The No to AV camp’s bogus claims on extremism suffered another blow today as community leaders and people of different faiths and none united in a show of support for a Yes vote.

Nick Griffin’s party are actively campaigning for a No vote, having sneaked into town halls across Britain on a tiny minority of the vote thanks to the First Past the Post system.

AV would require all candidates to aim for 50% support – shutting the door on extremism. Leading pollster Peter Kellner has described AV as “the most extremist-proof of all electoral systems.”

Simon Woolley from Operation Black Vote agrees. “AV means all MPs will have to reach out beyond a narrow targeted group of voters and represent people who often feel neglected by our present system. The fact that the BNP desperately want a NO vote speaks volumes.”

Yes to Fairer Votes has also been bolstered today by the leaders of Muslim and Hindu groups coming out in support of the campaign. Farooq Murad, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain commented “We believe that politics can be better. AV means that all voters will

have a stronger say in our elections, and that all politicians will have to reach out further – and secure majority support from the communities they seek to represent.

“The BNP are campaigning for a No vote because they know what a YES vote means – that racists who won’t reach out have no future.”

Meanwhile, Brij Mohan Gupta, Chair of the Hindu Culture and Heritage Centre has also come on board. “AV will give more power to ordinary voters to decide the fate of the nation”.

Scientist and prominent atheist Richard Dawkins commented to the Independent newspaper today that “I am at a loss to understand how any reasonable person can defend first past the post. AV should be supported by every democrat.”

This prompted the Bishop of Buckingham Alan Wilson to say “It doesn’t often happen, but I strongly agree with Richard on this one — we may differ on why the cosmos came into being, but it’s good we can agree on how our little corner of it should work democratically.”

The campaign for the UK to adopt the Alternative Vote in May is supported by reasonable people of all faiths and none, and from across the political spectrum. The No campaign can’t choose their supporters, but they can’t escape the fact the BNP are campaigning for a No vote.

Maybe up is down and black is white, but Nick Griffin is still saying No to AV.