Police investigate Griffin after BNP leader reveals gay couple's address
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Police launched an investigation into Nick Griffin last night after the BNP leader published the address of a gay couple on Twitter and urged activists to demonstrate outside their home.
Michael Black, 64, and his partner John Morgan, 59, were yesterday awarded £3,600 after winning a landmark legal battle against the owners of a bed and breakfast in Berkshire who refused to let them share a double room.
But hours later, Mr Griffin used Twitter to publish the couple's Cambridgeshire address. "A British Justice team will come up to Huntington [sic] & give you a bit of drama by way of reminding you that an English couple's home is their castle. Say No to heterophobia!" Mr Griffin wrote.
The couple were last night in talks with lawyers at the human rights group Liberty, which has backed their campaign, to discuss their next move, but dozens of people are thought to have contacted police on their behalf.
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said: "We have received a number of calls in relation to these tweets and are looking into the complaints we have received."
Mr Griffin denied he was urging his far-right supporters to break the law, but last night his Twitter account was suspended. "We are not just against them, we are looking for the judge as well – he's a bloody fool. We are going to wake them up in the morning with loud music and leaflet their neighbours to tell them what a nasty bunch of bigots they are," he said.
Although it is not illegal to post an address online, the threat to picket the private home could fall foul of section 127(1) of the Communications Act 2003 as well as breaching Twitter's terms of service. Users of the social networking site hit back last night by posting the address of the BNP MEP.
Earlier, Reading County Court had heard how owner Susanne Wilkinson declined to let the couple stay in a double room at the Swiss Bed and Breakfast in Cookham, Berkshire, in March 2010 because of her religious views – despite them having made a reservation and paid a deposit. Recorder Claire Moulder dismissed the owner's argument that she had not acted in a discriminatory way because she objected to homosexual sexual behaviour rather than homosexual sexual orientation.
She also said the policy of only giving double rooms to married couples was indirectly discriminatory.
The couple said they were still waiting to hear whether there would be an appeal by Mrs Wilkinson and that the final outcome could be dependent on another similar case due to go before the Supreme Court in 2014.
Speaking before Mr Griffin's comments, Mr Black said: "It feels like a triumph because it has taken two-and-a-half years to get this far so to get the judgment and be vindicated on it is a great feeling."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments