Do you consider the current threat of legal action being taken against the British National Party (BNP) to be justifiable or is it political bullying?

In its constitution, the BNP says it exists to represent the “collective National, Environmental, Political, Racial, Folkish, Social, Cultural, Religious and Economic interests of the indigenous Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Norse folk communities of Britain and those we regard as closely related and ethnically assimilated or assimilable aboriginal members of the European race also resident in Britain”.

It says membership of the BNP is “strictly defined within the terms of, and our members also self define themselves within, the legal ambit of a defined ‘racial group’ this being ‘Indigenous Caucasian’ and defined ‘ethnic groups’ emanating from that Race”.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said it had written to the party over possible breaches of the law in the BNP’s constitution and membership rules. It asked the BNP to pledge to comply with the Race Relations Act by 20 July or face a potential legal injunction.

The commission said the BNP’s constitution and membership criteria appeared to discriminate on the grounds of race and colour, in breach of the Race Relations Act as the party’s rules appeared to restrict membership to those within what the BNP regarded as particular “ethnic groups”.