BRIGHTON and Hove Conservatives have been reported to police over campaign material which allegedly incites racial hatred.
The city’s Green Party say they written to Sussex Police alleging a leaflet, which appears to imply travellers are a problem, amounts to inciting racial hatred – an arrestable offence.
The Conservative campaign material is being delivered ahead of by-elections in Hollingdean and Stanmer and Patcham next month.
It states: “Recycling, rough sleeping, traffic management, rubbish collection, vandalism, travellers, budget management: a catalogue of failures of this Green Labour Coalition.”
The leaflet reported to police
The Greens Party said: “While the wording of the leaflet does not clarify the reason for including the reference to travellers, we say that this lack of clarity and the rest of the sentence clearly suggests negative connotation to the existence or presence of travellers in the city.”
The party has written to the Conservatives to say they have been reported to police over the leaflet.
They claim the wording constitutes abusive or insulting material intended to, or likely to, stir up racial hatred under Section III of the 1986 Public Order Act.
The letter adds that all political parties must refrain from using language which is or could be inferred to be racist.
“I do not believe this leaflet meets this standard, and I request that you withdraw it from further distribution and from any online publication," the letter says.
Brighton Police Station
Brighton and Hove City Council last year pledged to be an anti-racist council.
Green councillor Martin Osborne, who is the joint-chairman of the council’s equality committee, said: “We are continuing our pledge to be an anti-racist council and taking action on racism. But this leaflet shows that there is more work to be done to ensure that all political parties in the city are on board.
“We remain firm in our commitment to stamping out racism and we are disappointed to see the Conservatives display such overt racial hatred.”
The Conservatives have been contacted for comment.
Sussex Police have been contacted for comment.
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