By IANS,
London : The entire membership list of the far-right British National Party (BNP) has been posted on the internet, revealing soldiers, police officers, teachers and doctors as members of the anti-immigrant group.
More than 12,000 names and contact details – including home addresses, telephone numbers and email IDs – were posted online anonymously, leading many to fear for their jobs, said the BNP.
The party does not have an MP and is accused of racism because of a whites-only membership policy.
BNP leader Nick Griffin said the list that has been published was old and “slightly modified” but still left members vulnerable to violent attacks.
Party spokesman Simon Darby warned: “If we find out the name of the person who published this list, it will turn out to be one of the most foolish things they have done in their life. I wouldn’t want to have done that – I wouldn’t be sleeping very well tonight.”
The list is said to include teachers, a doctor, a nurse, serving and former police officers and members of the armed forces.
Peter Fahy, spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: “Membership or promotion of the BNP by any member of the police service, whether police officer or police staff, is prohibited.”
“This is because such membership would be incompatible with our duty to promote equality under the Race Relations Amendment Act and would damage the confidence of minority communities.”
But the BNP’s Griffin said the leak could work in its favour as it challenged the idea that the average member of the BNP “was a skinhead oik”.
“So, in terms of repositioning us as a party genuinely made up of ordinary British people from all walks of life that will actually do us good,” he said.
There is no ban on teachers, doctors and nurses joining the BNP, but its racist reputation is seen as incompatible with frontline public service.
The party won a seat on the London assembly earlier this year and Britain’s 8,000 local councillors include some 45 BNP members.