Midland hospital snubs BNP donation

Dec 7 2009 by Ben Goldby, Sunday Mercury

Labour MP for the area Dr Lynne Jones said: “I think the BNP is using the good name of the hospital to further its distasteful views.”

In October the hospital was at the centre of a political storm when Mr Griffin claimed injured soldiers on Selly Oaks’ wards had to pay to watch television.

Griffin was attempting to justify his wearing of a poppy on a televised debate against the wishes of the Royal British Legion.

He said he would remove the poppy if the Legion would put pressure on the government to stop “charging young British soldiers with no legs in Selly Oak Hospital” to watch TV.

His claims were described as “absolute rubbish” by an army spokesman who stressed military patients had free access to internet, television and phones.

Last night, John Walker, the BNP’s spokesman, said the party was disappointed by the hospital’s decision not to accept their donation.

“I am sure that it’s because it’s the BNP that they are doing this,” he claimed.

“We have as much right to campaign on soldiers and these issues as any other party.

“If Selly Oak won’t take the money, we will find a soldiers’ charity that will.”

Earlier this year, a group of senior military commanders attacked the BNP for hijacking the sacrifices of soldiers in order to gain votes. After the BNP used images of Winston Churchill to fight their European election campaign, former heads of the British army General Sir Mike Jackson and General Sir Richard Dannatt wrote an open letter saying the party were “fundamentally at odds” with the values of the British military.

“We call on all those who seek to hijack the good name of Britain’s military for their own advantage to cease and desist,” the generals said.

“The values of these extremists – many of whom are essentially racist – are fundamentally at odds with the values of the modern British military, such as tolerance and fairness.”

Griffin, who was convicted of inciting racial hatred in 1998 for publishing material appearing to deny the holocaust, responded by comparing the generals to Nazi war criminals.