Griffin Asks for Probe of BBC’s ‘Lynch Mob’ After TV Debate

Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) — British National Party leader Nick Griffin called for an investigation into the British Broadcasting Corp.’s staging of a debate involving him and other political leaders last night, saying he faced a “lynch mob.”

Eight million people tuned in to see the first appearance of the whites-only party leader on the BBC’s Question Time debate show. Audience members jeered Griffin as he said the U.K. should curb immigration and send foreigners home.

“The British public — millions of extra people who tuned in last night — are aghast by the display of bias from the BBC, the venom from the political class, the sheer unfairness,” Griffin told broadcasters today. “That was a lynch mob.”

Griffin took part in the debate in a bid to move his party, which bars all except “indigenous Caucasian” people from membership, from the political fringe. His appearance sparked violent demonstrations, and political leaders from the three main parties condemned the BBC’s decision to book him.

Last night’s discussion focused on Griffin’s views about the treatment of Jews in World War II and his suggestions that Islam isn’t compatible with British culture. Griffin said the “Holocaust was — is — used to avoid serious discussion” and that Winston Churchill, who led the fight against Adolf Hitler, would join the BNP “because no other party would have him.”

Issues Dodged

Today, Griffin said the show failed to probe his views on major issues, including the post office strike. The BNP along with the U.K. Independence Party has tapped into frustration about record rates of immigration into Britain since 2004 and perceptions that housing and welfare services favor minorities.

“Overall it was difficult for him to get a word in,” said Matthew Goodwin, research fellow at the University of Manchester and author of “The New Extremism in 21st Century Britain.” “Polling shows us there is an element of support for the BNP’s policies.”

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Griffin Asks for Probe of BBC’s ‘Lynch Mob’ After TV Debate
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