The NUS claim that: "Leeds Student risks giving legitimacy to a fascist organisation, and boosts the BNP's attempts to join the political mainstream." Adding: "We... demand the editor of the Leeds Student reconsider this grave error and remove the interview with fascist Nick Griffin from their website and newspaper immediately."
During the speaker-phone interview, Griffin was as vile as you might expect. His responses prompted much outraged gesticulation within our paper offices as we all tried to stay quiet. He told our interviewer James Greenhalgh, who is a gay student, that the sight of two men kissing is "creepy".
Of course I considered the effect these comments could have on, say, a vulnerable, first-year student who is struggling to come to terms with their sexuality – and I mitigated this risk as much as possible. The interviewer spoke to LGBT committee members before printing, and we decided to include the fact that the interviewer is gay in the piece. We also wrote an editorial explaining why we believe it is important that student papers do not shy away from confronting extreme politics...
Lucy Snow, writing for Guardian Education.
I'm with Lucy Snow, for what it's worth.
The NUS has often taken a childish, censorious "no platform" position on free speech.
Although the interview was done in the wake of Griffin tweeting the addresses of the gay couple in the latest B&B case, it does seem odd/off that more than half of the interview is given over to his views on homosexuality.
I also would have liked it to be more hard-hitting - actually I'd much prefer it if he'd just smashed Nick Griffin's fugly face in with a shitty shovel* - but well done to James Greenhalgh for challenging this Neo-Nazi shitbag's attempts to windowdress his racist and homophobic views as the voice of moderate reason.
* Legal notice: This is a fantasy and not an incitement to violence. Fagburn is a pacifist along Gandhian lines. Thank you.
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