Nick Griffin: I didn't mean any offence to Bournemouth Uni

12:58pm Wednesday 30th January 2013 in News

Nick Griffin: I didn't mean any offence to Bournemouth Uni Nick Griffin: I didn't mean any offence to Bournemouth Uni

CONTROVERSIAL politician Nick Griffin has said he didn't mean to cause offence after rowing with a Bournemouth University student on Twitter.

The leader of the British National Party called Bournemouth University a “disappointment” on the social networking site.

Nick Griffin became embroiled in a spat with radio student Lucy Bennett, who tweeted him first to say: “I hope your day has been crappy so far.”

He replied that his day had been fantastic, adding: “Sorry to disappoint you”, and the student said: “That's alright, life is full of disappointment”.

Griffin then said: “Um, Bournemouth Uni has been your biggest to date I fear.”

However, the MEP, who has more than 19,000 followers on the social networking site, said he hadn't meant to cause any offence with his tweet.

 

@thisislucyb Um , Bournemouth Uni been your biggest to dateI fear .

— Nick Griffin MEP (@nickgriffinmep) January 28, 2013

When asked if he had any comment, he replied: “Only that no one should take Twitter too seriously.

“I have got a very large Twitter reach - I'm easily the third most popular British MEP out of 72, 73 [people]. I have got a large number of followers because I've got a bit of cheek and cause some fun and controversy.

"I find it attracts people and gets them to retweet. I certainly have nothing against Bournemouth or Bournemouth University.

"This incident was caused by a particularly foul-mouthed, aggressive and unnecessary tweet to me, and I poked her back.

!With respect, possibly Bournemouth University was not at the top of her list [of universities]. But it was only a bit of fun, and as I say, I have nothing against the university.”

The student told friends on the site that she hadn't expected Griffin to reply, and tweeted: “I seem to have ignited some kind of Twitter war with Nick Griffin.

“I am confused.”

Griffin said he often doesn't have time to look at comments on the website.

“I don't look at comments all the time,” he said. “If I'm travelling, or in a particularly boring meeting in Parliament, which happens quite frequently, I'll have a look. It's a luxury for me. It's all a bit of banter. A lot of the time, people will tweet comments and I don't ever see them.”

A Bournemouth University spokesperson said: “We are aware of the tweet and have nothing to add.”

Comments(23)

Melanie.Read12 says...
1:30pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Nick Griffin may be the face of a party many (including myself) find abhorrent, but what was the student hoping to achieve by that tweet? Try to engage him in a political debate by all means, if you wish to comment on his beliefs, but childish comments are not going to do anything other than make you look slightly foolish.
As for him, his comments were only made to get himself noticed. He probably couldn't think of a more intelligent riposte.

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rozmister says...
2:00pm Wed 30 Jan 13

I think it's quite easy to be judgemental of the educational establishments other people attend when you went to independent schools and then, inevitably, ended up at Cambridge. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth to indicate that their birth right is the best education money can buy. But I guess Nick Griffin wouldn't know that...shame his parents spent all that money on educating him only for him to turn out as a massively racist bigot.

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casualtyofchocolate says...
3:28pm Wed 30 Jan 13

I don't often agree with Nick Griffin but this student needs to learn that if you throw the first punch, you can't just go running to Mummy when someone hits back. She should grow up and get a life.

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Markmag says...
3:50pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Did you read the same story? Can't see anywhere where she went "running to Mummy"???

Not a fan or anything to do with the university, but she's a radio student, something Bournemouth University has long been established as one of the best, if not the best, establishments for in the country for (even when it was still Wally poly). It would certainly be at the top of anyone's list looking for a career in radio.

Who would have thought Nick Griffin would commentate on something he was ignorant about? :)

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Markmag says...
3:51pm Wed 30 Jan 13

ranger_bob wrote:
So you pick a fight with someone and when they best you go running to the local newspaper. Nice life lesson.
Umm, the student hasn't run to the Echo - the Echo don't even have a direct quote from her?

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B.F.G says...
3:58pm Wed 30 Jan 13

I think the Ohec has mixed up the library pictures of Nick Griffin and Marty Feldman?

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Phixer says...
4:01pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Markmag wrote:
ranger_bob wrote:
So you pick a fight with someone and when they best you go running to the local newspaper. Nice life lesson.
Umm, the student hasn't run to the Echo - the Echo don't even have a direct quote from her?
So who reported this to the Echo then?

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scrumpyjack says...
4:04pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Melanie.Read12 wrote:
Nick Griffin may be the face of a party many (including myself) find abhorrent, but what was the student hoping to achieve by that tweet? Try to engage him in a political debate by all means, if you wish to comment on his beliefs, but childish comments are not going to do anything other than make you look slightly foolish.
As for him, his comments were only made to get himself noticed. He probably couldn't think of a more intelligent riposte.
I thought it was an excellent reposte so get off your self superior high horse eh love?

2 sides and you've had a go at both of them with nothing more than a judgemental "they clearly are not as super as me".

