"Sink immigrants' boats" says British National Party leader Nick Griffin

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**Gwar!**

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8141069.stm

Sink immigrants' boats - Griffin

The EU should sink boats carrying illegal immigrants to prevent them entering Europe, British National Party leader Nick Griffin has told the BBC.

The MEP for the North-West of England said the EU had to get "very tough" with migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

Pressed on what should happen to those on board, he said: "Throw them a life raft and they can go back to Libya".

Libya has long been a staging post for migrants from Egypt and sub-Saharan Africa wanting to reach Europe.

Nearly 37,000 immigrants landed on Italian shores last year, an increase of about 75% on the year before.

But with the prospect of a new immigration and asylum policy being voted on this autumn by MEPs, Mr Griffin is advocating measures to destroy boats used by illegal immigrants to reach the EU's southern coastline.

In an interview with this week's edition of BBC Parliament's The Record Europe, he said: "If there's measures to set up some kind of force or to help, say the Italians, set up a force which actually blocks the Mediterranean then we'd support that.

"But the only measure, sooner or later, which is going to stop immigration and stop large numbers of sub-Saharan Africans dying on the way to get over here is to get very tough with those coming over.

"Frankly, they need to sink several of those boats.

"Anyone coming up with measures like that we'll support but anything which is there as a 'oh, we need to do something about it' but in the end doing something about it means bringing them into Europe' we will oppose."

The interviewer, BBC Correspondent Shirin Wheeler, said: "I don't think the EU is in the business of murdering people at sea."

Mr Griffin replied: "I didn't say anyone should be murdered at sea - I say boats should be sunk, they can throw them a life raft and they can go back to Libya.

"But Europe has sooner or later to close its borders or its simply going to be swamped by the Third World."

In May, the Italian government gave Libya three patrol boats as part of a deal aimed at combating the flow of illegal migrants making the crossing to Italy.

Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, a member of the anti-immigration Lega Nord party, hailed the first 200 migrants picked up by the boats and returned to Libya as an "historic" moment.

But human rights groups have raised concerns about Italy sending migrants back to Libya without first screening them for asylum claims or to discover whether they are sick, injured, unaccompanied children or victims of human trafficking.

Libya has no functioning asylum system and is not a party to the 1951 UN convention relating to the status of refugees.

Separately Mr Griffin, who will next week formally take up his seat in Brussels, has admitted that the BNP has failed to convince other like-minded parties to form an alliance in the new European Parliament.

Talks with France's Front National, Lega Nord, and other groups fell apart, with Lega Nord now joining the new Europe of Freedom and Democracy group, led by Britain's UK Independence Party.

Mr Griffin told The Parliament.com: "We needed at least 25 members from seven different member states to form a group. There is no doubt that we would have been able to wield a lot more influence if we could have formed a group.

"No one was prepared to commit themselves knowing that we had not got Lega Nord on board.

"Even so, we will continue to work together with these other groups and share ideas. We will have less access to things like speaking time and committee votes but it's too bad."

The BNP advocates British withdrawal from the European Union and an end to all immigration to the UK and last month won its first two seats in the European Parliament.

Mr Griffin and the party's other recently-elected MEP Andrew Brons will sit in the "non-attached" section of the Parliament, which means they will be entitled to less administrative and financial support.

And people voted them into the EU Parliament.

**Kilkrazy**

There was a BNP councillor on Radio 4 the other day commenting on the report which shows that under 2% of social housing goes to immigrants who have been in the country less than five years (thus disproving one of the BNP's key election promises.)

This little pipsqueak blurted out that social housing should be reserved for the indigenous white population.

They are racist scum, all of them.

**BrookM**

He reminds me of Geert Wilders, a rather deranged prick we've got around here. They should go camping together sometime.

**Kilkrazy**

Maybe they could go on a boating holiday.

**djphranq**

But human rights groups have raised concerns about Italy sending migrants back to Libya without first screening them for asylum claims or to discover whether they are sick, injured, unaccompanied children or victims of human trafficking.

I would be concerned about this as well.

**Frazzled**

djphranq wrote:
But human rights groups have raised concerns about Italy sending migrants back to Libya without first screening them for asylum claims or to discover whether they are sick, injured, unaccompanied children or victims of human trafficking.

