17-04-2025
‘Allah sees everything': Gaza groups tell Muslims who to vote for
Pro-Gaza activists are telling Muslim voters who to back in next month's local elections.
A campaign video which declares that 'Allah sees everything' suggests which county council candidates voters in Wycombe should support based on whether they will back a boycott of Israeli goods if elected on May 1.
The video was condemned by Kemi Badenoch on Wednesday night as 'evil Islamist sectarianism' that had no place in the UK.
The reference to Allah risks raising concerns that voters are being subjected to 'undue spiritual interference', a criminal offence under electoral law.
It comes amid warnings of the spread of sectarian politics after four independent MPs won their seats at the last election by running on a pro-Palestinian ticket.
The video features the logos of the High Wycombe branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and Palestine on the Ballot, a nationwide pressure group. The PSC said it had no knowledge of the video and was not involved in producing it. Palestine on the Ballot was contacted for comment.
Eighty-one Buckinghamshire county council hopefuls are pictured alongside a summary of their views on the controversial BDS (boycott, divestment and sanction) movement against Israel.
Eighteen candidates appear alongside a green tick after telling activists they would 'support and promote divestment from companies involved in human rights violations'.
The names of the remaining 63 candidates appear in red text with a cross next to their names because they either said they were opposed to a boycott or did not give a response.
The previous Tory government had planned to ban allowing public bodies to run their own boycott campaigns but the legislation was ultimately dropped.
At the start of the video, text that appears beside a Palestinian flag reads: 'Think before you vote! It's clear who is supporting genocide and subservient to their masters.
'There are those that are against it, have morals and are not scared to support the oppressed. Don't just vote because they are Muslim.'
At the end of the clip, a second block of text says: 'Think before you vote. Separate the clout seekers from humans who will make a difference.
'Don't sell your soul as Allah sees everything.'
Undue spiritual influence – the use of religion to pressure people into voting in a certain way – is a form of election interference and is illegal under the Elections Act 2022. The offence comes with a maximum prison sentence of two years.
Mrs Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, told The Telegraph: 'Conservatives will never succumb or kowtow to this evil Islamist sectarianism, which destroys lives all around the world.
'It is evil, make no mistake, and it stands against everything we believe in. Every day millions of people flee countries where this sort of politics is practised.
'It does not belong in Britain and threatens our democracy and our way of life.'
Steve Baker, a former minister who was the Tory MP for Wycombe from 2010 until last year, said a rise in sectarian voting was 'profoundly against the interests of Wycombe and the entire UK'.
Mr Baker said: 'As a former minister of state for Northern Ireland, I've seen the legacy of sectarian religious politics – it is not a healthy place to go.
'So if you're amongst those who are promoting it, stop it please. You're not even serving the people of the people of Gaza.
'If you're a local British Muslim, please know that voting on religious lines is not helping that cause, and far from it, it's harming your own position in the United Kingdom.'
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, described the video as further proof that groups are casting their ballots along religious lines.
Mr Farage said: 'This is sectarian politics, as I predicted. Do they realise these are local elections?'
Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party were contacted for comment.
According to the most recent census, Buckinghamshire has a Muslim population of about 7 per cent, slightly higher than the national average of 6 per cent.
Eight of the candidates the video suggests voting for are Liberal Democrats. A further eight are independents, while two more are Conservatives.
Labour was denied a number of seats at last year's election because of the rise of pro-Palestinian independents.
The party has seen a sharp drop in its Muslim vote since the Oct 7 attacks and the subsequent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The Muslim Vote, a campaign group which urges Muslim voters to vote on a pro-Gaza basis, said in a social media clip last month that it is 'playing to win' at all future elections.
In the clip, a spokesman in the group said there will be '100 seats in play' at the next general election.
They said: 'We will organise on every front. We will play the game but from now on we play to win.'
A spokesman for the High Wycombe branch of the PSC said: 'This video was not produced by our branch, and we have no knowledge of who created it.
'It does contain some screenshots of legitimate questions that our High Wycombe branch has asked of all candidates standing in the upcoming local elections, along with their responses.
'We are campaigning for voters from all backgrounds and walks of life to take into consideration when voting their candidates' positions in relation to Israel's systematic violations of international law and the rights of the Palestinian people, and their willingness to take action to ensure the local council is not complicit in those violations through its investments.'
