Nothing British: campaign launch.

Recieved today:

War heroes speak out against the BNP

Nothing British launches today (Tuesday 20th October) a campaign by veterans to reclaim the honour of Britain's Armed Forces from the British National Party.

You can find the campaign at http://westbourne.createsend.com/t/r/l/hjyhjd/jldkjdlyk/y, watch the videos on our YouTube channel, or follow on facebook and twitter.

In an internet blitz of videos, a number of war heroes describe their anger that the BNP seeks to use the public's warm feelings towards Britain's military to promote the politics of racism and extremism. The veterans call on fellow ex-servicemen to sign their petition.

The campaign is accompanied by a hard-hitting report with a foreword by Charles Moore (Chairman of Policy Exchange) which describes the BNP's efforts to use military rhetoric, insignia and memorabilia in their party political propaganda. The high profile veterans behind the campaign include:-

Andy McNab DCM MM. Ex-SAS commando and Iraq War veteran.
Colonel Tim Collins OBE. Ex-SAS commando and Iraq War veteran.
Simon Weston OBE. Falklands War veteran.
Nicholas Soames MP. Veteran cavalryman and grandson of Sir Winston Churchill.

Top Brass supporters have signed a letter of support which condemns the BNP. "We call on all those who seek to hijack the good name of Britain's military for their own advantage to cease and desist," write the Generals:-

General The Lord Guthrie GCB, LVO, OBE, DL.
General Sir Mike Jackson GCB, CBE, DSO, DL.
General Sir Richard Dannatt GBC, CBE, MC.
Major-General Patrick Cordingley DSO.

James Bethell, Director of Nothing British, said:-

"People are fed up with the BNP using the honour of Britain's Armed Services and the memory of fallen heroes to promote the politics of racism and extremism".

In his foreword, Charles Moore says:-

"Almost everything the BNP does is somehow linked to the commemoration of fallen heroes, evokes the spirit of the Blitz, condemns the broken Covenant and gripes about foreign wars.
"It is a deliberate strategy to exploit warm feelings felt towards the Armed Services by the British public, particularly the sort of traditionally-minded families that provide the rank and file of the Services.
"And it's working. The European Election campaign - branded "The Battle for Britain" - saw the BNP win two significant electoral victories with nearly one million votes.
"The danger to Britain is that the BNP's poisonous brand of racism, segregation and intolerance will worm its way into the fabric of British life.
"The danger for the British military is that they will inadvertently provide a leg-up at home for the kind of fascism that so many of our dead and wounded fought in foreign battlefields. This will damage the reputation of our armed services."

Notes :
"There is nothing British about the BNP", is a campaign against the politics of racism and division set up by James Bethell and Tim Montgomerie, editor of ConservativeHome.

It aims to promote the gentle British values of tolerance, fair-play and respect for one another and seeks to address the frustrations and concerns of ordinary, hard-working people living in today's Britain.

Update: the BNP has responded by comparing the generals with Nazi war criminals. Words fail me.