Row at BNP meeting

BNP leader Nick Griffin

Quizzed about the BNP prohibiting non-whites from joining the party, leader Nick Griffin told a press conference in Manchester yesterday that it would need to be considered by the whole party in a secret ballot.

“Most ethnic minorities will go to the Labour party — it’s the party for them,” said Mr Griffin.

And as a rowdy group of banner-carrying protesters chanted outside, Mr Griffin yesterday thanked Oldhamers for helping to make him an MEP.

He said he would work with the borough’s three communities who are worried about the prospect of “the forcible integration’ of secondary schools”.

He said: “Each group wants their kids growing up mainly with their own kind of people and with schools that reflect traditions and identity.

“I will be very happy to work with the Bangladeshi or Pakistanis who want to avoid the ruling elite pushing everybody in the same little box when the experience of Burnley proves that it creates nothing but trouble.”

Mr Griffin repeatedly denied being a racist or a fascist. He told reporters: “The way that this country is run is racist. We’re about levelling the playing field.

His party will support “British jobs for British workers” and campaign to have British meat in school canteens.

He also pledged to press forward with nuclear power stations and said the BNP would revive the grammar school system if elected to power in the UK to abolish the current two-tier education system.

He said: “Grammar schools were the cornerstone of British education and ensure social mobility.”

He predicted Conservatives would win the next general election and, in 12 months, more and more people would turn to the BNP who would overtake the Lib-Dems in three years.

“We are going to win seats in the Houses of Parliament. It’s a huge victory (recent electoral gains) because, as you all know, we’ve been demonised, lied about, as well as being persecuted and denied the right to public meetings and we’ve beaten through all of that to win seats.”

Mr Griffin urged police to “get a grip” of protesters who forced the party’s MEP’s to abandon their first joint press conference in London on Tuesday after eggs were thrown.