The BNP at the BBC – Diary Of My Day

This is my diary of the day the BNP where allowed to be on the BBC and the demo in which i took part in with “Unite Against Fascism” at the BBC television center, Wood Lane, london.

Thursday 22nd October 2009.

11:30am – Meet at the main entrance Kingston University. Police pull up and tell us are banners that read “The BNP is a Nazi party – smash the BNP” are offensive to members of the BNP and we will be arrested unless we stopped showing them of. We do stop as we didnt want to be arrested before we got to the demo.

12:00 – Leave the uni with 20 people with us and go to the BBC center in London to voice are view.

13.15 – After missing the first train and waiting a long time for the connecting one later on we finally get to Shepard’s Bush and walk up to the television center. Once we get to the BBC there is around 50 protesters already there and police telling us we where protesting on the wrong side of the road, and if we stayed outside the BBC we could be arrested. we all quickly ignore him and join the others in their chants.

15.00 – there is by now 200 or more protesters outside the BBC, we are still chanting loudly. The police presence is getting larger and larger (reportedly there was 300 police by the end the day)

16.00 – The protest has extended to around 800 people (according the UAF website 2000, i think this is a little over the top. Police say 500, a little low i feel) it is around this point that the protest moves from the office entrance to the two main gates. we continue to chant loudly as a group try to get over the gates and into the grounds of the BBC. (The BBC stops work and stands and watches us from the building)

16.15 – The police respond by starting to try and pen (or kettle) us in the area we are at. to combat this everyone links arms and walks into the road. We continue to hold the chain and walk down Wood Lane, causing all traffic to stop (however most motorists where cheering and agreeing with us as we walked past) the police one again try to kettle a smaller group behind us, we turn around and break the chain again.

16:45 – whilst walking down Wood Lane we walk to the back gate where there are more police.

(it is at this point that i have to leave and travel back to Kingston and go to work, the rest of this account is what i have been told by fellow marchers and read online so times have been left out)

After i left more roads were closed off by protesters, Nick Griffin got into the studio and did the show (available on BBC iPlayer). around 17.00 25 people broke into the BBC via the main gate. (anyone who thinks they saw me on the news at this point, i was gone by then) they stood in the main reception of the building and were surrounded by the police and dragged out by the police. As the night progressed the BBC went into lock down and the groups outside had speakers, but eventually the police used tear gas against the protesters and according to accounts looked ready to use violence.

I would also like to point out that on the day i was a peaceful protester, and do disagree with the actions of some of the people who were at the demo today (only a very small amount of people as it goes). (Anyone who injured the police on purpose)

Below are a selection of my pictures from the day. Thanks for reading, and as always all comments welcome.