Neighbours of the British singer-songwriter and political activist Billy Bragg have received hate mail calling on them to force him out their village because of his socialist beliefs.
Up to 30 anonymous letters have been sent to the residents of Burton Bradstock in Dorset accusing Bragg of being a hypocrite for enjoying a wealthy lifestyle while espousing socialist views.
Bragg believes the letters are the work of a disgruntled BNP supporter and has urged his neighbours to bin them. Simon Holdcroft, who runs the village post office, received one of the typed letters. "It was quite bizarre and was a racist rant at Billy Bragg," he said.
Bragg said he believed a BNP supporter was behind the letters. "It is clear from the content that this anonymous letter has been written by a disgruntled supporter of the British National party," he said. "I have campaigned against the Tories in West Dorset for the past 10 years, but they have never stooped so low as to randomly circulate hate mail in the hope of undermining my credibility. This pathetic attempt at intimidation reminds voters that the BNP are not like any other political party – their methods betray them.