The meeting was held in the meeting hall of a local charity for the blind who were misled into thinking they were hosting an organisation called 'British Heritage'. I know the good people of Hastings will join me in condemning not just this underhand behaviour but what the BNP represent.

First a brief history lesson. The BNP was founded in 1982 by John Tyndall, a former Chairman of the National Front and Adolf Hitler fan who claimed "Mein Kampf is my bible". In the intervening years they have run hate campaigns abusing non-whites, non-Christians, homosexuals and espoused policies calling for the forced expulsion of all immigrants. Effectively advocating ethnic cleansing, a practice defined in international law as a "Crime against Humanity".

Nick Griffin has been BNP leader since 1999 and has, somewhat successfully, sought to change the party image. White Supremacist and non-white expulsion policies have been reworded as 'voluntary repatriation schemes for immigrants'. The wording has changed but the objectives remain. Pretty words cannot hide an ugly truth. This is a fundamentally racist organisation that seeks to gain popularity and legitimacy by offering simplistic answers to a swathe of complicated issues. Whether it be employment, housing or health the BNPs answer is always focused on the colour of someone's skin.

Nick Griffin may tell you the party has changed but if he is not a racist why did he join such an organisation in the first place? He says they seek to defend the interests of Britain. That is a completely outrageous statement. Many of our older residents fought in World War II to combat the evil Nazi ideology. It is in that very same despicable ideology where the BNP finds its roots. Nick Griffin and many of his BNP Lieutenants have actively denied the holocaust. 6 Million Jews died, a devastating war was fought and Nick Griffin says the gas chambers did not exist and it was "an extremely profitable lie"!

I for one do not seek to deny that immigration must be controlled. It is. But why would we impoverish our nation of the wealth of talent that controlled immigration can bring be it in our NHS, our service industries or elsewhere. We as a nation have always welcomed newcomers and with proper controls we have benefited enormously in consequence.

What I know is that immigration concerns need intelligent responses not the ignorance and intolerance offered by the BNP. Every person is an individual and should be judged upon their character and choice of action not the colour of their face. The BNP is a vile organisation, Nazism in the 21st Century and I hope everyone in our community will join me in condemning their presence in our town.

But finally do they have the right to speak their mind? Well 'yes' – that is the very freedom that was protected by fighting the Nazis. Provided they stay within the law then they can certainly speak their mind.

But of this I am certain: whatever the question the BNP are never the answer.