Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time prompts UAF protest in Southampton

Mr Griffin is due to appear on Question Time next week on BBC One.

Now a protest has been arranged for this Saturday in Southampton city centre.

The protest has been organised by the Southampton and Portsmouth branches of United Against Fascists (UAF).

Members are planning to meet outside WestQuay at 1pm before marching to the BBC studios, opposite the Civic Centre, for a further protest.

A UAF spokesman did not know how many people would take part, but said they would ask the public to sign a petition condemning the BBC.

“Griffin will use this opportunity to build up a certain degree of credibility for their organisation and to normalise their racist arguments,” he said.

The Daily Echo understands Hampshire Constabulary have not been informed that the protest is taking place.

Mr Griffin is set to appear on the programme on October 22, alongside justice secretary Jack Straw and black poet Bonnie Greer, at the BBC’s Television Centre in west London.

A BBC spokesman said: “We are obliged in our charter to treat all parties registered with the Electoral Commission, operating within the law, with due impartiality that is reflected in the amount of time we give them.

“We have already interviewed Nick Griffin on other programmes in the past, that is why he is featuring on Question Time.”

The protest comes after the Echo earlier this month revealed that the English Defence League (EDL), an anti-Islamic extremism group, had set up a division in Southampton.

The UAF and the EDL have been involved in several violent clashes this year, most recently in Manchester last weekend when dozens of people were arrested.