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Date Posted: 15:46:50 05/10/02 Fri
Author: yasmin
Subject: Re: BNP in Burnley
In reply to: tyrone 's message, "BNP in Burnley" on 14:22:24 05/09/02 Thu

ok.

First i must say i am highly critical about the way the media has dealt with the BNP. Now, I am in no way in favour of the BNP but i feel that in a democratic society, it is a bit hypocritical to condemn a group of people for expressing their views in a society that celebrates freedom of speech. I feel there are two reasons why the constant denouncement of the BNP is pointless:

The first reason is because condemning the BNP as rascists etc is just encouraging more prejudice in society. Prejudice is still prejudice no matter who it is directed towards. British society does not need any more prejudice, it needs understanding and tolerance, even of the BNP.

The media, after months of careless treatment of such a sensitive issue of emigration is now publicly denouncing the BNP for taking the very same stance they had on the issue. The election of the BNP, i think is partly the responsibility of the sensationalised newspaper headlines regarding illegal immigrants. Papers carelessly forgot the fact that many immigrants, both legal and illegal are desperate people who have fleed thier countries because their lives have been in danger. Many have left behind lives of relative luxury and wealth to live in relative poverty but security. The BNP has failed to recognise this factor, and the press has failed to emphasise it. Instead, both have chosen to concentrate on fraudulent immigrants in no danger, who are looking for an easy life on the government benefits. The press has taken hold of it, sensationalised it, and rather than let the system take care of it, created moral panics in regard to emigration. Sadly, this has overshadowed the true plight of the majority of immigrants, turning a large proportion of the public against them.

Now the media has suddenly changed stance, criticising the party that is expressing their views in a more direct way to the public. The press are condmening the BNP for the very same message they were conveying just a few months ago. Surely it would be far more productive, rather than filling endless columns with anti-BNP propaganda, to start informing the general public of the true circumstances of many immigrants, creating more awareness. Ingnorance is the extreme right's advantage. The media must reverse this. Rather than condemning the BNP, the role of the media should be to win over followers of the BNP, labelling them as neo nazis and wot not will only serve to cause more resentment.

This leads me to my second reason. The widespread condmenation of the BNP for their views and voclism in the media has led them to be seen as the ones unfairly treated and discriminated against. This has helped the BNP win sympathy votes. I truly believe that this is why they have been so popular in Burnley and the north. "No publicity is bad publicity" and the constant negative press given to the BNP has been advantageous, giving them an underdog status, people always wish the underdog well. So when the country starts seeing the BNP as the ones wronged, it scares me, alot.

This is why I think that the media really has to change its tactics in it's treatment of the BNP and other extremist groups. Constant public denouncement will only have the reverse effect. Instead, an active effort must be made to prove the BNP wrong, through facts and awareness, enlightening the public. If that happens, maybe support for the BNP will decline.

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