Letter: Abuse of free speech

Sir: You print a letter (4 April) from someone calling himself the press officer of the British National Party. He assures your readers that his party is out to champion the local community in the East End of London.

If a party that you knew advocated the right of men to rape women at will or the right of strong people to maim weak people at random wrote to you protesting that its main concern was to improve community facilities, you would, we think, not publish the letter. Why then did you publish the BNP letter? The normal rules of free speech and expression cannot possibly apply to those who aim to deny the most basic rights and freedoms to entire sections of the population.

Yours,

PAUL FOOT, VICTORIA BRITTAIN, STEVE PLATT, MIKE ROSEN, JOHN REES, SEUMAS MILNE

Media Workers Against the Nazis

London, E3

8 April