What you trying to do? Get noticed perchance? Oh the irony.

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Melanie.Read12 says...
5:23pm Wed 30 Jan 13

scrumpyjack wrote:
Melanie.Read12 wrote:
Nick Griffin may be the face of a party many (including myself) find abhorrent, but what was the student hoping to achieve by that tweet? Try to engage him in a political debate by all means, if you wish to comment on his beliefs, but childish comments are not going to do anything other than make you look slightly foolish.
As for him, his comments were only made to get himself noticed. He probably couldn't think of a more intelligent riposte.
I thought it was an excellent reposte so get off your self superior high horse eh love?

2 sides and you've had a go at both of them with nothing more than a judgemental "they clearly are not as super as me".

What you trying to do? Get noticed perchance? Oh the irony.
I never said anything of the sort. I was just commenting that this was just a silly twitter spat, and nothing more.
What other people do is up to them, and I am allowed to have an opinion on it - as are you.
My comment doesn't mean I am on my high horse, feeling superior over anyone, or even having a go at anyone.
If my comment made you think that I was doing any of these things, then I'm sorry that's your misinterpretation - and not an intention of mine at all.

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millie56 says...
5:46pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Didn't mean any offence, don't normally look at comments, except when travelling to a boring meeting which happens frequently! We the Tax Payers pay for your little Jollys'. As for the student needing to grow up, think it's the pot calling the kettle black! Foul mouthed and aggressive tweet, , 19,000 followers, why pick on this lady, Nick even said don't take Twitter to seriously, well Nick I think you have!

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millie56 says...
6:41pm Wed 30 Jan 13

manyogie wrote:
Typical of these days,'I can say what I like, but if anyone responds, look at poor me, the victim
Lucy, wake up, apologise, and move on.
I don't think the lady has a need to apologise she has done nothing wrong, the whole thing has been taken out of all proportion, but a nice bit of free advertising for someone!!!

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katewritesstuff says...
6:47pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Oh God, MY SIDES.

Moral high horses are ace. Twitter is twitter. People say stuff and don't expect responses. I go to Bournemouth and it's arguably one of the best places in the country for media-ey things. If Griffin doesn't know that then more fool him. Whilst wishing someone a crappy day isn't really the polite social norm; but when racism, sexism and Joey Barton all exist on the internet I really don't think this qualifies as news warrants such a heightened response.

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s-pb2 says...
10:13pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Nick Griffin and ignorance. Not the first time

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Baywolf says...
10:32pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Well what do you expect from a Wally Polly student..

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Rednax says...
12:52pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Hardly a 'twitter war' is it?

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GAHmusic says...
5:15pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Media-ey things Kate? :-) I looked up their prospectus for next year but couldn't find that course, lol

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uvox44 says...
5:35pm Thu 31 Jan 13

nick griffins now trying to portray himself as a light-hearted prankster- whatever next?! Fortunately most people know what he really is....

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cherrylightning says...
6:34pm Thu 31 Jan 13

This is not news. I am an occasional Twitter user myself and I have seen much, much worse being thrown about. The person was obviously having a laugh and it just shows how petty NG is in having taken the bait, especially considering the barrage of anti-BNP messages he must get daily.

The real question is why such people in roles of authority in the country are spending their time picking on young students?

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Androo says...
9:11pm Thu 31 Jan 13

@thisislucyb ?.

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roguetrader666 says...
10:45pm Thu 31 Jan 13

How sad have you got to be to spend your day 'tweeting'? Empty lives or what? In the country as a whole there must be an army of unemployed lefty students trawling these twitter sites ready to feel outraged and complain about comments on our behalf!

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katewritesstuff says...
12:24am Fri 1 Feb 13

GAHmusic wrote:
Media-ey things Kate? :-) I looked up their prospectus for next year but couldn't find that course, lol
AH WHAT? Must have been a printing error. ;)

Just in case anyone does read that and thinks I'm an idiot (I'm aware of the grammatical errors as well, the pitfalls of writing quickly on a phone. tsk.) There are so many different courses that serve as media access points at BU, it'd be unfair to leave one of them out. I simply created my own umbrella term for them all. Who says students of today lack initiative? Haha!

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katewritesstuff says...
12:25am Fri 1 Feb 13

roguetrader666 wrote:
How sad have you got to be to spend your day 'tweeting'? Empty lives or what? In the country as a whole there must be an army of unemployed lefty students trawling these twitter sites ready to feel outraged and complain about comments on our behalf!
AS IF I spend my whole day tweeting. I also use tumblr, facebook, myspace, google+ and on special occasions I go outside to take a photo to put on instagram. Some people are so ill informed. *rolls eyes*

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goatty says...
8:16am Fri 1 Feb 13

Nick was only replying to a stupid comment made by a left wing Uni student who had obviously nothing to do between the next party and a night out in the Bournemouth pubs.
Nick Griffin, the man people love to slag off in public but behind close doors secretly agree with him!

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