A gay couple who were allegedly targeted on Twitter by British National Party leader Nick Griffin after winning a landmark equality ruling said today that they were shocked by his comments.
Police are now watching the home of Michael Black and John Morgan in Brampton, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, after the MEP allegedly published their address on the social networking site and called for a demonstration to be held outside.
The alleged tweets, under the username nickgriffinmep, followed Mr Black and his 59-year-old partner’s win against the owner of bed and breakfast accommodation who refused to let them stay in a double room because of her religious views.
One of the complained tweets read: “So Messrs Black & Morgan, at (their address). A British Justice team will come up to Huntington & give you a...
“...bit of drama by way of reminding you that an English couple’s home is their castle. Say No to heterophobia!”
Today, the couple hit back with Mr Black (64), an exams consultant and writer, calling the politician an “idiot”.
He told BBC Breakfast: “I think Nick Griffin has got very little support in the country.
“Certainly the public response to the incident, when it happened two and a half years ago, and again in the last 24 hours, has been overwhelmingly in support of our stand against discrimination so hopefully that will mean the vast majority of the people in the country will just see what an idiot Nick Griffin is and reject his views.”
Cambridgeshire Police said last night that they were investigating the incident and Dyfed-Powys Police, who cover the area where Mr Griffin lives, said they were liaising with the force.
Twitter users trying to access the account were subsequently told it had been suspended.
The Cambridgeshire Police spokeswoman said: “We have received a number of calls in relations to the tweets and are looking into the complaints we have received.
“Officers will also visit the men mentioned in the tweets as part of our inquiries.” One of the tweets included a home address, she confirmed.
The case at Reading County Court concluded the couple had suffered unlawful discrimination.
At the time, Mr Black, an exams consultant and writer, protested at their treatment but the owner refused to allow them to stay as it was “against her convictions”.
Mrs Wilkinson, a married mother-of-four, considered that providing a double bed to the couple, who are not in a civil partnership, would involve her in promoting what she believed to be a sin, namely sexual relations outside heterosexual marriage, the court heard.
Recorder Claire Moulder found that Mr Black and Mr Morgan, a computer consultant, had been the victims of direct discrimination.