
BNP leader Nick Griffin today risked accusations of hijacking the war in Afghanistan as he attended the repatriation of six British soldiers killed in the conflict.
Mr Griffin stood with a minder on the streets of Wootton Bassett, as the families and friends of the six fallen men were joined by veterans and members of the public to watch their final journey.
The move by the far-right leader, who wore a black coat and a poppy on his lapel, is certain to enrage figures across the political spectrum.
Other party leaders have deliberately shied away from attending the repatriations to avoid accusations they are trying to make political capital out of the deaths of British troops.
Mr Griffin has already been accused of hijacking Winston Churchill and World War II by using the leader's words and images from the conflict as he campaigns for his party.
Today, on the BNP website, Churchill's picture and the quote 'We will defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall never surrender' was in prime position as part of its pre-election campaign.
Mr Griffin's appearance in Wootton Bassett today comes weeks after his invitation to be on the BBC's Question Time show sparked a huge furore.
He insisted he was only there because he wanted to show his respect at what was the second largest repatriation which by coincidence has fallen a day before Remembrance Day.
'It's fitting that as many people as possible come here today. It's an absolutely tremendous and very moving display,' he said.
He said the crowd had been 'friendly' and that his presence was 'low key'. He refused to give his view on the Afghan war, insisting: 'This is not the time or the place for political statements. It's for remembrance. I have strong views on Afghanistan but I'm not prepared to discuss them here.'
Retired warrant officer Martyn Matthews, standing nearby, defended Mr Griffin's right to be there but said he hoped it would make him think about the results of extremism.
'We live in a democracy and everyone has a right to their own views. If people are going to give their lives for that freedom, Mr Griffin has as much right to his views as anyone else does. Although I do not stand by his views, I would encourage him to be here to see the impact extremism can have,' he said.
Enlarge Crowds look on as the six hearses pass through the Wiltshire town
The scene in Wootton Bassett has become a sombre ritual as Britain's fallen heroes return from the front line and pass through the town after flying into RAF Lyneham nearby.
Even as the number of repatriations nears the grim milestone of 100, the welcome they receive there remains undimmed with huge crowds turning out each time.
Today is the 98th such procession. Some watching have been at every single one.
This afternoon, they were filled with fresh horror and shock at how men in their prime have been killed as they battle to protect this country.
Of the six dead soldiers to be flown home today, five were gunned down by an Afghan policeman they had been training for two weeks in a mission key to the ultimate success of this grisly war.
They were so sure of their own safety that once back at the military compound, they removed their helmets and body armour and indulged in a restorative cup of tea.
It was there that Warrant Officer Darren Chant, 40, Sergeant Matthew Telford, 37, Guardsman Jimmy Major, 18, Corporal Steven Boote, 22, and Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, 24, lost their lives.
Their killer, who was named as Gulbuddin after the attack, has still not been caught and the Taliban have claimed he is back 'safe in their hands'.
The sixth hearse bore the body of father-of-two Serjeant Phillip Scott, 30, who died a couple of days later in Sangin, felled by a Taliban roadside bomb. His brother is in the same Battalion.
The bodies were flown home as the latest soldier to be killed in the war was named as Rifleman Samuel Bassett. He was also killed by a bomb in Sangin on Sunday.
The 20-year-old, from Plymouth, who was in 4th Battalion The Rifles, only finished his training in May and had been in Afghanistan just a month.
In his last phone call to his family, he had said he was 'having the time of his life'.
His mother Coline said: 'Samuel was a real character, always the joker. He will be so, so missed and loved forever - our proud little soldier.'
His commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson said: 'The loss of a Rifleman brimming with so much joie de vivre and potential is a painful blow to the Battle Group.'
All six coffins draped with the Union Jack were flown back to RAF Lyneham this morning, where they were met by the soldiers' heartbroken families.
After a private ceremony, the cavalcade of hearses started their steady procession to Wootton Bassett where it has become tradition for residents to line the streets as a mark of respect.
Despite drizzling rain, the families and friends of the fallen soldiers had stood for hours with veterans and other members of the public from this morning as they prepared to welcome them home.
By the time the procession began, the crowds were at least ten deep. Guardsman Major's family and friends wore RIP Jimmy T-shirts in his honour while veterans held their standards aloft.
