BNP Leader Banned From Royal Garden Party

British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin has been banned from attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace today, over claims that he "overtly" used his invitation for political purposes.

Mr Griffin received the invitation in his capacity as a Member of the European Parliament for the North west.

However, a statement released by Buckingham Palace earlier today stated: "Nick Griffin MEP will be denied entry to today’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace due to the fact he has overtly used his personal invitation for Party political purposes through the media. This in turn has increased the security threat and the potential discomfort to the many other guests also attending.

"Mr Griffin’s personal invitation was issued to him as an elected Member of the European Parliament. The decision to deny him entry is not intended to show any disrespect to the democratic process by which the invitation was issued. However, we would apply the same rules to anyone who tried to blatantly politicise their attendance in this way."

Mr Griffin said that the ban was "nonsense". In a statement on the party's website he said: "Nowhere in the book of rules given to all attendees does it say anything about not giving media interviews and of course countless people have done precisely that in the past.

“This decision is an attack on the media and their right to report on important events of the day. It is an attack on the right of every person in Britain to get the news of current events reported by the media, and it is an attack on the one million plus patriots who voted for the BNP."

Mr Griffin denied that he had tried to use his invite for political purposes. He said: "The media would of course be interested in an invitation to a BNP MEP to attend a party at Buckingham Palace. To use that natural media interest as an excuse to withdraw the invitation is a disgusting disregard for democracy in Britain."

According to reports, Mr Griffin's wife Jackie and his fellow MEP Andrew Brons, will both still be able to attend the event.

Mr Griffin had been invited to attend a garden party last year by his party colleague Richard Barnbrook, who was invited as a member of the London Assembly, but he pulled out of attending following a public outcry.

In an earlier statement on the BNP website, Mr Griffin said that he would be attending the garden party on behalf of the "one million British patriots who now vote for this party". He said: "I'll be there for all the stout-hearted men and women who down through the turbulent years tramped through the streets with me in all weathers knocking doors and those who ran the gauntlets of hate wherever we went."

(KMcA/BMcC)