Surely the BNP hopes to gain votes from people who are very keen to “support our troops”.
Well, I support the troops. People like Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry, for example.
Grenada-born L/Cpl Beharry was honoured in 2005 after twice saving lives under enemy fire. He became the Army’s most high-profile war hero when he received the VC for “repeated extreme gallantry and unquestioned valour” for the two rescues in May and June 2004 “despite a harrowing weight of incoming fire”.
He was at the head of a five-vehicle convoy when it came under attack in the town of al-Amarah on 1 May 2004. He guided the column through a mile of enemy ground to drop off wounded comrades at great risk to his own safety, his citation said.
Weeks later, his vehicle was hit by an rocket-propelled grenade round. Despite receiving horrific head injuries, he drove out of the ambush and again saved his crew.
The BNP is unimpressed.
The BNP, led by Nick Griffin, called Johnson Beharry “an immigrant” and claimed his heroics, which saved the lives of 30 fellow soldiers, were simply “routine”.
On its website the far-right political party states that Lance Corporal Beharry only received Britain’s top military honour because of “positive discrimination by the PC-mad government”.
It comes just days after the party held an Armed Forces Awareness Day to try to portray themselves as “the only party that supports our troops”.
Whatever their views on wars and politics, in March many people were horrified by the hateful Islamist protest against soldiers in Luton.
This racist belittling of bravery by BNP scum is no better than that.
Anyone who really does support British troops should never vote for the BNP.
