By Martin Banks - 9th July 2009
This is a form of apartheid
Nick Griffin
The British National Party's two MEPs claim they have been banned from a Brussels pub popular with eurocrats.
Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons say they and their two bodyguards were told they were "not welcome" at Fabian O'Farrell's in Place Luxembourg, overlooking parliament.
Griffin told this website the "ban" amounted to "a form of apartheid" and that he was considering taking the matter further.
However, the bar's co-owner Jeremy Payne denied they had been barred, although he admitted that publicans in the area had held discussions on how they should respond if the BNP pair sought to use their establishments.
The incident happened on Tuesday when the deputies entered the pub and asked to order food and drinks.
Griffin said the bar staff said that 18 people had walked out of the pub when they recently visited it and that there had been complaints about him drinking there.
"They said we were not welcome, that they did not want us there and asked us to leave which we did. They also said they owned Fat Boys across the square and that we should not enter there either."
"On one level, this is all very petty but, another level, it is serious. I was told that this place (parliament) is run on consensus but banning us from a pub is not a very good start, is it?
"This is a form of apartheid, discrimination on the grounds of political belief and reflects the totalitarian mindset of some people here. It is quite unacceptable. This has never happened to me before and nor has it happened to my colleagues in what I might call the 'group of devils.'
"It needs to be challenged otherwise it could set a dangerous and unfair precedent.
"I intend to raise the matter with my legal advisers to see if we can take it further."
Payne, a Briton, said, "I am not aware of them being banned. I can only imagine it would probably a member of staff who told them that.
"I do not mind admitting that there have been discussions between the publicans in the area about what to do if the BNP MEPs come into our bars but as far as I am concerned they can drink here as long as they abide by the same rules as everyone else."
Meanwhile, Griffin has come under fire after suggesting in a BBC interview that the EU should sink boats carrying illegal immigrants to prevent them entering Europe.
The deputy said the EU had to get "very tough" with migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.