Nick Griffin has told a jury at Preston Crown Court that he was racially abused by an Asian man who shouted “white bastards” at him and his group from a passing car.

The BNP leader was giving evidence at the trial of Tauriq Khalid, 23, who is said to have made gestures with his hand as if threatening to shoot him.

The incident occurred last November when Mr Griffin joined supporters outside Burnley police station in a protest against the arrest of four sympathisers for distributing leaflets linking Muslim gangs to the heroin trade. Ian Metcalfe, opening for the prosecution, said that on that afternoon there had been signs of both support and dissent from the public.

He said that Mr Khalid was spotted several times driving past the demonstration in his silver Vauxhall Astra. On the second occasion he shouted out of his window “white bastards”. He then went farther “by words or hand gestures to threaten Mr Griffin that he was going to shoot him or have him shot”.

Mr Griffin’s party took the threat so seriously that the MEP for the North West retreated to his car for half an hour. One of his party noted the registration number of Mr Khalid’s car and contacted the police.

Mr Khalid, of Burnley, denies using racially abusive threatening behaviour against Mr Griffin.

Mr Griffin, 50, recalled being abused twice that afternoon, once by the driver of a private hire cab and then by the driver of the silver Astra.

He said: “He stopped the car and shouted out of the window what I thought was ‘white bastard’. I saw him again when he came back.” Demonstrating the gesture, Mr Griffin said: “The second time I saw him, he leaned out of the car and pointed at me and made a gun and gang gesture. I took it to be in the manner of a handgun.”

Mr Griffin then said that he heard the defendant shout: “I’m going to . . .”, but did not hear the rest of the sentence.

“I took it as ‘kill you’ or ‘shoot you’,” he said. “I discussed it with my security men and decided it would be best to make myself scarce.” In his interviews Mr Khalid denied the allegation but accepted that he could have shouted “Nick Griffin, you f****** w*****, get out of Burnley” and made a V-sign.

Under cross-examination, Mr Griffin denied that he had misheard what Mr Khalid said. Mark Stewart, for the defence, said: “The defendant accepts it is him and he is not proud of his behaviour but he says he drove past and flashed a V sign at you.”

Mr Griffin said: “I am quite used to people making gestures at me. It does not bother me, but there is a difference between that and making a gun gesture. It is a direct threat.”

The trial continues.

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