Mr Griffin joined protesters outside Burnley Police Station the day after the leaked list exposed teachers, prison officers and police officers as members of the party, along with 74 residents in the Burnley area.

He was in town to support four men arrested in connection with an investigation into the distribution of alleged racially inflammatory leaflets, but faced a barrage of questions from the media relating to the list.

Speaking outside Burnley Police Station, he said: "There is no reason for people to be worried. We will stand by our people and help any who face any problems because of this.

"The list, as far as we are aware, is genuine although there are seven new names that have been added to this leaked list that were not on the original. We feel this is part of a co-ordinated campaign to try to break the BNP before next year's European Parliament elections and is very sinister. We had a small group of senior members who did not like us making the party more mainstream and we know they are responsible for the leak."

Mr Griffin said the list had been initially leaked earlier in the year but had only been brought to the public's attention now.

People with jobs in sensitive fields are worried their jobs could now be under threat but Mr Griffin said: "It would be dangerous to go down the road that someone cannot perform their job because they are a BNP member. It's like saying a Labour member cannot teach a wealthy child or a Muslim teacher cannot teacher a Christian child. They should not be persecuted for their political beliefs."

Formed in 1982, the BNP has 57 councillors nationwide, with four in Burnley.

Coun. Sharon Wilkinson, leader of Burnley BNP, said: "Fortunately I do believe it has now been moved from the Internet. It is dangerous as there are certain people that will use it for malicious ends. It shows what an oppressed state we live in when you could possibly lose your job or not be accepted for a job because of your political affiliation. It is a ridiculous situation.

"We are not dangerous people. The people who are dangerous are the ones that will use the information published and harass the people whose names appear on the list."

BNP demonstrators protested all day outside the police station waving banners and flags in support of the four men arrested.

The four men include a 41-year-old from Burnley, a 43-year-old from Blackburn, a 53-year-old from Preston and a 57-year-old from Nelson who were all arrested on Wednesday morning on suspicion of the publication and distribution of written material intended to stir up racial hatred and the possession of racially inflammatory material. They have been released on bail.