BNP Leader Nick Griffin Makes Visit To Syria

The leader of the British National Party has made a surprise trip to Syria after being invited on a fact-finding mission by President Bashar al Assad.

Nick Griffin's visit to Damascus came as twin suicide bombers targeted a police station in the capital, killing at least 14 people.

Writing on Twitter, he said he wanted to highlight the risk that British support for opponents of Mr Assad could plunge the country into "an Iraq-style hell of sectarian hate".

The far-right politician also linked the kind of Islamist militancy espoused by some of the rebels with the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich last month.

Mr Griffin posted a series of comments on the microblog site as he crossed into Syria from neighbouring Lebanon.

"Crossed border into Syria yesterday," he wrote. "Now in Damascus, which is busy, a modern, bustling city. Security rather like Belfast in Troubles.

"Fact finding mission. Cameron & Hague plan to send UK money & weapons to rebels dominated by Islamist jihadis like killers of Lee Rigby.

"Occasional explosions in distance but life in capital normal. Traffic busy, shops full of goods. Families out in sun. Why turn stable secular state into Iraq-style hell of sectarian hate?

"More madness from the people who dragged us to costly war in Iraq & Afghan(istan)."

He later added: "Just visited site of rebel suicide bomb this a.m. Smelt like abattoir. Vile. Hague wants you taxes to arm these terrorists!"

Mr Griffin, who is an MEP for North West England, was invited to Damascus as part of a delegation of European politicians.

BNP spokesman Simon Darby stressed that he was not being paid by the Syrian regime and did not want his presence in the country to be seen as an endorsement of Mr Assad.

"What he wants is to let people have a proper view of what is going on in Syria, because at the moment all we have is William Hague and his infantile war-mongering," said Mr Darby.

"He wants to ascertain just how many British citizens are fighting out there for the so-called Free Syrian Army and other elements opposed to Assad.

"He is representing the point of view of ordinary British people who don't want any engagement in the Middle East and its troubles, any more than they wanted to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"He is MEP for the North West and he is sick and tired of seeing lads from Manchester and Liverpool coming back in body bags or with arms and legs missing because the Government got them involved in business that isn't any concern of ours."

As the delegation visited Damascus, the Syrian army was reported to be launching multiple attacks on rebel positions in the northern province of Aleppo.

Syria's civil war has now lasted 26 months and is said to have claimed more than 90,000 lives.

An EU arms embargo on arming opposition forces fighting Mr Assad ended on June 1 after ministers failed to agree an extension.

However, Foreign Secretary William Hague has insisted there are no immediate plans for Britain to send weapons to the rebels.