THE Hereford Times editorial “Send message to Westminster” urging people to turn out and vote in the European elections today (Thursday) is to be welcomed.

Staying away from the polls solves nothing and could have a very negative result. A low turnout could benefit the extremist British National Party, a party whose lead candidate for this region attended a neo-fascist rally in Milan in which fascist salutes were given.

The BNP is evidently hoping to gain its first MEPs and, with that, an injection of hundreds of thousands of pounds of funding to boost its organisation and its campaign based on racial hatred.

It is said that evil triumphs when good men and women do nothing. There are 12 parties and interest groups on the ballot paper, so voters really do have a choice. I will be voting Green.

ANNE ADAMS, Luston, Leominster