On Wednesday 7 February, the Scotsman newspaper reported that the BNP are planning to run 32 candidates in the Scottish Parliamentary elections in May. This amounts to 4 candidates on each of the 8 regional lists in Scotland and according to Scottish Parliament election rules means that they are eligible to have a party political broadcast and a free mail-shot to every house in Scotland. The Scotsman reported that this will cost the taxpayer £670,000.

In NUS Scotland we find this utterly disgusting and have started working with the STUC, UAF and many other organisations to combat the BNP in May.

Below is a letter sent from myself, and Kainde Manji, NUS Scotland’s Black Students’ Officer to the Scotland on Sunday newspaper urging the TV networks to refuse to screen any party political broadcast from the BNP.

The Scotsman article can be found here. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=199882007

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Open Letter to the Controllers of BBC1 Scotland, BBC2 Scotland and STV

NUS Scotland are outraged to hear that the British National Party are to field four candidates in each of the eight regional lists for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary elections, giving them access to funding, a political broadcast and free publicity to be delivered by the Royal Mail, all paid for by the public purse to the tune of £670,000 (Scotsman 07/02/07).

We believe that the BNP are a racist and fascist organisation who spread lies and deceit in their campaign for an ethnically pure “all white Britain” and should not be regarded as a mainstream political party. Fascism stands for the annihilation of whole sections of society. As such the BNP should not be given a political platform to spread their message of hate on public television, in a broadcast paid for by taxpayers’ money.

We are writing to urge you not to screen any party political broadcasts on behalf of the fascist BNP and to take a stand against the policies of hatred that this party stands for.

Yours faithfully

Kainde Manji, NUS Scotland Black Students’ Officer and James Alexander, NUS Scotland President.

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