RALPH MUSGRAVE (HAS, June 7) is amused by my suggestion that people should be free to “raise their genuine and valid worries” about immigration without being accused of racism.

Mr Musgrave is also free to raise his concerns about immigration, just as I am free to express my view that the concerns of the BNP (Mr Musgrave’s party) are neither genuine nor valid.

The BNP is concerned about preserving the racial purity of the “indigenous” white race.

It therefore tries to sabotage integration and incite suspicion and hostility towards ethnic and religious minorities.

The BNP doctrine of “racial separatism” derives directly from Nazi ideology.

The Compact Oxford Dictionary defines racism as “discrimination against or antagonism towards other races”.

Mr Musgrave’s absurd argument is that this is not racism unless it is accompanied by a belief in the superiority of one’s own race.

The BNP’s aim is to exclude non-white immigrants, and to encourage non-white residents (whether British-born or not) to leave the country.

Contrary to Mr Musgrave’s suggestion, not wanting black or Asian people in his country is quite different from not wanting daffodils in his garden.

Pete Winstanley, Durham.