BNP play banned amid fears it will 'inflame local tensions'

Moonfleece, a critically acclaimed play from Philip Ridley, the provocative playwright, has been banned by council chiefs from showing in the West Midlands town.

Producers were reportedly told by council officials that following “lengthy discussions” they had decided to ban the play amid fears it would offend parts of the local community.

The decision to prevent it from showing at the Mill Theatre in the city’s Dormston Centre on Thursday was attacked as hypocritical and an affront to free speech.

Critics also claimed the play, which explores the rise of the far-right party, would appease right-wing and BNP sympathisers.

According to the show’s website it has already been shown in some of the country’s most racially sensitive areas including London, Leicester, Birmingham, Doncaster and Bradford.

Producers say they deliberately chose those areas, which are considered strong BNP areas, to "start a conversation about the far right”.

The play, which has won rave reviews from critics, is set in an abandoned council flat, in East London with the main character, Curtis, haunted by the disappearance of his brother, Jason.

Boasting a multi-cultural cast it centres on a young, right-wing activist forced to reassess his personal and political beliefs as the brutality of the new-look BNP is exposed. It explores the rise of right-wing nationalism and homophobia.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/bnp/7520824/BNP-play-banned-amid-fears-it-will-inflame-local-tensions.html