Protests as Oxford hosts BNP leader   Press Association 
Monday November 26, 2007 10:03 AM     Oxford University is set to be invaded by protesters on Monday night as controversial historian David Irving and BNP leader Nick Griffin arrive for a debate.
  The Oxford Union is under mounting pressure to withdraw its invitation to the two controversial figures for a freedom of speech event at its debating society.
  Hundreds of anti-fascism and minority rights campaigners were planning to gather outside the debating chamber to jeer the arrival of Mr Irving, who was jailed for Holocaust denial, and Mr Griffin, who has been convicted of race offences.
  The decision to invite the pair, made after a vote among members of the debating society, has already outraged equalities watchdog chief Trevor Phillips and prompted a senior Tory MP to resign his life membership of the Union.
  Shadow defence minister Julian Lewis said the students should be "ashamed" of themselves.
  In a letter to the Union's officers and standing committee, Dr Lewis, MP for New Forest East, said he was resigning his life membership "with great sadness".
  In his resignation letter, he said: "Nothing which happens in tonight's debate can possibly offset the boost you are giving to a couple of scoundrels who can put up with anything except being ignored."
  The presence of the pair on the list of speakers prompted a series of high profile withdrawals from the platform, including Defence Secretary Des Browne.
  Martin McCluskey, president of the Oxford Student Union, said it was "disgraceful" the pair were being given the same platform as past speakers who include Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama.
  A female Asian student was racially abused and threatened with violence on Friday while protesting about the debate, he said. "I think that this incident demonstrates the very real threat to students and others from black and minority ethnic backgrounds," he added.
  Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2007, All Rights Reserved.

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