For the past few weeks, Wellington Central candidate Stephen Franks has been complaining about people vandalising his signs. But it seems he's been engaging in a little vandalism himself:
National Party candidate Stephen Franks’ campaign team has been systematically tearing down political posters put up by his opponents – despite Franks recently describing people defacing his election hoardings as “political thugs who don’t like free speech or opinions different from their own”.This isn't just a few overenthusiastic activists; Vote With Both Eyes Open apparently spoke to Franks and he "confirmed that his crew had been removing posters". In other words, the only person caught organising and authorising a systematic campaign of vandalism to suppress electoral speech is... Stephen Franks! I guess that makes him a hypocrite as well as a bigot.The group Both Eyes Open – which has been distributing posters, banners and stickers around the country reminding the public of the National Party’s record – discovered that its posters were being removed every night throughout central Wellington. “Our members went out last night and this morning and discovered it was Stephen Franks’ campaign people tearing them down,” spokesperson Fergus Wheeler said. Photos of these people match photos of the campaign people who have been out holding banners and leafletting with Stephen Franks around the city.
