Nicholas John Griffin, commonly known as Nick Griffin (born 28 March 1959 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England), is a British far-right politician and activist. He rose to prominence as the leader of the British National Party (BNP) from 1999 to 2014, during which time he transformed the party into a more electorally viable force within the far-right spectrum, promoting white nationalist, anti-immigration, and anti-Islam views, as well as opposition to multiculturalism. Griffin's early involvement in far-right politics began in the 1970s with the National Front, where he edited the party's journal and promoted Holocaust denial. In 1998, he was convicted of inciting racial hatred for comments made in a pamphlet, receiving a suspended prison sentence and a fine. Under his leadership, the BNP achieved modest electoral success, including Griffin being elected as a Member of the European Parliament for North West England in 2009, though the party later declined amid internal divisions and legal challenges over its whites-only membership policy, which was ruled discriminatory by a British court in 2009. Griffin's tenure with the BNP was marked by numerous controversies, including allegations of financial mismanagement and authoritarian control within the party. After being ousted in 2014, he continued to engage in far-right activities, founding the short-lived British Voice party and aligning with other nationalist groups across Europe. He has been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories, including climate change denial and anti-Semitic rhetoric, and has faced legal challenges and bans from various platforms for hate speech. In 2014, Griffin was fined for contempt of court after tweeting about a jury's deliberations in a high-profile trial. Despite his diminished influence, Griffin remains active in far-right circles and international far-right networks, attending events and commenting on global nationalist movements. Personally, Griffin comes from a middle-class family with a history of Conservative politics; his father was a local councillor. He studied law at Downing College, Cambridge, but left without a degree after two years. Married to Jackie Griffin since 1985, they have four children, and the family has resided in various locations, including Wales in later years. Griffin's ideological evolution included a brief period of environmental activism in the 1980s before fully embracing racial nationalism.