The Metropolis

Labour candidate blasts election organisers over "Islamophobic" BNP leaflet

Mike Pollitt | Friday 27 April, 2012 14:18

Murad Qureshi, a Labour party London Assembly Member standing for reelection, has criticised election organisers for allowing the BNP to distribute a leaflet which he calls “islamophobic”.

The leaflet, the text of which is also carried on the London Elects website here and which can be viewed online here, includes mini-manifestos for the Mayoral candidates. That of the BNP’s Carlos Cortiglia contains the following quote from one Reverend Robert West:

“I’m backing the British National Party because they support our traditional Christian faith. We need strong leadership to protect our national identity from the threat of Islam.”

Qureshi wrote on his blog:

“This is clearly islamophobic in its intent. In my letter I have asked London Elects to explain how it saw fit to sanction such islamophobic comments. It is simply not good enough for them to tell us it’s not its role to make value judgements about the contents of the booklet from all the various political parties. Such remarks fall foul of Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as it denotes that all persons of the islamic faith pose a threat to the wider population.”

He then tweeted:

Tweet

A spokesperson for London Elects provided a stout defence:

“The Greater London Returning Officer has to ensure that each candidate’s entry complies with election law and doesn’t break any other laws. The only responsible way for us to do this is to seek legal advice. That legal advice was that all entries complied with the law…The Election Addresses Order has specific rules for the material which the mini manifestos may contain. It is designed to govern political messages some of which by their nature may be distasteful to some readers. It is not intended to suppress offensive political views.”

So, who is right?

The quote is offensive.

But London Elects are absolutely right to stand their ground. Do we want election organisers censoring leaflets, even potentially offensive leaflets? Surely not unless the material is illegal, and London Elects are adamant that this is not.

Everyone who reads the leaflet will know what the BNP stand for. Better that than they campaign in code.

Qureshi, who will have done himself no harm with his electoral base in this dispute, finishes his blogpost in exactly the right way:

“We have to make sure that enough people vote across all the political parties to ensure the BNP do not make the 5 per cent threshold needed to get one of their Assembly Member [sic] which [would] only serve to peddle further their islamophobic views.”

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