need to impart a lot more knowledge to their congregations. The Bible has a political theory in it which is not drawn from individual morality; and nations are part of that political theory. Let us see that we follow it, aetheist or not.

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Joan Walters says...
4:48pm Tue 3 Jul 12

An old photo of John Tyndall - so what - perhaps he studied history of the war, perhaps he was interested in what "the other side" stood for - that shows an enquiring mind, but does not inply that the BNP is based on Nazism! That's a step too far - I invite the voters to look at www.bnp.org.uk and see if they can find any reference to Nazis! (I certainly cannot, but I can see a link to Communism and Bolshevism in UAF)

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Tony from Surbiton says...
5:26pm Tue 3 Jul 12

What a load of nonsense. A complete waste of time to sign a petition against someone using their right to stand for election. Better off making sure that if you can vote, you do vote. Only if people stay at home and make their protest in such moronic ways as petitions will the awful BNP stand any chance of winning. Get involved in politics, or even stand yourself, but don't get involved in this holier-than-thou claptrap.

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Prince Philip of Greece says...
10:16am Wed 4 Jul 12

Joan Walters wrote:
An old photo of John Tyndall - so what - perhaps he studied history of the war, perhaps he was interested in what "the other side" stood for - that shows an enquiring mind, but does not inply that the BNP is based on Nazism! That's a step too far - I invite the voters to look at www.bnp.org.uk and see if they can find any reference to Nazis! (I certainly cannot, but I can see a link to Communism and Bolshevism in UAF)
No, it shows John Tyndall is a Nazi. Simple as that...

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fedup58 says...
12:20pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Prince Harry went to a friends party in an SS uniform, does that mean he is a Nazu to. People change there views when I was 18 I supported Labour that has never happened again biggest mistake I ever made but at least I can admit it.

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edstar says...
1:14pm Wed 4 Jul 12

One of the dominant figures of the British far right for the last 50 years has died two days before he was due to appear in court charged with inciting racial hatred. John Tyndall, 71, was found at his home in Hove, West Sussex, by his wife yesterday morning after he was believed to have had a heart attack. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances involved in his death.
Tyndall, the founder of the modern British National party, was known among followers and observers of the far right for his jackboots, arrogance and dedication to Nazi racial ideals. After forming the BNP in 1982, he imposed his particular brand of doctrinaire leadership, holding marches, threatening violence and promoting openly racist policies such as the compulsory repatriation of all foreigners.

http://www.guardian.
co.uk/uk/2005/jul/20
/otherparties.thefar
right

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Joan Walters says...
10:13pm Wed 4 Jul 12

Typical Guardian spin!

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