BNP supporters were demonstrating outside a police station after its members were arrested for stirring up racial hatred in a town riven by race riots.
Four men were held this morning after a police investigation over the distribution of leaflets in Burnley, Lancashire, branding Muslims responsible for the heroin trade.
Police would not say if the four were BNP members - the party said two were members in the local area.
Nick Griffin, leader of the far-right party, visited the town, to protest outside Burnley Police station at the 'persecution' of its members arrested after 'Gestapo-like dawn raids' by police.
Today's arrests come after the publication of a list of more than 12,000 BNP supporters was leaked on the internet - which allegedly includes a serving police officer, a vicar and a prison officer.
Each of the leaflets features a harrowing photo of Rachel Whitear, 21, who was found dead at her flat in Exmouth, Devon, in May 2000, holding a syringe.
The photo of Rachel made national headlines after her parents agreed for it to be released to warn other youngsters of the dangers of drugs.
Rachel's mother, Pauline Holcroft, 58, of Ledbury, Herefordshire, later said the leaflets were "insulting and offensive".
The leaflet was distributed to homes in Burnley - which suffered race riots in 2001 - and is also reportedly circulating in other parts of Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire.
It says people should "heap condemnation" on Muslims and that it is time for them to "apologise" as it claims they are responsible for 95% of the world's heroin trade.
The leaflets, which first appeared around March, were first distributed by a former BNP candidate, according to the party's website.
Burnley has a high proportion of Asian residents.
It also has four British National Party councillors sitting on the borough council.
A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "A 41-year-old man from Burnley, a 43-year-old man from Blackburn, a 53-year-old man from Preston and a 57-year-old man from Nelson were all arrested today on suspicion of the publication and distribution of written material intended to stir up racial hatred and the possession of racially inflammatory material.
"They will be questioned by detectives at Burnley Police Station during the course of the day."
In a separate development, police called in independent investigators today to look into claims that a serving officer is on the list of leaked members of the BNP.
The list was removed from the original blog where it was published but remains available on other websites.
According to the BNP, the published list is based on its 2007 membership list although a number of names of people who were not, or are not party members had allegedly been added.
Injunction
Earlier this year, the party obtained an injunction at the High Court in Manchester banning any publication of the list.
The list is just over a year old, according to BNP leader Nick Griffin, who initially blamed the leak on former BNP staff members who have now been sacked.
But earlier today BNP spokesman Simon Darby said: "It is looking increasingly likely that this is the work of Labour Party supporters. If they have not protected their IP (internet service provider address) properly, there will be an electronic trail leading back to the culprit."
The BNP carries out some of its administration in Welshpool, and North Wales police pledged to investigate any information breach "in the usual robust manner".
A spokesman for the Prison Service refused to reveal whether an employee is under investigation.
He said: "The Prison Service is very clear on this issue - we take allegations of racism very seriously and have a zero tolerance policy of those who hold racist views.
"When being recruited externally or applying for transfer or promotion, candidates are asked to state categorically that they do not belong to the BNP, National Front or Combat 18, or any other group or organisation promoting racism.
"Membership of such organisations is entirely incompatible with working in the Prison Service and, if it is confirmed that a member of staff belongs to one of them, they will be subject to our disciplinary procedures.
"We have dismissed a number of staff for their actions in the past, and were the first public sector employer to ban staff from being members of racist organisations.
"If we receive information indicating that a Prison Service employee is a member of a proscribed organisation, these claims would be investigated, and the appropriate action taken."
In April this year the BNP brought an injunction at the High Court in Manchester against five people to stop them publishing a list of party members.
They were ordered by the court to destroy all records of the information that they held.
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BNP protest after arrests
November 19, 2008
BNP leader Nick Griffin in Burnley
Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
Ace Shakespeare , manchester (19/11/2008 at 14:20)
Jay B, oldham (19/11/2008 at 14:34)
another example of free speech being gagged! just like this story!
Peter (19/11/2008 at 15:03)
RT, UK (19/11/2008 at 15:07)
Making a massive investigation out of a comment is the normal course now. Much easier then investigating physical crime.
Esso Blue, Manchester (19/11/2008 at 15:16)
The Seeker, Eccles (19/11/2008 at 15:18)
Dean, Swinton (19/11/2008 at 15:49)
citycentre, manchester (19/11/2008 at 16:16)
It is mostly grown in Afghanistan i believe
South America supplies cocaine
St_JJ, Wigan (19/11/2008 at 16:30)
So, following BNP logics, let's kick out the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Atheists. Who's left? Scientology and Kaballa, which would put Tom Cruise and Madonna in charge and nobody wants that do they?
David,North M/C (19/11/2008 at 23:00)
-Soothsayer+ (19/11/2008 at 23:08)
Could a Satanist party operate with policies of eradicating of non Satanists?
