Griffin raises assassination fears

BNP leader Nick Griffin has admitted his greatest worry over his appearance on BBC1's Question Time tonight is that he could be assassinated.

The British National party chairman is due to arrive at BBC Television Centre in west London this evening to film tonight's episode.

Unite Against Fascism says it expects 2,000 demonstrators to picket the BBC headquarters for the entire day.

It has emerged that the BNP chartered a helicopter to drop Mr Griffin off outside the recording studio before the BBC said there was no space for it to land.

And in an interview with the Times, Mr Griffin his greatest worry of tonight's filming, due to take place between 17:00 BST and 18:30 BST was 'that I might get shot on the way in'.

In a provocative interview with the newspaper the BNP chairman said the storm over his appearance on Question Time had led to a record number of telephone donations being made, while 77,000 people visited the party's website on Tuesday.

Thanking the political class and its allies for 'being so stupid,' Mr Griffin said: 'The huge furore that the political class has created around it clearly gives us a whole new level of public recognition.'

In a reference to the BBC, Mr Griffin added: 'Thank you, Auntie.'