MARCH 2023 THE VOICE
C
21
News Feature
‘Don’t let the Tories take your vote away’
IVIL RIGHTS leader Rev Al Sharpton urged Britain’s Black community to fight the Conservatives ‘voter suppression’ plan. Speaking to The Voice on a UK visit to launch a new voter registration drive, Rev Sharpton compared the voter ID policy to US-style restrictions making it harder to cast a ballot. Campaigners warn the policy will disenfranchise two million Brits, with a disproportionate impact on Black, Asian and young people.
|
Rev Al Sharpton delivers rallying call to Black Brits over new voter ID policy. By Lester Holloway Rishi Sunak’s government has refused to publicise the new ‘Voter Authority Certificate’ for people without valid photo ID to apply to take part in this May’s local elections. As a result, less than two per cent of people at risk of losing their vote have applied. A lower turnout from sections
CALL: Rev Sharpton at the House of Commons (photo: Patrick Lewis)
of the population who are more likely to vote Labour could help keep Sunak safe from a leadership challenge. Rev Sharpton said: “They’re trying to take away your vote so that you will not have any sayso over your life. They wouldn’t be taking it from you if it wasn’t worth something. “If a thief breaks into your house they’re only going to steal what’s of value; they’re going to look for jewellery, they’re going to look for money. They’re not going to look for your dirty un underwear. “So the only reason they want to take away your vote is bebe cause it means something. So the only question is are you gonna give it to them and surrender? Or are you going to fight to protect what’s valuable to you?
WARNING: The Rev Al Sharpton compared the new voter ID policy to US-style restrictions making it harder to cast a ballot (photo: Ian Diaz) “Why does it matter? If it didn’t matter they wouldn’t be trying to take it from you.” Ministers claim voter ID is needed to “restore faith” in the democratic process. But critics say confidence in the voting system was never an issue in the first place. There were only two convictions for voter impersonation following the 2017 and 2019 general elections. Most election offences are committed by politicians and political parties, with campaign overspending the most common offence. Rev Sharpton made his latest visit to the UK, as a guest of ex-Operation Black Vote director Lord Simon Woolley, to boost
Black voter registration rates and to promote his new biopic, Loudmouth. He said: “We have more power than we realise. What with the numbers of Blacks in the UK, you have enough to sway any election if you maximise your numbers. “It is bad to be treated unequal; it is worse to be treated unequal when you could do more to equalise the situation. By putting pressure on those in power, you could redirect where this is going in terms of public policy, in terms of legislation. “And I think that what Operation Black Vote and others, and in particular The Voice, [need to do is that our power] must be
maximised now, because after Brexit Blacks have been left in an even worse position than it was.” Last month, analysis by The Voice revealed that almost three quarters (74) of the top 100 seats where the Black community live can be swung by the Black vote. Using the latest population census data, we found that one in every four black voters had a Conservative MP who was defending a thin majority. This potential electoral power could be enough to decide who gets the keys to Number 10 at the next general election. Watch the full interview at www.voice-online.co.uk
Entrepreneurs urged to grab a slice of cannabis pie BLACK PEOPLE criminalised by cannabis should be first in line to benefit from legalisation, according to a drug reform expert. assandra Frederique, e ecutive director of Drug Policy Action in the S, spoke on a visit about decriminalisation in the S, which has opened up a multi-billion dollar market. With medicinal cannabis predicted to be worth £1 billion in the UK by 2026 – and much more if legalisation occurs – she said it was crucial Black British entrepreneurs get organised to ensure the com-
munity reaps the benefits, not ust global corporations. s Frederique, a aitian-born frican- merican, addressed s and a community meeting in a bid to spread the US experience of getting a slice of the pie, after states legalised the recreational use of mari uana, and resident oe Biden declared a federal pardon for all convictions. Experts believe legalisation in ritain is only a matter of time, with corporations already preparing to cash in on a lucrative future market, including ex-Prime Minister Theresa
ay s husband, hillip, as a shareholder of GW Pharmaceuticals. Ms Frederique told The Voice it was important to prevent “corporate capture , and that those who were criminalised should get the first licences to sell the drug legally, adding: “If corporations take over we know black people will lose.” “As we build this conversation around cannabis reform in the , conversations about restitution for people who have been criminalised needs to be centred.” Black people were 12 times more likely to be prosecuted for cannabis
possession, according to analysis in 2021. The conviction rate is continuing to rise despite softening public attitudes, and police chiefs are resisting demands for police to cease stopping and searching based on the smell of cannabis alone. inistry of ustice figures show that 41 percent of all arrests for possession in England and Wales were of lack people, who make up ust four per cent of the population Watch the full interview at www.voice-online.co.uk
MEETING: Kassandra Frederique addressed MPs on a UK visit
