Richard Barnbrook

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Cllr. Richard Barnbrook AM
Richard Barnbrook
Member of the London Assembly
for the British National Party (London-wide)
Incumbent
Assumed office 
1 May 2008
Born February 24, 1961 (1961-02-24) (age 47)
Catford, London
Nationality English
Political party British National Party

Richard John Barnbrook (born 24 February 1961 in Catford, London)[1] is a British politician representing the British National Party (BNP) in the London Assembly and is head of the BNP group on Barking and Dagenham Council.

Contents

[edit] Background

Barnbrook attended the Royal Academy of Arts and finished his studies in 1985. He worked as an artist and teacher.[1][2] His art projects included directing and appearing in the film HMS Discovery: A Love Story,[2] which received substantial media coverage as a result of its scenes of male nudity and homoerotic themes, which was described as "gay pornography".[2][3][4][5][6] but which Barnbrook insists was nothing more than an art film and certainly not homoerotic.[7][8]

[edit] Politics

Barnbrook was the BNP's candidate for the London mayoral election, 2008, receiving 69 710 first preference votes (2.84% of the total valid first preference votes cast) and 128 609 second preference votes (5.23% of the total valid second preference votes cast).

In the separate London-wide Assembly election he was the top candidate in the BNP's London-wide Assembly Member List. The BNP List received 130 714 votes or 5.33% of the total valid votes cast. The BNP therefore passed the 5% threshold and won one seat in the London Assembly which was filled by Barnbrook.[9][10]

In a BBC interview during his campaign, he said "You may have your religion behind your closed doors but you don't bring it onto the streets. You can be gay behind closed doors, you can be heterosexual behind closed doors, but you don't bring it onto the streets, demanding more rights for it"[2].

[edit] Personal life

Barnbrook is fiancé of retired ballerina Simone Clarke.[11]. In statements made before he met Clarke, however, Barnbrook was quoted as saying, apropos her relationship with Yat-Sen Chang, "I'm not opposed to mixed marriages but their children are washing out the identity of this country's indigenous people." Simone Clarke fellow dancer Yat-Sen Chang have a daughter, Olivia. He has since said that should he and the ballerina wed, "her child will be my child."[12] Barnbrook married an American in 1998, but they separated in 2004 ago due to personal differences and as of 2008 are going through divorce proceedings[13].

Barnbrook has been criticised for wearing what have been described as "stormtrooper" brown suits, which are claimed to be similar to those worn by Adolf Hitler.[13]

[edit] General elections

Date of election Constituency Party Votes  %
2005 Barking BNP 4,916 16.9

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Richard Barnbrook - BNP Mayoral Candidate (2008)
  2. ^ a b c d BBC Profile: Richard Barnbrook
  3. ^ Daily Telegraph: 'BNP Councillor Denies Working on Gay Porn Film'
  4. ^ The Guardian: 'Gay porn' movie raises ripples on the far right
  5. ^ BBC: BNP man rejects porn film claim
  6. ^ The Independent: BNP's council leader made film labelled as 'Marxist gay cinema'
  7. ^ As he battles to become London's mayor, the bizarre truth about the BNP boss, his ballerina fiance and bitter wife | Mail Online
  8. ^ BBC NEWS | Politics | BNP man rejects porn film claim
  9. ^ 'The anti-immigration British National Party has won a seat on the London Assembly after getting 5.3% of votes'
  10. ^ 'Johnson snatches Tories biggest prize'
  11. ^ Matthew Taylor "BNP ballerina to marry party councillor", The Guardian, Dec 20, 2007
  12. ^ 'BNP ballerina' to wed fellow far-right activist. The Guardian.
  13. ^ a b "As he battles to become London's mayor, the bizarre truth about the BNP boss, his ballerina fiance and bitter wife", The Daily Mail, Apr 29, 08

[edit] External links

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