The BNP has been exploiting public support for British troops by holding fundraising drives for military charities.
Nick Griffin, the party leader, claimed on its website that the BNP gave £25,000 “worth of help” to a struggling veterans’ charity in Scotland. But the organisation, which accepted support from the BNP, saying that otherwise it would have to shut down, said it had been given just £3,000 by a local party activist and some heating equipment from the party. Simon Darby, the deputy leader of the BNP, said that “sometimes we gild the lily a little bit” in relation to its website claims. “But all political parties do that,” he told The Times.
The BNP plans to auction two books by Andy McNab, the former SAS trooper, to raise money for the charity. Mr McNab has demanded the books back and said that he was “sick to the stomach” about the situation.
James Bethell, from Nothing British, an organisation that tracks the BNP, said that giving to charity was a “deliberate strategy” to improve the image of the BNP. He said: “This ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ strategy by the BNP is working and allowing them to worm their way into the fabric of British society.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6857628.ece
Cynical exploitation of veterans or genuine patriotism?