Stoke byelection: Lib Dems alert police over text urging Muslims to vote Labour
Originally published by East Midlands Liberal Democrats
The Lib Dems have alerted the police after messages sent to some Muslim voters in Stoke-on-Trent suggested they could go to hell if they failed to vote Labour to keep out Ukip's Paul Nuttall.
The anonymous message, distributed locally to some in the Muslim community by text and Whatsapp, called for people to vote Labour so as not to help "enemies of Islam".
It said voting for the Lib Dem candidate, Dr Zulfiqar Ali, a Muslim, could help "far-right, anti-Muslim, anti-Islamic Ukip party" take the seat, which is being contested in a byelection triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Tristram Hunt.
It is not known how many people received the message, but the Lib Dems claimed it had been "distributed in large numbers" in support of the Labour candidate, Gareth Snell.
The Lib Dems demanded an apology from Labour on Thursday in a letter to the party's election agent, copying in the police and Stoke returning officer.
Ian Horner, the Lib Dem election agent, wrote: "I am sure that you realise that the religious nature of one of these messages could also be deemed to be covered by the ruling on 'undue spiritual influence' in the matter of a mayoral election for the London borough of Tower Hamlets held on 22 May 2014, when the Labour party were the victims of such tactics."
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