A VICAR today urged people to shun a Christmas shoe- box charity in aid of underprivileged children.

The Rev Vernon Marshall, Unitarian minister at the Old Chapel, in Dukinfield and New Chapel, in Denton, has accused Operation Christmas Child (OCC) of "poisoning" the children it claims to be trying to help.

Every year, as part of the appeal, youngsters from across the country cram shoeboxes full of gifts ready to be shipped to war-torn and poverty stricken countries in Eastern Europe - many of Muslim origin.

But Mr Marshall has condemned the appeal and its associations with the Samaritan's Purse, which, he claims, is a right-wing movement whose leader, the Rev Franklin Graham is son of the American evangelist Billy Graham.

His comments come just days after the Rev Dr Giles Fraser, vicar of Putney and a lecturer in philosophy at Wadham College, Oxford, and the National Secular Society, criticised OCC.

Implications

Mr Marshall said: "Millions of shoeboxes full of gifts are collected, but are then inserted with poisonous literature and leaflets thrusting an intolerant and racist form of Christianity on these poor Muslim people.

"This is not a normal form of Christmas charitable giving and anyone who usually helps this appeal should think carefully about the implications."

But Bob Evans, Tameside co-ordinator for OCC, said: "We're not a fundamentalist organisation and I am insulted by the claims that our annual appeal is racist.

"To say that we include `poisonous' literature in the boxes in nonsense. Whispering campaigns like this help nobody, least of all the underprivileged children."

David Vardy, executive director of Samaritan's Purse International UK, added: "The most recent criticisms are particularly disappointing as they imply that donors who carefully prepare individual gift boxes are uncaring. Nothing could be further from the truth."