You see, if they are allowed to operate and the government give fuel to their fire ... something is very wrong.
The BNP raise some valid points but I find racism abhorrent.
I'm sure if the "liberals"/humanists would have taught history in schools we wouldn't have these problems. Especially WW2 and the fact that most of us descend from Charlemagne. But maybe that's why they don't teach history....(?)
Freedom of speech is the way forward.
ENGINEER, Heywood (19/11/2008 at 23:51)
Another thing is why can Scotland have a national party the SNP who want independence from ENgland, and also the welsh but a british national party is not welcome.
This inept goverment is driving decent people to vote for this party simply because they and the councils have eroded the rights of the christian british MAJORITY to where they have to bow down to every other ethnic MINORITY so much so that we have to stop calling our festivals like Christmas to winter, and are not allowed to fly OUR flag because it may upset so ethic MINORITY. I don't hear any outcry from the british people about EID or any other religious festivals celebrated by them. WE have to bend over backwards to accomodate them but dare suggest any opposition to them and we would end up in jail.
This is what the british people are angry about so is it any wonder that they vote for the BNP, I will not by the way, but do see their point. And lastly with all our traditons being eroded where is the democracy in that just like Browns selling us out to europe with no referendum.
S P In exile, Tameside (20/11/2008 at 01:07)
Bean B4, manchester (20/11/2008 at 09:22)
Rob Wilson (20/11/2008 at 09:38)
Black Flag (20/11/2008 at 10:52)
Having freedom of speech means that you are able to express your opinion without be prosecuted. It doesn't mean that you have the right to demand that somebody else provides you with the means to express yourself.
The MEN doesn't have to provide you with a place to voice your opinions any more than you have to let somebody spray paint their views on your house or car.
Sickboi, Manchester (20/11/2008 at 11:16)
Anyone who knows what REDWATCH is knows that the BNP care very little about anyone else's freedoms it's only because they are the victim.
BNP members are for the most part cowards otherwise they would have no fear of their party membership list being published (it's still up on some websites)
And if their stupid enough to belive that they can hold professions in teaching , the police force and the prison system whilst being racist then they're even crazier than I imagined.
Mr Angry, Bury (20/11/2008 at 11:31)
The fact is that if you suppress a party, it tends to make it stronger, I suspect that things like this simply play into the hands of the BNP and encourage support for it
The fact is the political class cant handle the BNP they dont know what to do about them as they do tap into some legitimate concerns which voters in some constituencies have.
Instead of listening to them, the political class refuse to have a debate on immigration and demonise the BNP instead.
This plays into their hands as there is an element in the British psyche which will vote for things and people "they" dont want you to vote for. Sometimes this manifests itself in small ways, like voting to keep John Sergeant on Strictly Come Dancing to annoy the judges, other times in more serious ways
David,North M/C (20/11/2008 at 11:49)
Marc (20/11/2008 at 11:58)
This website is perhaps not the best place to express any kind of controversial views because it is, after all, a newspaper which needs to protect its own interests to a certain extent. However, there are loads of forums on the internet which you can join and express yourself more freely.
David,North M/C (20/11/2008 at 14:10)
Marc (20/11/2008 at 14:16)
Tim1980 (20/11/2008 at 14:27)
If people (such as myself) who have appeared on Redwatch (which the government refuses to act against) have no recourse, why would the BNP?
Would people who knew of the origins of this "party", who saw the photographs of prominent members in Nazi regalia and White Power T-shirts remain in any douubt about the true nature of the BNP?
Esso Blue, Manchester (20/11/2008 at 15:03)
Rt Hon Dr Rev MC Spanner MP QC FCA FRICS JP OK (20/11/2008 at 15:43)
Ace,
This is one of the rare moments when I agree with you. You don't clamp down on a party like this. You starve it of its reasons to exist.
A responsible government would...
Manage Immigration
Deal effectively with Justice.
Not promote the views of minorities at the expense of the majority but give them equality. They certainly would not think of introducing positive discrimination.
They would not call anybody that disagreed with their view a racist.
Promote Patriotism
If I was a white Christian working male in England (which I am not), I would be sick of this government and what it has done to Britain. It has set Rich v Poor, Black V White, Public Sector v Private Sector, Motorist v Environmentalist, Christian v Muslim, all in the name of Socialism.
The key for Britain is to take those disaffected people and ensure that they vote for anybody but the BNP or Respect, to ensure the abhorrent views of these parties do not become mainstream.
I hate to say it but I would even vote Labour (and I think you can tell that I do not like them) rather BNP or Respect because I would rather have them than fascists and racists pretending to be a legitimate in the same way as Hitler did in the 1930s.