Here’s a wonderful letter I received recently from a thoughtful ex-member of the far-Right British National Party. There is a lot we can learn from Alistair Barbour in challenging the far-Right. As I have said before, when the pathetic excuse of an ‘anti-fascist’ and Post-modernist Left allies itself with Islamic fascism, it leaves the space open for the far-Right to address this issue from an inhuman and racist perspective. That’s why the work of groups like One Law for All is so important. And it will be made all the stronger with voices such as that of Alistair’s. Alistair gave me permission to publish his letter in full.

Dear Ms Namazie.

I hope you don’t mind me sending this mail through this site I am a subscriber to your blog on ‘freethought blogs.com’ and received your posting relating to the far right. I have tried to send this article to that email address also but as it says ‘no reply’ I don’t hold out much hope of you getting it through that channel. If this email can not be sent to Ms Namazie would it be possible to let me know.

I am thoroughly ashamed to admit that a few years ago I was becoming very concerned about certain things in our country that I actually joined the BNP [the far-Right British National Party]. A shameful weight that I shall carry round my neck for ever. Please allow me to explain as briefly as I can.

I had never been one for watching TV and the internet was a total unknown source for me so I had heard little bits about the BNP but very little really. I was too busy working and bringing up 2 sons on my own. Looking back now I can see the pattern of why I became political.

There was real problems with the country, political Islam being one of the them. At the time I spoke to the 3 main party’s and they just appeared to not want to face up to some very real problems that society was facing. Anyways a friend of mine asked me to come to a political meeting, a BNP meeting. I thought what the hell, it will be interesting won’t it.

Anyways to try and be as brief as possible. I know now that I was primed. I had been thought the courts for a few years. My ex-wife had taken my house and left me with 2 sons. I definitely got the best deal, two great sons who are now young men,but I think at the time the anger with the unfairness in the system was festering. My sons were now older and I suppose I maybe noticed what was going on in my country.

Where I live Carlisle we had absolutely no problems with crime, Islamism, mass immigration, etc. But we still have access to the same media as the rest of the country and when you are drip fed every night with what is happening in the rest of the country it’s very hard to see what is real and what is lies. I’m of course referring to our sensationalistic media. Whether the news is real or grossly exaggerated the perception as to what is happening can give people a false reality. I have already mentioned that I was not on the net so was totally unaware of organisations trying to get some fairness into Britain. The likes of the BHA and the secular society, to name but a few. And I had never heard of Ed Hussain and the Quilliam society or Ayan Hirsi Ali or even your good self.

SO, I went to a BNP meeting and this is where I first clashed with the left. Screaming in my face that I was a Nazi. This just got my back up and primed me even more to join the BNP. As time went on the very fact that you point out is why aren’t these so called anti fascists protesting at Choudary’s house or criticising the like of Muslims against crusades. I thought well they only go after white working people who dare question mass immigration etc therefore everything Griffin says about them is true. They are political therefore dismissive. I had a few run ins with them during my brief time in the BNP, but as soon as they had become the attack dogs for the Labor party [perception, not necessarily their agenda] they could have said anything and I would have ignored them.

Again to try and cut a long story short I ticked along quite happily in Carlisle for about 10-12 months designing and putting out our own leaflets. Believe it or not I still didn’t bother with the web so the only negatives I heard about the BNP was from the left, which I have already said “I dismissed”. A vast majority of people on the streets and when canvassing were extremely supportive and positive about the BNP.

The BNP then made me up to North West secretary. I have to point out strongly that this promotion was not because of any hard line views etc. I soon came to discover that if you can read and write in the BNP you’re head and shoulders above most of them.

So the BNP had made me NW Secretary. My tel number and Email went on the website. I of course had to get online myself. This is when the cracks started to appear. I got dozens of emails every day from genuine concerned people, immigrants and indigenous [Griffin’s word I don’t like it, the words indigenous and immigrant, it just adds to division] I painstakingly tried to reassure these people that the BNP is not what the nasty media says it is. Foolish of me I know!

The down side for Griffin and his ilk was I was now online speaking to real people from all over the country and finding out exactly what the BNP was all about. The more I discovered about who I was with the bigger the cracks got; had the left been telling the truth after all?

Anyways unbelievably they then gave me a job as a researcher for Griffin when he became an MEP. Again I must emphasise that this was not because of any views I held. I was just very good at organising and speaking to the public. I quickly came to realise that I was being used as an acceptable face to portray to the electorate.

The weeks past; I met more and more BNP senior members from around the country and I quickly came to realise that the people I had met in Carlisle who were in the BNP were not your typical BNP member. When I started to go to Bradford and Manchester and see the real BNP I was ready to jump ship. Conspiratorial nut-jobs, Nazis and extremists. I knew then I had to leave, but to be honest after meeting so many extremists I was bothered how to leave.

Anyways then came the infamous question time. I watched it at home and when I heard Griffin defending the KKK and trying to be clever about not denying the holocaust [but really denying it] that was it. I thought no matter what happens I can’t remain part of this. The next morning I went to the office early and left my resignation letter, changed my tel number and hoped for the best. The next few months I got loads of death threats by email that I had to change that also. A few months passed and I thought I need to let people know that I’m no longer part of these idiots. I gave an interview to my local paper, which I think I was very conscious about getting a brick though my window [at the very least] and I fluffed it. I gave a terrible interview,trying to watch my back and not bring any trouble to my door. The resulting article made me look like an idiot!

Months passed and then the news was full of Griffins murder attempt by his apprentice Nazi boy Collett. I went online and started to speak out about them. Getting braver as the weeks and months went by. I was asked to join the English Democrats. I checked them out, thought I’m not going to join another load of nuts. At the very least I thought it will perhaps clear my name of all the BNP garbage. Luckily I had a very very short acquaintance with these lot. As soon as very senior BNP members also started to join them, I left.

Two years later on and having to reevaluate my thinking as to why I even joined the BNP, the one thing I do know is that nationalism [in my opinion is just a recipe for division and social unrest]. It opens you up to backward messages from people like the BNP, EDL, English Democrats, British Freedom, National Front, British Peoples Party and god knows how many more crank nationalist outfits there are out there.

I approached the left to see if they wanted to use what I know about the BNP but as your post says they appear to be only interested in calling white people fascists. They [for whatever reason ] don’t want to criticise fascist Islamism] why? So this went no further.

The article ‘enemies not allies’ is absolutely spot on. Griffin and his ilk think that Islamism is a godsend. They are using it build up distrust among communities. Griffin’s plan is [and I figured this out before I left, watching and listening] to get rid of all and any Political correctness. Then when it is no longer illegal to ‘for instance’ verbally abuse your black next door neighbor these people will wish to leave the UK. Hence Griffins’ voluntary repatriation policy. This is why Griffin surrounds himself with thugs. These thugs know other thugs and when his glorious day of civil unrest between the races comes [which he really believes is coming] these thugs will do his bidding. This is why he is trying to cosy up to the EDL. There’s a ready made street army then which he wants to tap into.

Sorry for this being so long, but I’m afraid that you may just dismiss this email as soon as I mention BNP. You may anyways,but I sincerely hope not.

You mention why don’t antifascists target all fascists including Islamism, I wish I knew. But if there was an organisation that stood up against all fascism I would be the first to join and campaign.

I have perhaps put this down to quickly and I hope it easy to follow. I just had to email while I had some spare time. I would appreciate any thoughts you may have on this.

Regards
Alistair Barbour
Ex BNP Ex Nationalist. Reformed liberal and Humanist