In language reminiscent of Nick Griffin’s pathetic attack on Jack Straw on Question Time last year, Helmer wrote:

“Michal Tomasz Kaminski? Anti-Semitic? … Linked to far-right organisations? No. Kaminski is proud to recall that during the Second World War, his two grandfathers were fighting the Nazis.

“At the same time, in England, Edward McMillan Scott’s grandparents were interned as a potential security risk. They were prominent members of the British Union of Fascists.”

For the record, here are the facts about Kaminski, leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group of which David Cameron’s MEPs are members:

• From 1989-1991 Kaminski was a member of the neo-fascist organisation National Revival of Poland (NOP). This movement is anti-Semitic, homophobic and xenophobic. NOP’s manifesto states that “Jews will be removed from Poland, and their possessions will be confiscated” – a statement taken directly from Hitler’s Mein Kampf. The official greeting is the Nazi salute. NOP is part of Roberto Fiore’s European National Front. The NOP poster states “Fascism?!? We’re worse!!!”

Kaminski claims that he was in NOP ‘as a schoolboy’ before the fall of communism in 1989, but an NOP spokesman told the Daily Telegraph he was in it from 17 – 20 years of age, his formative political years: “He was in the party from about 1989 to 1991″ said Marek Wojciechowski . McMillan-Scott has confirmed this statement.

• In 1993 Kaminski was the spokesman of the right-wing Catholic Electoral Committee “Fatherland”. He handed out pamphlets at Warsaw’s main train station denouncing immigrants from the east bringing “typhus, malaria and other diseases” to Poland.

• In 1999 Kaminski travelled to London with other Polish right-wingers to visit General Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator who was being detained in the British capital. “This was the most important meeting of my whole life,” he told the BBC at the time.

• In 2000 Kaminski gave a TV interview in which he refers to homosexuals as “pedaly”, literally pedals which is the near equivalent of “faggots” but also implies paedophilia. When the interviewer said it was an offensive term he repeats it: ‘What should I say – they are pedaly’

• In July 2000, Kaminski caused a scandal after his public declaration of support for the infamous pre-war slogan “Poland for Poles,” which was traditionally directed against Jews and invokes memories of the anti-Semitic violence of the 1920’s and 1930’s in Poland. “I want us to have the courage to say, ‘We want Poland for the Poles’”.

• In 2001 Kaminski organised opposition to a national apology by then Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski for the infamous Jedwabne massacre in 1941 in which several hundred Polish Jews were herded by their neighbours into a barn and burnt to death. Footage of a television news bulletin from 5 March 2001 shows Kaminski, then Jedwabne’s MP, reacting to news about the apology: “I think that Mr President can apologise but for other things. He should withhold apologies for Jedwabne.” Kaminski then gave an interview to the right-wing journal Nasza Polska in which he said:

“Maybe it is an attempt to quieten the consciences of those Jews who did terrible harm to Poland during the Soviet occupation?”

• Also in 2001 Kaminski created a new political formation known as the Right Alliance, which merged with the Kaczyński brothers’ Law and Justice Party (PiS). Before the 2009 European Elections, the PiS absorbed two ultra-extreme groups, the Self-Defence League and the League of Polish Families, one of whose MPs, Ryszard Bender has said “Auschwitz was not a death camp, it was a labour camp,” [nearly one million Jews perished at Auschwitz]

• In 2009 Kaminski denies wearing the Chrobry Sword, the symbol of the NOP and originally the emblem of the pre-war extreme right wing National Democracy. In 2000 Kaminski said:

“I’m not ashamed of National Democracy. It’s my tradition. In my lapel I wear the Chrobry Sword … I feel myself a Pole and a Catholic, and I’m proud of that.”

There is more on Kaminski and Tory extremism in Europe here, here and here and on Left Foot Forward here.

Ms Sinclaire was forced out because of her opposition to UKIP’s allies in the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group. She said the “intolerance of racial, religious and sexual minorities” of some of the delegations was “incompatible with my personal and political principles”, adding:

“I care deeply about the rise of intolerance across Europe, and the rise in the number of hate crimes.”

As Left Foot Forward reported in January, Ms Sinclaire had previously cited “anti-Semitism, violence and the espousal of a single European policy on immigration” amongst UKIP’s EFD partners as reasons for her resignation from the group.

The decision to expel her comes in the wake of former UKIP leader Nigel Farage’s astonishing outburst against the new president of the European council Herman Van Rompuy, for which he was fined yesterday.

Hogan, meanwhile, was convicted last week after repeatedly failing to pay fines imposed for continuous breaches of the smoking ban at pubs he owned in Bolton. He will now no longer be able to stand in the election.

The returning officer for Chorley borough council told Left Foot Forward:

“He won’t be able to stand with the current conviction he has at the moment.”

