Government aims to criminalise BNP
British National party's whites-only membership rules will be banned under government's equality bill
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Thursday, 11, Jun 2009 01:03
The British National party's whites-only membership rules will be banned under upcoming legislation, it has been announced.
Harriet Harman told MPs in the Commons today that the equality bill would make the membership criteria illegal.
The leader of the House and deputy Labour leader told her shadow Alan Duncan that she was "shocked and horrified" by the electoral breakthrough the BNP experienced on Monday when two of its candidates were elected to the European parliament.
"There is no place for a political party in this country to have an apartheid constitution and the equality bill will prevent this from being the case," she said.
The equality bill consolidates all the UK's disparate equality laws into one piece of legislation, including laws related to the provision of goods and services, although it is unclear if it will be these sections which affect the party.
This week newly-elected MEP and BNP party leader Nick Griffin was given a reminder of the fierce opposition to his and his party's views when a press conference outside parliament was hijacked by anti-fascists.
The Metropolitan police are appealing for witnesses after a man and a woman were taken to hospital with minor injuries after eggs were thrown and scuffles broke out.