Tuesday 16th Nov 1999
Richard Prebble
Media Release -- Other

Clark Must Apologise - ACT

ACT Leader Hon Richard Prebble, responding to David Jacobs’ extraordinary offensive and misleading statement said today “ I am shocked by the intemperate personal abuse in Labour’s Epsom candidate David Jacobs’ attack on Rodney Hide, myself and the ACT party.

“It is deeply offensive to accuse anyone of fascism and his suggestion that a political party is promoting racism and fascism that our fathers fought against in World War Two is outrageous.

“Even a cursory amount of research would indicate that Rodney Hide is a staunch opponent of racism, he has impeccable liberal credentials and is a strong supporter of the rule of law.

“ Mr Jacobs in his remarks about me, appears to suggest that I and my party might be anti Semitic. This is offensive and ludicrous.

“I am a founding member of the New Zealand Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Association which was established in the 1980’s. I was guest speaker at the New Zealand Zionist Association AGM this year.

“The ACT party is staunchly opposed to any form of racism and is the only party that has made a stand for one law for all.

“I have written to Helen Clark who of course knows that this attack is slanderous, asking her publicly repudiate her candidates statements.

“ACT has been subject to a number of personal attacks from Labour which I have ignored up until now, but this one is the politics of the gutter.

“The only correct statement in Mr Jacob’s Press release is that Rodney Hide is Number one in Epsom,” said ACT Leader Hon Richard Prebble.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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