The EDL argue that:

Geert Wilders has been harassed, threatened, litigated against and terrorised because of his views …

Agree or disagree with Geert Wilders the fact remains that he is a democratically elected member of a fine democracy and should be welcome on these or any other shores …

The Radical Islamists will be there. The EDL will be there.

The EDL leadership are not entirely consistent on free speech however, asking their demonstrators to refrain from “sticking fingers up” at journalists and singing some of their favourite obscene and inflammatory “songs”.

Wilders will be visiting Parliament on Friday, having accepted an invitation from from Lord Pearson of Rannoch, the leader of the UK Independence Party and Baroness Cox, a crossbench peer, to show his film ‘Fitna’ in the Palace of Westminster. The sixteen-minute film juxtaposes acts of terrorism with lines from the Koran.

Wilders’ anti-immigration Freedom Party has been doing well in the Dutch opinion polls and hopes to make significant gains in the coming national elections after the recent collapse of the Dutch government over troop commitments to Afghanistan. He recently faced trial in Holland for inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims.

The allegations are made on the “Tory stories” blog, and are backed up by local newspaper reports, “Echo News” reporting that the Conservatives were “clinging on to office with the vote of the BNP”.

The Tories were foced into relying on the support of the BNP after one of their councillors, Terry Hipsey, defected to Labour in protest at a Tory/BNP pact, alleging the party were:

“Not standing in wards to let the BNP win, Labour lose and so (the Tories) retaining control of the council.”

That was in March last year; more recently, Cllr Hipsey has claimed:

“Eric Pickles sent an email round when we first got into power warning us that any cooperation with BNP would result in expulsion from the Conservative Party. When I heard about the proposed pact I reported the issue to the South Basildon and East Thurrock Conservative Association Chairperson.

“She passed my concerns up to Conservative Central Office via email and followed it up with a phone call. I never heard anything back from Central Office.”

Following up on these claims, Left Foot Forward put the following questions to the Conservative party:

• What did Conservative Central Office do on learning of an alleged electoral pact between Thurrock Conservatives and the BNP? Was an investigation carried out and, if not, why?

• Were the problems in Thurrock Conservative Group brought to the attention of the Conservative Leader’s office and, if so, what action was taken?

• Why did Conservative Party Chairman, Eric Pickles MP, feel the need to issue an instruction to local Conservative Party associations not to co-operate with the BNP? and

• Has any Conservative Party member been expelled from the party for co-operating with the BNP since January 2008?

We received no specific responses to our questions, just a broad denunciation of the idea of cooperating with the BNP:

“We do not do deals with the BNP who are a racist and reprehensible party.”

Yesterday, Left Foot Forward reported another set of allegations concerning Essex Tories and racism. Leaflets were distributed in Romford showing David Cameron’s image and saying the floodgates had been opened to mass immigration.

The leaflets are believed to have been produced by Conservatice council candidate Osman Dervish, reportedly a member of Romford Tory MP Andrew Rosindell’s staff. Rosindell’s office, however, have distanced themselves from him and his claims, telling Left Foot Forward:

“Osman Dervish is not a paid member of Andrew Rosindell M.P.’s staff in either Parliament or the constituency.

“Osman Dervish is a Conservative Party member, local volunteer and a Council candidate in Romford. Furthers questions regarding this matter must now be referred to the relevant person, Osman Dervish.”

Mr Dervish, who apparently remains both a Tory member and candidate, was unavailable for comment.

The Observer yesterday outlined that:

“David Cameron’s Tories were accused last night of dog-whistle politics after the Conservative leader appeared on the front of flyers saying the floodgates had been opened to mass immigration. Critics say the flyers are alarmist and misleading because they imply limits could be imposed on entrants from EU countries such as Poland…

“Rosindell said last night: “I did not write or approve this councillors’ flyer. Immigration is an important issue but, as David Cameron has made clear, we must be careful with both the facts and the language we use. This flyer falls short on both counts, and I shall be pointing that out to the councillors.” However, the material stated that it was “promoted” by the MP.”

But these denials look increasingly thin as it emerged that the MP was out campaigning in the Mawneys ward in Havering on the day the leaflet was delivered. Local Labour party chair Dan Young – who lives in Mawneys ward – received a copy of the leaflet on February 13th. Rosindell’s facebook status was updated at 6.35pm that day:

Political Scrapbook have also revealed that Rosindell “has form on race politics”:

“In a blogpost noting the striking similarities between aspects of Rosindell’s website and far-right campaign materials, Scrapbook wrote last December: ”The MP for Romford has tabled a mere 102 questions on asylum and immigration and was a member of an organisation which advocated the voluntary repatriation of ethnic minorities until he was forced to resign by Iain Duncan Smith.””

