HOW can the people who attended the community conference meeting held at Turf Moor, Burnley, on July 5, in an attempt to promote a healing process on the matter of race hatred, possibly congratulate it on its success when the chairman council leader Stuart Caddy, rejected the application by members of the British National Party to take part in the discussions?

Interestingly, the Bishop of Burnley has also displayed his pleasure in "the very strong response from all sections of the community to go forward." However, all sections of the community have not been represented.

Both the democratically-elected Stuart Caddy and the Bishop of Burnley should remember the fact that 4,150 people in Burnley voted for the British National Party. Why was the voice of these people typically ignored?

We are all familiar with the views of politicians -- which is why so many people fail to vote at all, together with the fact that when they do vote, as in this case, their voice is ignored. Is Stuart Caddy so insensitive and full of his own importance that he cannot comprehend the seething resentment and irreparable damage he has caused by allowing the voice of more than 4,000 voters to be disregarded?

The British have fought for freedom and democracy, therefore any political party must be entitled to forward their views in an unbiased manner, including the BNP and thus enable people to form their own conclusions.

Regarding the Anti-Nazi league that seems to be pushing itself forward. These people should remember that one of the main objectives of the original Nazi party was to suppress views and burn literature, a dogmatism that they themselves appear to be wholeheartedly embracing.

To censor the voice of the BNP serves to make a mockery of the word democracy in Britain and, if this is the case, the men and women who fought and died in two world wars did so in vain.

M HARTLEY, Burnley (Full address received).