- guardian.co.uk, Friday November 3 2000 17.06 GMT
ShaunWoodward, the MP for Witney who defected to Labour from the Conservatives earlier this year, told the Commons that the far-right site www.fuel-protest.com is concerned with who "really runs Britain". It is registered to the BNP's head of internet technology at an address in Ilford, east London.
The site tells protestors to burn an effigy of Tony Blair at bonfire parties and explains how to spin the spectacle into local newspapers' coverage.
Its authors blame the petrol duty on the cost of "political correctness". On the site they maintain that "the British people are not only expected to watch their homeland confiscated - the Labour government have the cheek to demand that we finance the process as well."
It accuses Mr Blair of wanting to turn a lorry driver's son into a "mincing faggot" through high fuel taxes and says Westminster is in the grip of a "government of perverts".
Nick Griffin, the BNP's chairman, told political magazine epxNews that the party did not initially admit to running the site to distance fuel protestors from the "Millbank spin machine". But he claims that the BNP was instrumental in the first round of fuel protests. "Many of our members who are hauliers, farmer and particularly taxi drivers were involved," he said.
The home secretary, Jack Straw, said he had seen the website but added that he did not believe that the majority of those involved in last month's protests shared its views.
The site links to the Countryside Alliance and the UK Independence party. The Road Haulage association, which asked to be removed from the BNP's list of favoured organisations, is accused of being a "bunch of pro-government stooges".
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Related stories
30 October: BNP plans covert role in fuel protest
1 November: comment on fuel crisis by Seumas Milne
Useful links
The controversial site: www.fuel-protest.com
The Home Office
Campaign against racism and fascism
Countryside Alliance
UK Independence party
Road Haulage association
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