LABOUR MEP for the South West Glyn Ford said yesterday he would be organising anti-BNP events after the right-wing party announced it was "targeting Devon" in the run-up to next year's European elections.

Mr Ford joined in the debate after the Echo revealed that the British National Party's deputy leader, Simon Darby, was hoping that it would win a seat in the South West.

A secret BNP rally recently held in Broadclyst, near Exeter, and attended by around 100 members as well as party leader Nick Griffin, was "a sign of the party's objectives".

Mr Ford, who is also the national treasurer for the Anti-Nazi League, secretary of the European Parliament's Anti-Racism Intergroup and on the board of Unite Against Fascism, said the BNP was a "serious threat".

He said: "If you look across Europe, extreme right-wing parties are doing rather well. I'm working to make sure the BNP is beaten."

Mr Ford expressed concern about the beliefs of some party members who were in influential positions.

He said: "They work behind the scenes running campaigns and people won't realise that. I don't believe the public actually want to vote for people like that."

Mr Ford plans to hold anti-BNP events urging people not to vote for them.

He said: "The BNP has small pockets in the South West and people have to realise who they really are and push them back into the political margins. I hope people will vote Labour but I'd prefer people to vote for anybody but the BNP.

"It's the people staying at home and not voting who may be represented by the BNP.

"In the last European elections they probably would've won two or three seats if it wasn't for the UK Independence Party. UKIP seems to be on a slight decline now and the BNP plans to capitalise on that.

"I'll be organising anti-BNP events around the South West which we'll be inviting all other parties to join in the run-up to the European elections."

Mr Ford's concerns of the BNP's potential success include serious economic problems.

He said: "If the party got a seat it would be the start of an economic downturn. Big companies from places such as China won't want to go somewhere they're not welcome.

"And all the evidence shows when the BNP is elected locally that racial tensions rise. There's a fair percentage of people from ethnic minorities in Devon and the BNP isn't going to do much for them."

Exeter BNP organiser Mike Turner said: "It's an outrage to even contemplate holding anti- BNP events. It's an absolute disgrace because we have a right to have our say.

We're a democratic party as far as we're concerned. The mainstream parties are frightened to death of us.

"All we want is the life we enjoyed before.

"The BNP's like a big family and that's something we've lost over the years. People are getting fed up with the skinhead image now."