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April 28, 2010
Posted: 1459 GMT
![]() Here I am talking to BNP leader Nick Griffin. Barking and Dagenham, London – Spending your Sunday following the British National Party is an eye-opening experience. And it’s pretty tough on the ears too. It seems wherever the BNP goes, arguments follow especially in their political stronghold of Barking and Dagenham, East London. I've heard a number of descriptions of what is arguably Britain's most controversial political party: "Far right," "racist," "nazi," "nationalist," "anti-immigration" to name a few descriptions. Up until this year, the BNP was an all-white party barring all "non-indigenous" Britons from joining. That changed when the courts forced the BNP to accept other ethnicities and religions. The BNP is campaigning largely on a platform to stop immigration altogether. The BNP's biggest concern is what it sees as an attack on the British way of life – and indigenous white Britons – unless immigration is halted immediately. Its manifesto says that legal immigrants and ethnic minorities that are already in Britain have the right to stay as long as they accept the majority rule of "indigenous Britons". BNP leader, Nick Griffin, is a controversial figure who has faced several charges of incitement to racial hatred: convicted once and cleared of the other charges. To be clear, the BNP is a very small, fringe political party in the British elections. But it has been making gains. And this year it stands a chance of capturing at least 1 seat in parliament, a breakthrough for the BNP but a nightmare for its many opponents. So, spending just a few hours with the BNP was enough to provoke some strong reaction on the streets: You can watch my package here: I also thought I’d post video of what we shot following the BNP. Our television story condenses what we saw into a four-minute piece. But here you can see more of the raw material and street reactions to the BNP. Here’s what BNP leader Nick Griffin told us in his interview: We also happened to catch the incumbent Labour candidate Margaret Hodge as she was campaigning. Her main campaign message seemed to me - vote for me or get the BNP: Reverend James Gitau is one of BNP’s new ethnic minority members. Originally from Kenya and now living in London, Gitau insists the BNP is no longer a racist party and is the best party for Britain. He came out on Sunday to campaign with Nick Griffin: Susan Olivacce was born in Dagenham and has raised her family there. She went out of her way to confront Nick Griffin while we were filming. Apparently, she’s not convinced by the new BNP: While we were filming, this group of young men came stumbling over in support of the BNP. It led to a very lively exchange with a group of young girls nearby: This man was watching the BNP campaign on the sidelines. He didn’t want to give us his name but, in the end, he seemed to be leaning towards supporting the BNP: Posted by: CNN Correspondent Atika Shubert
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