Pink Floyd, Blur and Billy Bragg call on BNP to stop selling music to raise campaign funds

BNP leader Nick Griffin. The party's commercial partner Excalibur sells compilation CDs with titles such as Rule Britannia and The White Cliffs of Dover

A group of top musicians including members of Blur and pink floyd are demanding that the British National Party stop selling music to raise campaign funds.
The far-right party is selling a range of folk albums on its website, but many of the musicians featured claim they are powerless to stop their work financing the party.
Billy Bragg, drummers Dave Rowntree from Blur and Nick Mason from pink floydhave teamed up with the Musicians' Union and Featured Artists' Coalition, saying they object to the BNP's 'politics and morals'.
In a letter published in The Times today, the group said: 'In the lead up to the European elections, it has come to our attention that the BNP is selling compilation CDs through its website in order to raise funds for campaigning.
'Many of the musicians featured on these... have no legal right to object to their music being used in this way.
'We would, on behalf of our joint membership of over 31,000 members, like to have our opposition to the BNP's politics and morals formally noted.'
The BNP's commercial partner, Excalibur, sells a range of compilation CDs with titles such as Proud Heritage, Rule Britannia and The White Cliffs of Dover.
An album called West Wind, written by party leader Ni k Griffin and featuring songs including Nothing Bloody Works and Colour, is also among those being sold.
One of the artists featured on a CD of Irish folk music, Paddy Gordon from Ulster band Brier, said he was furious to find that some of his music was on the site.

 

He told The Times: 'I got an email from a friend saying, "Have you seen where your music is for sale?" My initial reaction was shock, now I am very angry.'
Mr Gordon said the songs, included on A Feast of Irish Folk, were love songs with no political links.
A BNP spokesman said the party had no plans to remove any of the music.
He told The Times: 'They've already made their money haven't they? Once that music's gone through a distributor. They're politicising themselves to a high degree by doing this and we wouldn't really be concerned by that. It's up to us what we sell - we're not changing.

Musicians including Billy Bragg (left), pink floyd star Nick Mason (centre) and Blur's Dave Rowntree (right) are demanding the BNP stop selling their music to raise campaign funds

'There's no suggestion through this that artists support the BNP or otherwise. They're barking up the wrong tree to be honest.'
In another development the Electoral Commission today confirmed that it is 'assessing' whether to investigate the BNP after allegations that Nick Griffin failed to declare a £5,000 political donation into his personal bank account.
Under the commission's rules all donations in excess of £1,000 given to party members to be used for political activity must be declared.
Sarah Garrett, a spokeswoman for the Electoral Commission, said: 'We are now assessing the information.'
Should the commission conclude from its assessment that further action needs to be taken then Mr Griffin's transaction will be taken to a review stage, when it would be decided whether or not a formal investigation should take place.
Mr Griffin today admitted he had paid a £5,000 donation that he claimed to be from a supporter into his own bank account.
However he denied the money was a political donation and said he passed it on to nationalist trade union Solidarity, which has strong BNP links.
He told The Times that there was 'no need' to declare it as the donor had asked him to put the money to 'best use'.
Party lawyer Lee Barnes said: 'This was never a donation to a political party. An individual gave him some money and said "Do with it as you wish".
'Mr Griffin suspected he would possibly be set up so he gave it to the Solidarity trade union. The money never went through the BNP.'

The Electoral Commission was alerted to the transaction by a complaint from anti-fascist organisation Searchlight.
Mr Griffin yesterday pulled out of a garden party at Buckingham Palace following a public outcry over his invitation.
The extremist, who has a conviction for inciting racial hatred, said he had 'no wish to embarrass the Queen' by attending the event on July 21.
He was invited by the BNP's London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook and had been accused of trying to exploit the controversial invitation as a political stunt ahead of next week's elections.
Mr Griffin dismissed this suggestion, however, insisting that politicians from the main parties had been caught 'with their noses in the public trough'.
'They know we're going to get a huge vote on June 4 and they're just trying to minimise the damage,' he said.