Many mourners had laid flowers at the war memorial, where they joined poppy wreaths put there on Remembrance Sunday this weekend.
Silence fell as the cortege pulled into the High Street, broken only by the tolling of church bells. Standard bearers lowered their flags as the coffins passed by.
Tearful relatives wept and stepped forward to lay flowers and wreaths on the vehicles as they edged down the street.
It is the town's 98th repatriation and yet support is still strong.
Anne Bevis from its Royal British Legion branch said: 'Each repatriation is different, and it does not get any easier. They have all done their job and paid the ultimate price so a few moments of our time is nothing in comparison.
'When we first started doing this it was a personal tribute but now we do it to represent the whole nation, but it is no less real to us.'
She spoke for the nation when she described the murders of the five soldiers by an Afghan policeman as particularly shocking.
'Roadside bombs and being shot can be expected in wartime, but training someone and working alongside them for them to turn on you is shocking. It must be terrible for their colleagues to have to carry on, but they go on because they have to,' she said.
Brian Freeth, 72, who served in Suez in the 50s, added: 'It hits you more today because there are so many coming back. What happened to those five lads was sheer murder.'
British troops should come home, he said: 'It was not our fight to begin with. Bush, Brown and Blair all have blood on their hands. There is no need for this loss of life and we should not be there.
'I think what happened to those five soldiers puts more pressure on the Government to withdraw. I would say 70 per cent of the people here today want out lads back home and want it finished with.'
Steve Blundell, from the Riders Branch of the Royal British Legion, rode in on his motorcycle for what is his 38th repatriation ceremony. He has now seen 87 dead soldiers pass by in the town.
'The fact I could see 100 within a year of doing this is horrific. I wish there was some way our guys could defend themselves better against the way they're being killed,' he said.
Sergeant Neil Skett, from the Royal Military Police, was there to pay tribute to his comrade Corporal Bootle.
'Boote was an excellent bloke. He always had a smile. He loved doing the job he was doing. He had an attitude of "Let's get on with it" and was the first to volunteer no matter what the conditions or the hardship. He was a very good friend,' he said.
Serjeant Michael Gibbons was replaced in Afghanistan by Serjeant Scott - who he knew as Scotty - when he came home recently and came along to represent the regiment.
'It has been a very hard week. The last memory I have of Scotty is his laughter - it was infectious, he was an amazing guy,' he said.
His comrades on the frontline had asked him to attend to 'deliver a message and our symbol which means to lead from the front which was what Scotty was doing when he was taken from us', he said.
'It is important to be here for the boys out there. They asked me to come here to bring Scotty home. I have never been Wootton Bassett before. You see and read about it but to be here brings tears to my eyes, it's an amazing place.'
Rifleman Samuel John Bassett
Rifleman Samuel John Bassett was killed by a roadside bomb on Sunday
Ahead of the sombre ritual, a stern Gordon Brown paid tribute to the men and all who lose their lives in service of their country.
Wearing a black tie and a poppy on his lapel, the Prime Minister appeared deeply affected by the row in the past two days over his letter of condolence to the mother of dead soldier Jamie Janes.
Today, he said: 'Again today, the fallen will return home in solemn ceremony and again I pay tribute to them and to the friends and families who will honour their return.
'Each life lost is an irreplaceable loss from a family. It reminds us of the stark human cost of armed conflict in the service of our society.
'So my thoughts and prayers today, as every day, are with those now struggling with the loss of loved ones and with all those whose loved ones are still on active service overseas.'
He admitted he felt constant pressure to justify the war in Afghanistan but insisted it was right that terrorism be tacked there rather than resorting to a type of 'Fortress Britain' approach.
Warrant Officer Chant, from Walthamstow, east London, was the top non-commissioned officer in 1st Battalion, the Grenadier Guards.
The 40-year-old, whose wife is six months pregnant with his son, was about to be told he was being commissioned as an officer when he was killed.
Guardsman Major, from Grimsby, was due to turn 19 this Thursday. His family had sent him a birthday cake and presents but he never go to open them.
This year has been the bloodiest for British troops since the Falklands war and 232 soldiers have now died in Afghanistan since the war began.
Daily Mail