BNP man PUNCHES Asian on campaign trail

British National Party's election campaign descends into violence as a top official is filmed attacking an Asian man

The British National Party’s election campaign descended into violence yesterday when one of its top officials was filmed attacking an Asian man. Robert Bailey, the far-right party’s group leader at Barking and Dagenham Council, was shown punching the man and trying to kick him in the head. Mr Bailey had retaliated after he was spat on during canvassing.

Earlier The Times revealed that the head of the party’s online operation had resigned, taking its website down with him. Simon Bennett directed BNP traffic to his personal site, which contained a diatribe against Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, and other senior figures.

A day before the election, Mr Bennett, 41, depicted an amateur operation and an organisation that, he claimed, wasted membership fees and donations. He accused Mr Griffin and James Dowson, the BNP election fundraiser, of being “pathetic, desperate and incompetent”.

It is understood that Mr Bennett took the website down briefly on Tuesday afternoon. It was reactivated quickly, but his comments had already gone viral on a number of websites.

In the latest incident, Mr Griffin was campaigning alongside Mr Bailey in Barking, in East London, which the BNP leader hopes to take from Margaret Hodge, the Tourism Minister, when he was pelted with tomatoes by a group of youths.

Mr Griffin is understood to have left in a car but in footage shot by the BBC Mr Bailey is shown confronting the Asian youths. When one of them appears to spit on him, Mr Bailey punches him and aims a kick at his head.

The Metropolitan Police said that an 18-year-old man had made an allegation of common assault which “will be pursued”.

The BNP, which has hopes of taking over Barking and Dagenham Council, has been beset by infighting and Mr Griffin has faced an alleged plot by BNP officials to overthrow him. He also told police that a colleague had threatened to kill him after an investigation into the political “conspiracy”.

Mr Bennett expressed anger about being left “up the proverbial creek” after the BNP was served with an injunction by the owners of the Marmite brand for using images of it in an online political broadcast, saying he had warned the leadership not to proceed.

Mr Bennett also said that he had been threatened over disagreements relating to the website and said that he would call the police if they continued.

Mr Griffin declined to comment when contacted by The Times. Mr Bailey did not answer his phone.

[link to www.timesonline.co.uk]