Following on from last week’s column about Islamic fundamentalism, and the predictable reaction to the Woolwich atrocity from both the left and right, I thought I’d hotfoot it up to Westminster on Saturday to check out the British National Party (BNP) v Unite Against Fascism (UAF) standoff outside Parliament.
 

About 1,000 anti-fascists (according to a figure on the UAF’s website) managed to prevent the BNP supporters from marching to the Cenotaph, just up the road.
 

It was a tense atmosphere, with the police spending hours trying to force the protesters back, and a steady stream of arrests with the bizarre spectacle of protesters sitting in a double-decker bus – each cuffed to an officer – waiting to be carted off.
 

Flashing my press pass to get through the police line I came across the BNP supporters. About 150 of them.
 

Yes, I know – 150. I’d expected more. Especially in the wake of Woolwich. So, my first thought was “are we really the racist nation some  would have us believe?”
 

And do you know how many BNP councillors there are in the UK? Two. Yep. Two. Hardly a great force in British politics.
 

So my point is this. Maybe the anti-fascists are wasting their time on small fry. Why aren’t they also protesting at the meetings of hate preachers who also hold fascist views? Double standards?.
 

And by all means protest. But to stop a group from marching – however abhorrent their views – is a bit, well, fascist, isn’t it?
 

The funniest thing about the whole day was, in the midst of this madness, a bunch of herberts in black and white face paint turn up chanting “Save the badgers”. Take me now Lord!