British Jewish activists, decrying the far-right British National Party as anti-Semitic and racist, are urging former Londoners living in Israel to vote in the upcoming mayoral and council elections in an attempt to foil the BNP's bid to secure seats.
A joint campaign against the BNP's bid for electoral success is being mounted by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the umbrella group representing U.K. Jewry, the Searchlight anti-racism and anti-fascism organization and the UJS.
"It is important that olim [immigrants to Israel] vote, because any vote is one to keep the BNP out. It doesn't matter who you vote for, so long as it isn't for the BNP, and that will help keep the BNP out of the London assembly," said Jenni Woolf, National campaigns fieldworker for the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), speaking to Haaretz yesterday.
"The BNP is a racist organization through and through. They are deeply anti-Semitic and people shouldn't be fooled by their more professionalized, moderate image. It is just an image. It is easy to see through their literature," Woolf said in a phone conversation from her London office.
Public funding
The BNP is fielding candidates both for the London mayoral and the Greater London Assembly elections, to be held May 1. Woolf added, "If the BNP gets elected, it will receive public funding - which will be a huge problem for London in general as much as for the Jewish community."
The Union of Jewish Students fieldworker also stressed that potential voters resident in Israel should register before the cut-off date tomorrow.
Haaretz
April 15, 2008
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3 comments:
If they live in occupied palestine - why should they have a vote in the london elections??
For the same reason that ex-pats in Spain and elsewhere are allowed to vote. Or are you just asking because they're Jews?
I read somewhere that many ex-pats in Spain were getting involved in local Spanish politics even as candidates. Does anyone know if they can vote both in Spain and the U.K and how would an ex-pats vote count i.e. does their last registered address have to be in London to vote in the Mayoral elections?
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