Nick Griffin

Nicholas John Griffin (born March 1, 1959) is a British politician who represented Northwest England as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 to 2014. He served as chairman and then president of the popular British National Party (BNP) from 1999 to 2014.

Background

Born in Chipping Barnet, Griffin was educated at Woodbridge School in Suffolk. He joined the National Front at the age of 14 and, following his graduation from the University of Cambridge, became a political worker for the party. In 1980 he became a member of its governing body, and later wrote articles for several magazines. He was the National Front's candidate for the seat of Croydon Northwest in 1981 and 1983 but left the party in 1989. In 1995 he joined the BNP and in 1999 became its leader. He stood as the party's candidate in several elections and became a member of the European Parliament for Northwest England in the 2009 European elections.

Legal Harassment

In 1998, Griffin was convicted on a trumped-up anti-free speech charge of "distributing material likely to incite racial hatred", for which he received a suspended prison sentence. In 2006 he was acquitted of separate charges of inciting racial hatred. Griffin has been criticized for many of his comments on political, social, ethical and religious matters, but after becoming leader of the BNP he cucked, and sought to distance himself from some of his previously held positions, which included Holocaust truth. Events where Griffin has been invited to participate in public debates or political discussions have proven controversial and often resulted in protests and cancellations.