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8:55am Thursday 8th February 2007
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Two Oxford students received death threats after lining up the chairman of the British National Party to appear on their university radio show.
Plans to have Nick Griffin on Oxford University Student Union's Oxide Radio have since been scrapped.
He was due to appear on The Big Idea show today to talk about 'Britishness', but the students' union has pulled the plug on it.
The union has a policy which prevents its services being used by the BNP and the National Front to promote their views.
he two presenters of the show, James Macadam, a geography student, and Max Seddon, a 19-year-old history and Russian student, both received handwritten death threats, delivered to their college pigeonholes, as well as e-mails.
Mr Seddon said: "We didn't really take the threats seriously and they would not have stopped us from doing the interview, but we were told by the union that if we did, we would be taken off air.
"We are not fascists or supporters of the BNP. We thought Mr Griffin would make an interesting guest. We have had left-wing extremists on the show before, like George Galloway, so thought we could have right-wing extremists too."
Station controller Paul Arrich said despite the pressure the two presenters had still been happy to carry out the interview.
He said: "They did receive death threats which caused a great deal of concern, but I understand this had not fazed them.
"They thought he would be an interesting guest."
There were also threats that the students' union building from where the show is broadcast would be stormed by protesters, despite Mr Griffin being
scheduled to give a phone interview.
Plans for the show have since been axed by the students' union, which runs the radio station and has the right to censor content.
Mr Arrich added: "The union decided to pull the plug on Mr Griffin. I didn't agree with this, but there is nothing we could do, as we are funded by them. It's a sad episode."
Ed Mayne, the union's vice-president of finance, said: "All activities are governed by the students' union.
"Two years ago, a vote was taken on whether we should allow the BNP and the National Front to use our services and facilities as a platform for their views.
"The outcome of that was 'no'. That was a democratically-taken decision. We have to abide by those policies."
Lee, Leeds says...
11:14pm Wed 7 Feb 07
Dave, says...
11:33pm Wed 7 Feb 07
Frederick Locke, Wales says...
11:49pm Wed 7 Feb 07
Lickyalips, Richmond says...
12:16am Thu 8 Feb 07
James, Oxford says...
12:59am Thu 8 Feb 07
DK, London says...
1:13am Thu 8 Feb 07
Grant, Sydney, Australia says...
4:15am Thu 8 Feb 07
Johnathan, London says...
4:46am Thu 8 Feb 07
M Young, London says...
7:39am Thu 8 Feb 07
Ray Ford, Yorkshire says...
9:00am Thu 8 Feb 07
TP, SW says...
9:27am Thu 8 Feb 07
andrew sim, Blackheath says...
9:30am Thu 8 Feb 07
Paul, says...
9:35am Thu 8 Feb 07
Carl Barron, Dorset says...
9:43am Thu 8 Feb 07
Richard Huzzey, Oxford says...
10:01am Thu 8 Feb 07
Mike, says...
10:06am Thu 8 Feb 07
Paul wrote:Paul is right - it's suspicious how many people from outside Oxfordshire have commented on this story. Strikes me there is an organised BNP write-in campaign on this one.
I never knew the Oxford Mail was read by so many BNP supporters across the country. They can't all have been emailed and told to post a comment can they? Surely not. Mind you, the average BNP supporter is so dim they probably assume nobody will notice. The BNP has zero support in Oxford so all you fascists in London, Yorkshire, Australia(!) etc. are wasting your time.
Lilly, Birmingham says...
10:23am Thu 8 Feb 07
Mike wrote: Does anyone seriously believe the BNP would extend the right to free speech to those who disagree with them?
George Sullivan, Leamington Spa says...
10:44am Thu 8 Feb 07
Tanya Bellingham - BNP, Oxford says...
10:45am Thu 8 Feb 07
Ken G. Farringdon, Leyburn says...
10:53am Thu 8 Feb 07
john winston beatson, sheffield says...
10:56am Thu 8 Feb 07
peries khan, oxford says...
11:01am Thu 8 Feb 07
Raymond, Oxford says...
11:05am Thu 8 Feb 07
Carl Barron wrote:"Death Treats"!? A new sweet on the market? If you meant detah threats - where does the report state these were made by the BNP? That would seem an own goal, wouldn't it.
Alleged \'Death Treats\' from the BNP. Seems to me to be a set up to halt legitimate discussion. Any e-mail is traceable, any hard copy threats can leave traceable evidence. If this were a true threat, then the Police should investigate to the full. British Government at this moment in time resemble a \'Political Mafia\' do you not agree?
william mccarthy, Ayr Scotland says...
11:08am Thu 8 Feb 07
gary, London says...
11:21am Thu 8 Feb 07
George Sullivan, Leamington Spa says...
11:22am Thu 8 Feb 07
Oxford Crusader, Oxford says...
11:48am Thu 8 Feb 07
William mccarthy, AYR Scotland says...
11:50am Thu 8 Feb 07
Terry Walton, Oxford says...
11:55am Thu 8 Feb 07
James, London says...
12:10pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Rosemarie, South West England says...
12:18pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Len Brown, Oxford says...
12:30pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Mark Clutterbuck, Bristol says...
12:44pm Thu 8 Feb 07
George Sullivan, says...
12:53pm Thu 8 Feb 07
George Deighton, london says...
1:09pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Simon, New York USA says...
1:09pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Peggy, Bucks says...
1:41pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Annie Rooney, Kent says...
1:46pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Martin, Essex says...
2:47pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Cllr Julian Leppert, Essex says...
2:53pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Linda Hurst - Biology Student, Oxford says...
4:26pm Thu 8 Feb 07
J J Hunt, oxford says...
4:39pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Bernard K. Longthorne, says...
4:39pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Patriot, says...
4:42pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Angharad, Preston, Lancs says...
4:50pm Thu 8 Feb 07
J J Hunt wrote:Another raving, idealistic, hate-driven idiot.
Call it what ever you like Britain of today is never going to be the same again. No left or right wingers will have a place, instead we will flourish as Great nation with all the races and creeds . So eat your hear out human haters, your time as come and GONR!!!!
Tom G., Oxford says...
4:53pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Chantelle de Seducio, says...
5:07pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Jon, Northumberland says...
5:30pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Walls come tumbling down, Oxford says...
5:31pm Thu 8 Feb 07
P Molloy, BNP, Liverpool says...
5:40pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Finbar Bryson, Nottingham says...
5:45pm Thu 8 Feb 07
dave, 072-402 says...
5:52pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Mark Anthony, Plymouth says...
6:19pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Henry Blandford - BNP, says...
6:20pm Thu 8 Feb 07
J J Hunt wrote:Example of example of JJ Hunt's nation with "all the races and creeds" living in his fantsasy rainbow multicult utopia ->
Call it what ever you like Britain of today is never going to be the same again. No left or right wingers will have a place, instead we will flourish as Great nation with all the races and creeds . So eat your hear out human haters, your time as come and GONR!!!!
Ian Kennedy, Swindon says...
7:00pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Jane Crocker, Dorset says...
7:11pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Paul, Oxford says...
7:34pm Thu 8 Feb 07
Billy Boy, Oxfordshire says...
11:01pm Wed 7 Feb 07
For too long now Uni authorities have backed down in the face of the fascist left - it's about time they stamped down on these thugs in the interest of the rights of the majority. Universities are supposed to be centres of learning not of censorship through (empty) threat of violence.
Likewise I hope the police are leaving no stone unturned in seeking out these "plasi" terrorists from whichever stone they may have slip back under!