Green Party

The BNP seem to be getting an easy ride from the media at the moment.

Some major outlets are letting them claim they are less extreme than they really are, without challenging their claims or making clear their spokesmen's past criminal convictions and record of racism.

Below you can watch Newsnight's very frightening report from the North West on the BNP campaign and their attempts to clean up their image.

This report, by Newsnight Political Editor Michael Crick, has been the subject of complaints for giving the party 'free rein' and Newsnight has yet to follow up their report with similar coverage of the prospects of other small parties, including the Greens, as election-period broadcasting rules compel them to do (the Greens have two MEPs currently, whereas the BNP has none, which should ensure more airtime is given to the Greens).

The PCS union has been urging its members to complain about the broadcast, as well as an interview with Nick Griffin on BBC2's Daily Politics programme.

The PCS says:

"The report contained extensive and mostly uncritical interviews with Clive Jefferson, a BNP organiser in the north west of England.

"At no point did Crick challenge any of the statements that Jefferson made. The closest Crick got to criticism was a passing suggestion to Jefferson that the BNP was 'not as racist as it used to be'.

"Crick did not interview a single person from an ethnic minority background in the entire seven and a half minute report.

"None of the interviewees raised the question of the BNP's racism. No wonder the BNP is boasting about the report on its website and urging its members to watch it.

"We feel that Newsnight and Crick showed poor judgment by allowing the BNP such uncritical coverage.

"We feel their report was an insult to every ethnic minority license fee payer and to anyone who defends our multiracial society. The BBC and all its journalists have a duty to challenge racism and to expose the BNP's lies. Newsnight, in contrast, gave them a free ride."

With this in mind, the report itself is worth watching, as it shows just how urgent our campaign is. All votes will help reduce their share, but in the final round Green votes could be absolutely crucial in keeping them out.

BBC Newsnight - The rise of the BNP

The British National Party is campaigning hard in the run up to next month's European elections, amid reports that senior Labour party figures are concerned that the party could win its first parliamentary seat in the poll, Michael Crick reports from Cumbria.

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