First published on Wednesday, February 19th, 2014 at 21:29
Last updated on Wednesday, February 19th, 2014 at 21:49
A candidate standing for election in the coming European Parliament elections has allegedly received death threats after his personal details were printed in a national satirical magazine.
Mike Hookem, who chairs the Yorkshire branch of the anti-EU UK Independence Party, found himself on the pages of Ian Hislop’s Private Eye magazine after it emerged that a printing error had led to an erroneous spelling of the party’s name on business cards he had been circulating. In what the candidate has referred to as a printing error, the word independence had been wrongly as reproduced as independance.
The card was forwarded to Private Eye, who never missing an opportunity to lampoon a politician published the card in its entirety. Mr. Hookem alleges that as a result of the publication he later received two anonymous death threats.
He said, “They printed it in full, including my mobile number, and as a result I’ve had two anonymous death threats made against me
“I have told the police and Special Branch officers have been out to see me and are treating this matter seriously. I am disgusted and angry that Private Eye was irresponsible enough to print all the details and not block out my phone number.
“I have written to them demanding an explanation but of course the harm has been done. Luckily I am not the sort of person to be easily intimidated but nevertheless such threats are upsetting.”
Mr Hookem is intending to stand as candidate for the Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire seat at the European elections in May.
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