It is not up to us to judge on this particular incident, although it is worthwhile noting that several leading BNP members - including leader Nick Griffin - have convictions for incitement to racial hatred and violent attacks on members of ethnic minorities.
Regardless of who is right or wrong, the BNP have taken it upon themselves to traduce Ms Tobin and undermine her reputation. One BNP-associated blog, Made in Yorkshire, was deleted by Google-owned Blogger after it published Ms Tobin's address and sent her a "warning" - a development that has led to another police investigation.
The neo-Nazi forum Stormfront has also seen some ugly bullying of Ms Tobin, a nurse and a mother of two who says she is now too afraid to leave her home. Here are a selection of the comments left by extremist BNP supporters:
"Canvasser didn't wan't it back after the ape had touched it. Never know where it's hands have been. yuck"
"I bet she's a subsidy monkey. Let's hope the rest of her tribe also become agraphobic, and stay indoors, and off the streets."
"They are nasty mongrels and deserve what they get."
The BNP have started a letter-writing campaign to local newspaper editor Dominic Yeatman, calling on him to "desist from printing the deranged rantings of bigoted ethnic-minorities ever again." In one BNP-supporting blog, there is mention of a campaign to get her sacked from her job as a nurse. She has also been referred to as "The Screamer" and BNP supporters have claimed that she is "large" so therefore couldn't be a victim of racist abuse by the supposedly "elderly" BNP activists.
Whatever happened in relation to Ms Tobin's altercation with the BNP, the far-right wants to punish her. It seeks to intimidate her and her family and traduce her to the extent that she would not be able to work. All this is despite the fact that the BNP activist at the centre of the controversy has never been identified, so has not suffered as a result.
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5 comments:
On the subject of violence and intimidation in politics, I wonder what the views of this sites authors are on the recent hammer attack on BNP member Tony Ward in Liverpool. Mr Ward was smashed over the head with said hammer, at a BNP fundraising event which was attacked by a heavily armed mob of UAF/Searchlight types, and could well have been killed.
Assuming this site has some kind of direct, or indirect affiliation to the `anti-fascist` group responsible for Mr Wards injuries, are you prepared to apologise to him and the BNP, or at least condemn the mob violence tactics of your comrades? Do the BNP organise violent mob attacks on Labour Party meetings?
The BNP have become experts at obtaining publicity from the media, i'm afraid to say that Miss Tobin has probadly fallen fowl to a very well planned publicity stunt by the BNP, and so have the media of course.
It's been stated before on this blog, there is no question that violence and intimidation should be condemned regardless of who it is aimed at. Since the blog's authors were not involved in the attack, were not at the scene and since this blog is not affiliated with any group, it is not incumbent on us to take responsibility and apologise, although we absolutely condemn the attacker(s) and believe they should be brought to justice.
This is just awfull. You do not want to know whether she did this or not do you? That girl did 'not' abuse that women. It was the other way around. And the fact you wont print this say's everything about the people involved on this blog. I am ashamed of this site now. It is obviously Searchlight and UAF led. I can't believe you would misinform people like this. And you accuse the British National Party of hate and lies. So what are 'you' doing then. I have many Jewish friends. And although they don't support the BNP, they know that I was there, and they know I wouldn't lie. If you are not affiliated with any other group why are all your posts on the UAF site first? You always get found out in the end. Just remember that as you delete this messge.
"the fact you wont print this say's everything about the people involved on this blog."
Your statement has been posted three times, so I don't know what you are complaining about.
"I can't believe you would misinform people like this."
This blog simply reposted an article from the local newspaper. You'd be better off talking to the newspaper and going on the record about your version of events instead of complaining here.
"If you are not affiliated with any other group why are all your posts on the UAF site first?"
They appear here first and other blogs and websites have republished them. That doesn't mean there is an "affiliation". If you are not involved in the BNP, why are you bothered about whether or not this website is associated with this or that anti-fascist organisation?
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