British Freedom party spokesman explains why foul-mouthed racist abuse is not racist

Tony SutcliffeIf there were Olympic medals being handed out for political spin then the man who had just introduced himself to me as “Tony Smith” was clearly going for gold.

I was interviewing him against a back drop of largely drunken men waving banners and chanting foul-mouthed racist abuse at a rally organised by the far-right English Defence League in the West Yorkshire town of Keighley.

“Tony”, who admitted he was giving me a false name, had a ready answer when I asked if their language and behaviour was acceptable for a Saturday afternoon political rally in a town where many British Asians live. “That is really unfair,” he told me. “It’s not about race. It’s not about colour. It’s about culture.”

BBC News, 14 August 2012