Police Alert to ANL Polling Day Threat

An organiser with the shadowy group, ANL, faces a possible prison sentence if she incites her supporters to picket polling stations in Burnley on May 2nd.

Charlotte Smith told a joint campaign meeting of the Liberal Democrats and the Socialist Alliance,
"We will probably be talking to people outside polling stations on election day and have a presence outside the town hall for the count."

If Ms Smith and ANL go ahead with this threat it would be a blantant breach of the Representation of the People's Act Section 17.2.2 which states,

"Examples of corrupt practices are:
* undue influence - using force, violence or restraint, or the threat thereof, to induce or compel someone to vote or refrain from voting, or preventing the free exercise of the franchise by "abduction, duress or any fraudulent device or contrivance".

The election agent for Burnley BNP, Simon Bennett, met with the police and election department officials yesterday to discuss Ms Smith's remarks as well as reporting the matter to the Electoral Commission.

"Make no mistake this would be a serious abuse of election law and would land Charlotte and her chums in very hot water. For people not involved in the election process, to threaten to picket polling stations to influence voters, is running a coach and horses through the Representation of the People's Act."

Also discusssed at both meetings was the distribution of a glossy A4 four page leaflet issued by an organisation called "Searchlight". Again this is interference in an election in Burnley by people who are not standing themselves but trying to influence voters.

Burnley Police have expressed concerned that this organisation, which is based in London and with no connection with Burnley, is bussing in people from outside of Burnley to intervene in the local electoral process.

Simon Bennett is confident that the authorities will do their utmost to ensure that the elections in Burnley are carried out in a fair manner and free from intimidation.

"The election laws have been considerably tightened up in the last twelve months and I have a feeling that there is a commitment within Burnley Police to ensure that the letter of the law is upheld during the run-up to May 2nd."






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