Vote No To The BNP

A BNP thug who ran for council has been given a year’s community service for assaulting two female pacifist campaigners.

David Clarke, who got 518 votes when he stood in Heathfield for this year’s local elections, was sentenced on four counts of assaulting anti-racism campaigners.

Clarke, of Dunley Drive, New Addington, pushed and shoved Lorna Nelson-Homian, James Cox, Nigel Green and Silvia Beckett in two separate attacks last May outside East Croydon train station.

Croydon Magistrates’ Court handed the 41-year-old a 12-month community order last week and ordered him to pay costs of £650.

Clarke denied attacking the Hope Not Hate campaigners but was found guilty on April 30.

Giving evidence in relation to the first incident on May 27, campaigner Nigel Green said: “I saw him [Clarke] walking towards me.

“He was walking right towards me and I could see there would be problems. I decided to stop and put the leaflets behind my back.

“But he gestured for me to give him a leaflet and he basically snatched them out of my hand. They were thrown down on the street and that was quite a shock to me.

“Then he sort of pushed me and grabbed my arm and twirled me around. I was very shaken because I had done nothing to provoke him.”

Prosecutor Daniel Irving told the court how after the first assault Clarke left, only to return to repeatedly shove Ms Beckett to get to Mr Green.

The court heard Clarke almost knocked the woman off her feet.

Mr Irving told the court that when Clarke spotted other Hope Not Hate campaigners two days later he screamed at them: “F****** scumbags, filth on our streets, taking all our jobs.”

Then Clarke again snatched leaflets, threw them on the floor and shoved Ms Nelson-Homian and Mr Cox.