Nigel Farage faces calls to axe a number of election candidates – including one who appeared to claim Hitler would have been a “legend” if he had targeted Muslims.
Unearthed social media posts revealed another suggested using a nuclear bomb to wipe out Islam, while others shared far-right conspiracy theories. Labour last night called on the party to tackle “racist, Islamophobic and extreme” views or give voters the impression it endorses them.
Mr Farage has said that his party had ramped up vetting following a string of embarrassments at the general election. But researchers from anti-racism group Hope Not Hate say they discovered an array of vile views.
They found Doncaster candidate Mark Broadhurst had posted a meme of Hitler earlier this year saying “for f*** sake If I had chosen Muslims I would have been a f***ing legend”. And Steven Biggs, from County Durham, posted on social media: “Islam has no place on this earth. One big nuke bomb needed!”
In a letter to Reform chairman Zia Yusuf, Labour chair Ellie Reeves wrote: “This isn’t a few bad apples, it’s an orchard.” She pointed to candidates sharing articles by far-right group Patriotic Alternative, support for Tommy Robinson and claiming Muslims are “trying to outbreed us”.
Ms Reeves warned that failure to sanction the candidates would make it seem like Reform endorses the extreme views. Ms Reeves wrote: “You and Farage claim to have professionalised your party, however, these candidate have all passed your supposedly professional vetting process.
“Unless you condone your candidates’ extreme views then any reasonable person will conclude that this is either not the case or such opinions will find a warm welcome in Farage’s Reform party.”
In the letter she highlighted alarming cases allegedly uncovered by Hope Not Hate. these included Doncaster candidate Steve Plater reposting articles by far-fight group Patriotic Alliance six times on his Facebook page.
Hope Not Hate found Reform’s Gerald Squire and Howard Rimmer in Doncaster, and Martin Smith in Lincolnshire had posted support for Tommy Robinson
And Guy Aston, Reform UK candidate for Wheatley Hills and Intake in Doncaster, reportedly posted about the “Kalergi Plan”. This is a conspiracy theory that claims that white people are victims of a genocidal plot.
Paul Cutts in Doncaster posted Islamophobic conspiracy theories that Muslims are trying to “out Breed us, And take Over [sic]”. Meanwhile they say candidates Trevor Bigwood in Lincolnshire shared an article claiming Muslims are “supplanting the native population”, and Clive Taylor-Sholl described Islam as an “invasion” that “must be stopped”.
It comes after Mr Farage said last month: “I allow different opinions in my party. What I don’t allow are people who I think are filled with hate”. Ms Reeves asked how that statement squares with the candidates standing to represent Reform next week’s local elections.
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