Left Foot Forward has submitted the following questions to Mr Rosindell’s office but been told that he is not available for interview:

1. At what point did you become aware of the existence of the leaflet?

2. Had you seen the leaflet (or a draft version) before the distribution on February 13th?

3. Although you are quoted as saying you “did not write or approve this councillors’ flyer”, did you have any role in the distribution of the leaflet on Feb 13th?

4. Do you know why the leaflet was only distributed in one ward of the constituency?

UPDATE 17.09

On Labour List, James Maker writes:

“Two weeks ago I was appalled to receive the material through my own front door. My first reaction was “I’ve never seen BNP material in my ward before – they must be targeting new areas”. However, on closer inspection, it came to my attention that this was in fact the local Tories…

“is it a coincidence that on the very week that this leaflet was making its way into homes across the consistency, that during PMQs on February 10th 2010, Rosindell rose to ask the Prime Minister “will the government consider introducing a cap on immigration?”"

Cameron’s withdrawal from the European People’s Party, to join a group led by Michal Kaminski – who has long been dogged by allegations of racism, homophobia and anti-Semitism – has “reduced the Tories’ immediate ability to affect events”, says the report, adding:

“The party is now forced to lobby from within the confines of its new – and much smaller – home, the European Conservatives and Reformists group…

“For critics, a telling moment came late last year when a dozen legislative reports for a new financial services reform package were to be assigned. The ECR vied for at least two of the reports, which are of grave concern to the City, but received none.”

Earlier this month, Left Foot Forward reported further evidence of the Conservative party’s waning influence in Europe, when it was announced mainstream centre-right European leaders, like Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, had pledged their support to Gordon Brown.

Cameron, however, continues to defend Kaminski, telling Left Foot Forward in January that the accusations against Kaminski are “absolutely not true”, insisting he would never “join up with parties that were racist, homophobic or extremist in any way”.

Speaking in October 2004, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Gollnisch had said:

“I do not question the existence of concentration camps but historians could discuss the number of deaths. As to the existence of gas chambers, it is up to historians to speak their minds.”

The news comes just days after Griffin said the public “can no longer call us racist” in the wake of the BNP’s decision to admit non-white members, and is another example of the reality behind the BNP’s new façade.

On Sunday, BNP thugs assaulted a Times journalist from a press conference, ejecting him from the venue. This is how the journalist, Dominic Kennedy, describes the attack:

“One man grabbed my nose and tried to remove it from my face. I was seized and shoved out of the door towards a parked car. I threw my hands out to steady myself. A BNP thug snarled: “Don’t touch people’s cars mate.” Obviously, I offered no resistance.”

Far from condemning the attack, Griffin, in a message to BNP members, said the attack proved his party hadn’t gone “soft”.

David Cameron, however, was under pressure to apologise for a visit he made to apartheid South Africa from former anti-apartheid campaigners Richard Caborn MP and ex-TUC general secretary Norman Willis.

It emerged in a biography last year that he visited the country as the guest of anti-sanctions lobbyists in 1989, when Mr Mandela was still in jail. According to PA:

“Your trip, paid for by lobbyists against sanctions, was a long time ago,” [Caborn and Willis] wrote. “But it was then, and is now, a question of values and judgment.”

Since the details of this trip became public, you have refused to comment on it, refused to explain why you had to keep it quiet and refused to apologise for your actions.

“We hope that on the anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release, you will set the record straight and do what is right.”

Last year, Peter Hain told the Independent on Sunday that Cameron’s trip was a “sanctions-busting jolly“.

A new low, even for the Mail. As Sunny at Liberal Conspiracy says:

“Fucking disgusting, even by usual Daily Mail standards”

H/T: Liberal Conspiracy

Last night Rod Liddle joined the facebook group , “If Rod Liddle becomes editor of The Independent, I will not buy it again” and posted two messages:

Proud to be your latest member. Can I just point out that your letter to Mr Lebedev is defamatory, in quite a big way? I think I ought to warn you about that.
Also, Craig – learn to spell, you idiot.
And Samantha – I did not go far enough on cats.

Actually, looking at some of the posts here, there is an awful lot which is defamatory, not least “climate change denier” (I’m not) and “racist” (I’m not.) I may be appalling, unfit the breathe the same air as the rest of you, but I’m not those things.
Just thought I ought to point that out.

Sunny Hundal outlines on Liberal Conspiracy why none of the claims are defamatory and says:

“In his columns he styles himself as a defender of free speech, but when it concerns himself Rod Liddle is happy with making legal threats to shut down debate on his past writings.”

The facebook group has now exceeded its £500 target for an advert in the Independent and is looking to raise £1,000.

Hat-tip: Mohamed Ansar