I would be concerned about this as well.

Respectfully, why? If they are trying to enter via boat illegally turn the boat around. Italy is under no obligations at all towards them.

**Kilkrazy**

Actually all nations have obligations under international law on the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.

Obviously the great majority of people crossing the Med are doing so for economic reasons, but that does not justify the assumption that they all are. Libya is hardly known for its great record on human rights.

**Gwar!**

Kilkrazy wrote:Actually all nations have obligations under international law on the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.

Obviously the great majority of people crossing the Med are doing so for economic reasons, but that does not justify the assumption that they all are. Libya is hardly known for its great record on human rights.

International Law? Pfft, that's only there for when we want to follow it, as the UK and the US proved so deftly this Decade.

**djphranq**

Frazzled wrote:
djphranq wrote:
But human rights groups have raised concerns about Italy sending migrants back to Libya without first screening them for asylum claims or to discover whether they are sick, injured, unaccompanied children or victims of human trafficking.

I would be concerned about this as well.

Respectfully, why? If they are trying to enter via boat illegally turn the boat around. Italy is under no obligations at all towards them.

You have a point. It would be like being concerned that a thief might have hurt his hand while breaking in through a window, huh?

**BrookM**

Eh, Italy is a special case, sometimes the boats get through because they are looking the other way, courtesy of people in Sicily.

**Mad Doc Grotsnik**

Do you think people would pay me to be Nick Griffin's mental minder? The job would involve me following him around, and ever time his fat racist gob starts flapping some poorly researched bollocks, I dunt him round the head with a handy Cricket Bat. Call it aversion therapy.

**Frazzled**

Who's Nick Griffin again?

After wall to wall coverage fo the Michael Jackson memorial lovefest, I'm just going to walk around with a permanent face-palm.

WORLD = EPIC FAIL

**jp400**

Agreed Frazzled. Thank god I have tons of Burned DvD's else id be about ready to lose whats left of my mind!

The only thing worse was the OJ chase/Mock Trial!

**Frazzled**

jp400 wrote:Agreed Frazzled. Thank god I have tons of Burned DvD's else id be about ready to lose whats left of my mind!

The only thing worse was the OJ chase/Mock Trial!

Fortunately SWMBO has determined I lost my mind some time ago.

**jp400**

LoL.

My SWMBO keeps trying to make me find mine. It isnt easy Let me tell you!

**Keyasa**

BNP, Labour, Conservative, Green Party, whatever. They are all facets of the same grinding, deathly machine that keeps mangling us to pieces and slowly, slowly crushes the last sparks of freedom from our lives. Politics Suck. The sooner we stand up and say "No actually, I'll live my life the way I damn well want to and NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL ME THAT I SHOULDN'T BUY THESE BANANAS- THEY ARE THE WRONG LENGTH THIS MEANS YOU EU" the better. (Start collecting bottlecaps now btw)

**Clthomps**

And people voted them into the EU Parliament.

Yea all 4 of them that voted.

Maybe you could get the majority of people in your union to vote you wouldn't have terrible leaders.

**sebster**

djphranq wrote:You have a point. It would be like being concerned that a thief might have hurt his hand while breaking in through a window, huh?

No, more like someone turning up at your doorstep in the middle of storm and asking to stay in your 1,000 room communal building with all the other people that have turned up over the last 2,000 years, and you looking down the street and saying 'Well I can't see your old house from here so it might be stable enough to survive the storm, so you might be a thief. I'm going to assume you're a thief without bothering to check. Go away.'

Why wouldn't you just find out if they are a refugee first?

**Orkeosaurus**

Keyasa wrote:"No actually, I'll live my life the way I damn well want to and NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL ME THAT I SHOULDN'T BUY THESE BANANAS- THEY ARE THE WRONG LENGTH THIS MEANS YOU EU"

You can't buy bananas if they're the wrong length in Europe?

What?

**sebster**

Orkeosaurus wrote:
Keyasa wrote:"No actually, I'll live my life the way I damn well want to and NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL ME THAT I SHOULDN'T BUY THESE BANANAS- THEY ARE THE WRONG LENGTH THIS MEANS YOU EU"
You can't buy bananas if they're the wrong length in Europe?

