Search for
Search for
Search forDevon BNP members angered by personal details leak
Thursday, November 20, 2008, 08:09
Teachers, prison officers, soldiers and police officers have been revealed as members of the controversial party.
The names of about 80 BNP members from Exeter, East and Mid Devon and Teignbridge are on a list of 12,000 supporters of the organisation across the country leaked on the internet by a handful of disgruntled ex-members.
The names, addresses, and phone numbers appear on the list.
One angry member told the Echo yesterday that she would be leaving the far right-wing party as a result of the debacle.
The woman, who lives in Dawlish, has been a BNP member for about three years but was unaware of the leak until the Echo informed her of it.
She said: "This has come as a complete shock to me.
"I am extremely upset and concerned about my details being on the internet. I don't want people to know my business.
"I feel like it has left me very exposed. I will be leaving the BNP as a result of this."
Anthony Phillips, 50, a former archaeologist, from Crediton, was "angry" his private details had been leaked.
"If anybody has a list where your details are meant to be private, of course you would be angry that it had been leaked," he said.
"If anything it's reaffirmed my stance with the BNP. It's every citizen's right to join a party and why should we be fearful of losing our jobs or potentially being murdered when it's only for something we believe in.
"I've already had threatening calls, I could be murdered or I could get home and there could be a gang of thugs waiting for me."
Joe Randall, 85, from Teignmouth, said: "I love this country and I'm not angry at the BNP, I'm angry at the people who did this. They should be horse-whipped. The problem is, the BNP is too trusting."
Exeter BNP organiser Michael Turner described the leak as a "shocking act".
He said: "Members have contacted me and they were quite upset about the fact that they have been contacted by certain individuals telling them they shouldn't be in the BNP.
"We believe these people are the ones responsible for the leak.
"This is a truly shocking and spiteful act.
"I'm a proud member of the BNP and this is just scaremongering."
Mr Turner said the leaked details were the responsibility of a handful of excluded BNP members, believed to be from the North of England.
"The leak to the internet has been done by some of the people excluded from the party last year," he said.
"We know who they are, there are about half a dozen of them."
BNP leader Nick Griffin has called in police to investigate the leak while party representatives have described the incident as "a serious attempt to destabilise" the party.
Comment on this story