PROTESTERS VIGIL OUTSIDE PRISON WHERE UK ANTI-BMD CANDIDATE HELD
OUTRAGED AT REFUSAL OF PRISON AUTHORITIES TO ALLOW HER TO GO TO THE SEDGEFIELD VOTE COUNT
7th June 2001

A small group of supporters will be holding a vigil outside the Askham Grange Women's Prison, Askham Richard,  near York today from 1-3.30 pm to protest Jack Straw's refusal to allow parliamentary candidate Helen John to go to the vote count in Sedgefield, even with a police escort.

After Helen John, a retired midwife, announced her candidacy, she was given such an unusually long jail sentence for damage to the fence at Menwith Hill (a combined Star Wars/Echelon base in North Yorkshire) that she is now unexpectedly detained on election day. It is her democratic right under the Representation of the People Act to attend and examine any votes that may be in dispute, as she is her own election agent.  The Rt. Hon. Tony Benn has intervened on Ms John's behalf, telling Tony Blair and Jack Straw that she had constitutional right to be represented at the poll, and that he would support this right for any candidate from any party.

Another ten women will be attending the count in Sedgefield tonight dressed in green, white and violet sashes, but they will not have the legal right to make representations to the Returning Officer about any questionable ballots.  The sashes are symbolic of the suffragettes, who obtained the vote for women in 1918 after a long campaign of civil disobedience that involved several arduous prison sentences. Green, White and Violet were their colours and symbolised Give Women the Vote. One campaigner, Cat Euler, said, "It is apparent that Mr Blair does not want Helen John in the same room with him on election night.  She might say something embarrassing about ballistic
missile defence, which is really on offensive system. Mr Blair, after all, has gone to great lengths to avoid having information about the Star Wars plans getting out to anyone at all, much less to his own constituents." She added, "It is outrageous that a woman standing as parliamentary candidate should be silenced in this way.  If the Government thought democracy was important the prison service could arrange for a police escort immediately."

Mr Straw's private secretary, Stephen Harrison, told Mr Benn on Tuesday that Mr Straw upheld the decision of the governor of Askham Grange not to "release her on temporary license" from the open prison where Helen and another peace activist, Anne Lee, are being held. However, Frances Taylor, Ms John's solicitor, said a temporary license was not being asked for; rather, an escort to the count had been requested.  Ms Taylor said she would continue to make representations to both the Prison Service and the Home Office until the last possible minute before the count commences.  In addition, Ms John's barrister, Claire Wade, has said she may attempt a last-minute judicial review of the situation.

Ms. John is standing as an Independent in the Prime Minister's constituency, Sedgefield, on a No Star Wars platform. Her election address to the 38,000 constituents may be read in full at http://www.gn.apc.org/cndyorks/mhs/wpc/helenjohn.htm

Further information can be obtained from:
Cat Euler, 01943-468593

From 10 pm onwards comments will only be available from Ms John's campaign team at the Sedgefield Vote Count, Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre.