Guardian Unlimited - All mouth, no trousers

Why do we make so much fuss about a bunch of no-hope, neo-Nazi criminals called the BNP? The charging of Joseph Owens with assault causing actual bodily harm last week exemplifies the presentational difficulties of the British National Party. Until the case is heard, his alleged victim, a student who needed four stitches to a gash behind his ear after an 'incident' at Salford university, remains an alleged victim. Owens, the Merseyside organiser of the BNP, is innocent until proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt. But here's the rub for the BNP. If Owens is found guilty, he won't be the black sheep of the party. As Searchlight, the anti-fascist information centre, puts it, people who say today's politicians lack convictions should look at the shed-loads of convictions collected by the BNP. Nick Griffin, the leader, was convicted of inciting racial hatred. Tony Lecomber, one of Griffin's lieutenants, has 12 convictions, including one for the possession of home-made hand-grenades and electronic timing devices and a second for unlawfully wounding a school teacher. Robert Bennett, a leading BNP activist in Oldham in the 2002 elections campaign, could better that. He had 30, including a conviction for gang rape.