Protests greet BNP broadcast on BBC

The BBC's transmission of a party political broadcast by the British National Party has been met with protests outside the corporation's headquarters.

According to The Daily Telegraph, around 40 demonstrators turned up at BBC Broadcasting House in London to protest against the BNP's promotional film.

The five-minute broadcast, which featured party leader Nick Griffin delivering a message to voters, was transmitted shortly after 7pm on BBC One.

The demonstration, which was supported by trade union Bectu, along with the Muslim Council of Britain and Jewish Council for Racial Equality, saw campaigners waving anti-BNP slogans at the time of broadcast.

However, a BBC spokesman said earlier in the day that the corporation has a duty to "treat political parties contesting the election with due impartiality''.

He added: "Over the course of the election, we will ensure appropriate scrutiny as we would with any party.''

Under BBC plans around its prime ministerial debate on Thursday, Griffin will get a slot on Radio 4's Today programme the following morning to give his reaction to the discussion.