Taking the pulse of South West London – news, features and sport 24/7

By Alice Foster and Rob Edwards, at City Hall

FAILED BNP mayoral candidate Carlos Cortiglia claimed the decision to deny his party an equal platform could inspire an Anders Breivik copycat attack in Great Britain.

Ultra-nationalist Breivik bombed the government buildings in Oslo last year, which resulted in eight deaths.

He then carried out a mass shooting at a camp of the Workers' Youth League of the Labour Party on the island of Utøya where he killed 69 people, mostly teenagers.

Cortiglia, who polled just over one percent of votes in the race for mayor, believes his exclusion from television and radio debates was a major cause of the result.

But after gaining 2.8% four years ago it appears Londoners are not convinced the far-right party has modernised.

“We have had no equal platform. I cannot believe you can call democratic an election where only four candidates are allowed to debate,” he said.

“This is political persecution of political parties. I see images of 1973 Chile in Britain.

“If that is democracy, then maybe Stalin could do something better. We see what happened in Norway with Breivik. You want that for Britain? Do you want Breiviks in Britain?

“Do you want to close the door to democracy to the point that people choose violent alternatives?”

OPINION: SWLondoner reporter Alice Foster talks with BNP mayoral candidate Carlos Cortiglia 

Despite Cortiglia’s sense of victimisation, and what could be interpreted as paranoia, the national picture suggests the BNP is spent as an electoral force.

Now lacking a bastion of local support anywhere in the UK, BNP chairman, Nick Griffin MEP tweeted in resignation the party had failed to capitalise on disillusionment with the big three parties.

“Hammered by Labour – same as everywhere. No surprise, no disgrace,” said Griffin.

Arguably this electoral battering could be the death knell for the BNP and its decade long flirt with respectability.