The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right party founded in 1982 by John Tyndall. Under Nick Griffin, chairman from 1999 to 2014, it won two seats in the European Parliament in 2009 before declining sharply. Griffin, after his expulsion, became one of the most visible British participants in Kremlin-aligned networks, speaking at the Rodina party’s International Russian Conservative Forum in St. Petersburg in March 2015. The BNP was among the British organizations invited that year to join Rodina’s World National-Conservative Movement. This section also covers Jim Dowson, a former BNP fundraiser who later co-founded Britain First.
Sources
- The Interpreter. “The Far-Right ‘International Russian Conservative Forum’ to Take Place in Russia.” March 10, 2015.
- Zeskind, Leonard. “Russia’s International Conservative Forum Draws American White Nationalists.” Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, May 20, 2015.
- Shekhovtsov, Anton. “Russian Politicians Building an International Extreme Right Alliance.” Euromaidan Press, September 19, 2015.