Press Association
Saturday 4th July 2009
Police are investigating after a car was set on fire near the house of a man whose details were published on a leaked BNP membership list.
Firefighters and police officers were called to the blaze on Eighth Avenue, in Windy Bank, Liversedge, West Yorkshire, at 10.40pm on Thursday.
The targeted car was parked outside a house next door to the man whose name was published on the list but who is not a member of the BNP.
Speaking at the scene, David Exley, Kirklees organiser for the BNP, said: "I spoke to the police this morning and they confirmed that a car had been firebombed last night and one of the lines of inquiry is the person who lives next door to whose car it was is on the list on the internet.
"I can confirm that the gentleman, whose house the car was outside, is not a member of the BNP and is not a current supporter of the BNP."
Mr Exley said that, while the man's name was included on the list, the BNP had no members on Eighth Avenue.
"That list covers everybody who has ever contacted our head office for whatever reason," he said.
"It could be this man got an information pack, looked at it, decided it's not for him and thrown it away.
"But unfortunately somebody has irresponsibly put this list on the internet."
The only BNP councillor on the local council, Roger Roberts, who lives a couple of miles from where the incident happened, said he believed the fire was not connected to the publication of the list.
