Nick Griffin Got Kicked Off Twitter

Everyone's favourite fascist troll (of the creepy, disgusting variety, not the marginally more acceptable internet kind), Nick Griffin, was suspended from Twitter and put under police investigation last night for being an even worse human being than usual. The leader of the far-right British National Party posted the address of a gay couple, Michael Black and John Morgan, who'd succesfully sued the Christian owner of a B&B in Berkshire after she refused to let them stay on the grounds that they were gay.

Once the result of the court case was announced, Griffin waded into the dispute and posted what you see below:

Griffin, who, unbelievably, is an elected member of European parliament, started by asking for the couple's address. He then suggested that the BNP would hold a demo outside Michael and John's home in support of homeowners to rent to whoever they wish – gays included. I wonder, then, whether Griffin would support Michael and John if they opened up their own B&B and refused to let straight, Christian couples stay? After all, according to Griffin, it would be perfectly within their rights.

Griffin went on to post the couple's address, claiming a "British Justice team" would go to their home and "give them a bit of drama". Besides being an incredibly poorly veiled threat, it was even more poorly conceived, as it turns out Griffin breached the Communications Act 2003 by making online threats, meaning he could potentially face a prison sentence if the law is properly applied.

As if that idiocy wasn't enough, Griffin then labelled Michael and John as "heterophobic", implying that the couple chose to sue Susanne Wilkinson not because of the blatant homophobic discrimination they recieved, but because they're fearful of straight people. Yeah, Nick – that makes a lot of sense considering they were apparently quite comfortable to stay the night at a B&B run by a straight, Christian woman, regardless of how bigoted she was.

Griffin's Twitter tirade didn't go unnoticed and his name quickly began to trend in the UK as people vented their fury. Many said they'd report Griffin to the police and, sure enough, the Guardian reported that Cambridgshire police were looking into the complaints. If someone can be arrested for wearing a t-shirt or being racist on Twitter, surely someone who posted the address of a couple and threatened them with violence will be treated in the same way. If not, any semblance of credibility left in the British judicial system is going straight to the dogs.

It turns out that police weren't the only ones looking into the posts, as Griffin's Twitter account was suspended later that evening, preventing him from humiliating himself further and ruining everyone's fun.

His account was reactivated this morning and he released a statement, telling Sky: "I was very angry in the way in which left-wing political activists and a minority of gay activists are working with left-wing judges to use the Human Rights Act to persecute ordinary people, especially Christians."

Unrepentant and deluded as ever, Griffin went on to claim that posting the couple's address and calling for a demo at their home "could not be described as menacing". I'm well aware that the act of politicans speaking is synonymous with bullshit, but this is laughable.

Ever resourceful, Twitter users managed to highlight another time where Griffin posted an address on the internet; his own. For a man who hires personal bodyguards when he makes public appearances, getting photographed with an envelope with your address on it is pretty fucking short sighted. But I suppose he's never presented himself as anything other than an idiot, so at least he's staying true to form.

As BNP numbers dwindle and the party is forced to ally itself with fringe far-right groups like the National Front and the North West Infidels, the last thing it needed was its leader to sabotage any remaining credibility it had. Since its inception, the BNP has faced venemous opposition both on the streets and in the media, but with these actions, Griffin has arguably damaged the group worse than any demonstration or bad press ever could.

Follow Henry on Twitter: @henry_langston 

More from the embarrassment of British politics:

Babes of the BNP

Another Great BNP Deal!

Burgers of the BNP