THE British National Party says that most of its Northern Ireland members are attending flag protests across the Province.
Martin McGuinness has said some flag protestors are associated with the party.
The News Letter reported that a former fundraiser for the party in Scotland, Jim Dowson, addressed a flag protest in north Belfast on Tuesday night.
However, a spokesman for the BNP in England confirmed that Mr Dowson was no longer a member of the party.
He added that linking the party to the protests was “an attempt to distract from protestors’ genuine grievances”.
Northern Ireland BNP representative Stephen Moore said the party had faced repeated accusations from politicians and the media that it was “more or less orchestrating the violence”. He added: “We reject that entirely. Our members are attending peaceful protests. But media reports which photograph one of our members at a protest, then conclude we are orchestrating violence are ludicrous.”
Asked how many Northern Ireland BNP members are attending protests, he said “most”. However he declined to say how many memebers there are in Northern Ireland.
He said the party stood in the Province’s elections in 2011 but did not gain any seats. “We are not racist but we have a right to be proud of our own race. Why not, everybody is?” he said. On immigration, he added that it was “out of control and needs to be stopped”.
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