Union offers help to BNP ballerina

Published Wednesday 17 January 2007 at 17:20 by Alistair Smith

Equity has offered its assistance to the ballerina at the centre of protests about her membership of the British National Party.

Simone Clarke, an English National Ballet principal and Equity deputy who was revealed as being a BNP member in December, was greeted by placards outside her final performance of Giselle this month, with members of the anti-racist Unite Against Fascism group calling for the company to sack her and some protesters reported to have shouted out at Clarke mid-performance inside the London Coliseum.

This week, Equity has come out in support of the performer’s right to work. According to the union’s rule 3B (p) it “acknowledge[s] the right of individual members to hold and express their personal political and other beliefs both in their private and professional capacities”.

Equity spokesman Martin Brown added: “If ENB were to treat her unfairly, that is something we would expect to represent her for. The law forbids someone from being sacked for their legal political beliefs.

“We would protect her right to work and we would expect her to be treated as fairly as any other employee. We have offered help. We’ve said, if you need help, here we are.”

Brown stressed that, due to its rules, the union could take no view on her political beliefs and added that she had always been regarded as a good deputy, representing Equity within ENB and helping to deal with any problems faced by performers there. He added that she had in the past worked on behalf of dancers of non-British origin and had done so in a “fair and even-handed way”. Clarke’s partner and fellow dancer is, in fact, a Cuban of Chinese descent.

Performer and one-time Equity vice-president Dave Eager supported the union’s stance. He warned: “Where would it stop? People have a right to earn a living. If you don’t like them, don’t go to the theatre.”

Fellow entertainment union Bectu, which represents backstage and technical staff, however, claimed that Clarke had brought the industry into disrepute by talking about her political beliefs in an interview with the Mail on Sunday.

Assistant general secretary Gerry Morrissey said: “Our position is that whatever personal views she has, she is free to have those. However, she should not be using her position to make her BNP party political views known. We don’t want her bringing the industry into disrepute.”

Responding to last Friday’s protests, an ENB spokesperson commented: “ENB fully supports the democratic right of people to mount a legal protest. However it is not within the company’s mandate to express any political view, and any personal view expressed by one of our employees should not be considered as endorsed by the company.

“The company does not comment on any political affiliations of its employees or any other aspects of their personal lives. We are proud of the company’s ethnic and cultural diversity. ENB has a diverse mix of employees from a broad range of sectors in our society, and dancers from more than 19 different countries around the world.”