THE internet provided an immediate platform for people to give their verdict on Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time.
THE internet provided an immediate platform for people to give their verdict on Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time.
Thousands of viewers flooded websites to post comments about the BNP's controversial comments, with the vast majority attacking his opinions.
Social networking site Twitter was swamped both during and after the show as users reacted quickly to the TV exchanges between the audience and panellists.
They slammed Mr Griffin for describing the sight of homosexual men kissing in public as "creepy" and offered a plethora of derogatory adjectives of their own.
Another said she enjoyed seeing Mr Griffin being "wonderfully lynched" while others commented he appeared to be "trembling" and "shaky".
Fellow panel member Bonnie Greer was singled out for praise for her performance and in particular her approach to Mr Griffin.
Before the show protesters laid siege to the BBC's Television Centre in a fruitless bid to halt the filming, resulting in six arrests and injuries to three police officers.
Anti-fascist demonstrators managed to burst through security into the White City building's reception while more than 500 waved placards outside.
Police were forced to divert traffic as the demonstrators crowded outside chanting "Shame on you".
Some threw police officers' helmets and wooden poles used to hold placards at the four-deep cordon of officers.
BNP leader Griffin got in through side entrance despite the crowd's bid to block his entry.
Metropolitan Police arrested five people for public order offences, violent disorder, ABH and assault on a police officer. One person was arrested for being wanted on a warrant.
Three police officers received minor injuries, including one who received a head wound, but none of them required hospital treatment.
The protest broke up shortly after Mr Griffin and the other panellists left the building when filming finished.
BBC staff were reported to have been told not to leave the building during while demonstrations continued outside.
Mark Byford, deputy director general, said: "The programme was recorded without disruption. Members of the audience asked the kind of tough questions that mark Question Time out as the premier television programme where the public put the panellists on the spot.
"We remain firmly of the view that it was appropriate to invite Nick Griffin onto the Question Time panel this evening in the context of the BBC meeting its obligation of due impartiality."
Senior BBC broadcaster Jeremy Bowen said as he left the building last night: "I think it's fine that people are protesting. It's a legitimate protest. People are making clear their views.
"I think we live in a free society and there's free speech and while it's obviously highly controversial, I personally think it's the right decision to have him on."
Labour MP for Ealing Southall Virendra Sharma who joined the protest said: "It's important that we show our opposition to a party that is deliberately trying to divide our communities."
Lukas Keudic, 20, a student at King's College London, was one of those who managed to elude security to storm the BBC reception.
He said: "We were in the main reception next to Piers Morgan when about 30 police officers turned up. There were about 10 to 20 of us and we were just standing there chanting in a peaceful protest.
"We spoke to the police and they started grabbing us. They grabbed one person and we started chanting 'Ian Tomlinson' and then they put us into a corner."
Kady Pait, 19, a French student from Leeds, also made it into the building.
He said: "It was just a peaceful protest and then the police started dragging us off. It was a peaceful protest from us and then the police dragged us to the floor."
