BNP leader pelted with eggs

BNP leader Nick Griffin is pelted with eggs after attempting to hold a press conference outside the Houses of Parliament. See more in pictures

Video: Griffin pelted with eggs

BNP leader Nick Griffin was forced to abandon a press conference outside the Houses of Parliament after protesters barracked him, threw eggs and chased him down the street. The demonstrators - chanting anti-Nazi slogans - chased Griffin and his security guards to his nearby car.

Mr Griffin, who was this week elected an MEP for the North West of England, was guided to his vehicle by his bodyguards and quickly drove off.

Mr Griffin arrived for the press conference on College Green in front of Parliament with fellow newly elected BNP MEP Andrew Brons just after 2.30pm. Mr Griffin started by condemning articles from Tuesday's newspapers which criticised him and his party. He had only been speaking for a few minutes when the protesters appeared, chanting and waving banners declaring: "Stop the fascist BNP."

Griffin said the BNP is not racist and claimed that it won votes because it "spoke openly about the problem of immigration".

Eggs were thrown at Mr Griffin and his tough-looking bodyguards bundled him away through the crowd.

The demonstrators kicked and hit his car with their placards before cheering as he drove off.

Protest organiser Weyman Bennett, national secretary of Unite Against Fascism, said: "The majority of people did not vote for the BNP, they did not vote at all. The BNP was able to dupe them into saying that they had an answer to people's problems.

"They presented themselves as a mainstream party. The reality was because the turnout was so low, they actually got elected."