(London) Lutfur Rahman, the first Islamic mayor of the London borough of Tower Hamlets, isn't a happy teddy. After years of accusations of nepotism towards Muslims, his detractors have finally managed to get him in court over allegations he oversaw a "systematic campaign of intimidation" including widespread postal voting fraud at the last election which he won by 3,000 votes. An election which, I should add, saw police officers posted outside voting booths in Tower Hamlets and nowhere else in the UK.
So what are they saying the Mayor of Tower Hamlets is guilty of?
So what are they saying the Mayor of Tower Hamlets is guilty of?
- The mayor, or those acting on his behalf, allegedly instructed party supporters to collect and fill out 250 postal votes at a meeting held in a Bangladeshi restaurant ahead of the election.
- The mayor told voters that it would be "un-Islamic and sinful" to support one of his rivals, and said voting for him would be a "virtuous and Islamic act".
- That a group of 101 religious leaders had signed a letter of support for the mayor which was published in a local Bangladeshi newspaper. Some of the signatories are linked to religious organisations that had received grants of £25,000 from Tower Hamlets council.
- At a polling station, Bengali voters were allegedly told by activists: "Islam is in danger. You must vote for Lutfur otherwise you are not a good Muslim."
- That the Mayor’s Labour rival, John Biggs, was smeared as a “racist” in Bangladeshi-language newspapers within the borough.
- That Tower Hamlets staff were threatened at a meeting to support Mr Rahman’s re-election that they “may lose their jobs at the council” if they did not obtain 100 votes each for him. It was made clear that these votes should be obtained illegally, “including through postal vote fraud”.