What?

No, its one of many euromyths that float around. There is nothing banning anyone from buying a banana of any length. There is regulation on banana curvature (they can't be too curvy) but it doesn't lead to any kind of ban, it is just one of the criteria used to determine what quality level a batch is to be marked as. All batches are saleable, but obviously the higher quality batches go for more money.

It's one of many, many myths that's floated around about the EU for a long time. Because there's a reasonable number of people dedicated to complaining, worrying and/or hating the EU, these myths get swallowed up regardless of how true they are. In this instance Keyasa obviously has a strong interest in raging against the machine, and so when something silly like the banana myth comes along, he's more than happy to believe it.

**djphranq**

sebster wrote:
djphranq wrote:You have a point. It would be like being concerned that a thief might have hurt his hand while breaking in through a window, huh?

No, more like someone turning up at your doorstep in the middle of storm and asking to stay in your 1,000 room communal building with all the other people that have turned up over the last 2,000 years, and you looking down the street and saying 'Well I can't see your old house from here so it might be stable enough to survive the storm, so you might be a thief. I'm going to assume you're a thief without bothering to check. Go away.'

Why wouldn't you just find out if they are a refugee first?

You also have a point. But I wouldn't say that Italy is obligated to check all the time. It would be nice if they could.

**Kilkrazy**

The Italians are obligated to check all the time by their signature on international treaties.

If you disregard the rule of law there is nothing to stop immigrants from coming to your country except naked force, then they can use force too, and things will go into a vicious spiral.

**djphranq**

Kilkrazy wrote:The Italians are obligated to check all the time by their signature on international treaties.

I see.

*walks away and watches from a distance until he understands better what all the folks are talking about.*

**Emperors Faithful**

Killkrazy is right.

When you say "it would be nice if they would/could" no one is going to fething do it.

It would be nice if countries tried to stop global warming, but unless there are some laws in place that will lead to consequences (even if only political or tradewise) then no country is going to make the effort.

Has anyone heard the guy who does the voice of the Zebra in Madagascar? Is it Chris Brown?

Heard this from a standup he did, went something like this:

"You know, all immigrants, even the illegal ones, are Americans. If you walked 120miles to cross the border, then you an American. If you sailed here across the ocean in a leaky boat, then you an American. If you were born here, then YOU JUST GOT LUCKY"

Political humour, gotta love it.

**akira5665**

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**Kilkrazy**

Awesome!

An ASCII art picture of a trained Moby Dick sinking an immigrant's boat.

**Emperors Faithful**

Good one akira5665!

...who was that aimed at?

**Frazzled**

Kilkrazy wrote:The Italians are obligated to check all the time by their signature on international treaties.

If you disregard the rule of law there is nothing to stop immigrants from coming to your country except naked force, then they can use force too, and things will go into a vicious spiral.

The rule of Law is only enforced by naked force. Legalisms are irrelevant.

"Keep my legions intact. They make the law, legal."
Julius Gaius Caesar

**Emperors Faithful**

Hmmm, but even the most outrageous laws have to be accepted by the public to some extent no?

If China suddenly took the 1-child policy thing a step further and ordered that kid 2 & 3 be killed then there would be an uproar and the gov would be ousted regardless of military force.

To some degree, poloticians ussualy have to be accepted by the public. Even with dictatorships, the public has to accept they can't do anything about it.

**Kilkrazy**

Frazzled wrote:
Kilkrazy wrote:The Italians are obligated to check all the time by their signature on international treaties.

If you disregard the rule of law there is nothing to stop immigrants from coming to your country except naked force, then they can use force too, and things will go into a vicious spiral.

The rule of Law is only enforced by naked force. Legalisms are irrelevant.

"Keep my legions intact. They make the law, legal."
Julius Gaius Caesar

You understand full well what the Rule of Law means, and we both understand that the maintenance of the Rule of Law ultimately rests on the will to use sanctions and violence to enforce legal obligations.

That does not mean that the Rule of Law is an invalid concept for conducting social life.