A statement from Farage on the English Democrats:
Some weeks ago I received a message from the South East Chairman of the English Democrats, Steven Uncles. He requested a meeting with me to discuss electoral cooperation.
At the time I was dubious and delayed answering. However, with their acceptance of Richard Barnbrook, originally elected to the GLA for the BNP, I am adamant that at no point now or in the future must the UK Independence Party be linked with the English Democrats.
With this move, the party have put themselves beyond the pale. As a non racist, non sectarian party UKIP at all levels must have nothing to do with them.
We urge all English Democrats who feel as we do about this to join UKIP now.
End of quote.
What utter hypocrisy! This is the man who happily sits with fascists, racists, holocaust deniers and anti-Semites in his EFD group! Or did Farage think that no one would notice?
Any member of the English Democrats who is tempted to join UKIP should think again. Both Nikki Sinclaire and Mike Nattrass left the EFD due to the overt racism and homophobia of certain colleagues.
Here are some of the people that Farage and his fellow UKIP MEPs are MORE THAN HAPPY to sit with in the EFD:
Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS)
Controversial Greek politician and leader of LAOS, Georgios Karatzaferis, was a member and vice-president of the Ind Dem group, forerunner of the EFD, in the European Parliament (2004-2007). He appears to retain not only party, but also personal links to his former colleagues. In May 2010, a delegation of EFD members and staff visited Athens, where they met with Karatzaferis and others. (24)
In 2000, Karatzaferis claimed that the Protocols of Zion were being put into effect and that "the Pope and the Jews are conspiring against Greece". (25)
Also in 2000, "The New World Order means that we are a puppet at the hands of the Jews... The Global government has taken place in Europe. The common currency too! They are dancing it to their tune. Do you know what kind of money the Jews are profiteering with these ups and downs? We are being led to the fulfillment of targets set 200 years ago." (ibid)
In 2001, the rhetoric became more menacing: "The Jews have no right to provoke, because they have filled the world with crimes". "The Jews have no legitimacy to speak in Greece and provoke the political world. Their impudence is crass". He also challenged the Israeli ambassador to come and debate "the Holocaust, the Auschwitz and Dachau myth". Karatzaferis finished by asking "Mister Jew ambassador" to "be a bit careful" and warning "the Jews" that if Greek Jews continue their "insolent behaviour" (as in their response to Karatzaferis's earlier claims that "the Jews" were responsible for 9/11) they were "not going to have a pleasant time." (26) The US State Department, in its Annual Report on Religious Freedoms in 2005, singled out LAOS, and its leader (and then MEP) Giorgos Karatzaferis, for promoting “radical nationalism, anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia”.
LAOS has two representatives in the EFD group, Niki Tzaveli (vice-chair of the group), and Nikolaos Salavrakos, a former legal adviser to LAOS. In fact, for the purposes of representation in the European Parliament, the party is styled Laikos Orthodoxos Synagermos - G. Karatzaferis.
Adonis Georgiadis, a LAOS Member of the Greek Parliament, has attracted criticism for his literary activities. A writer and publisher, he has been accused of promoting a book, Jews: the whole truth, by Konstantinos Plevris, himself a former LAOS member, which describes Jews as "subhuman" (p.582). Plevris is critical of the Nazi regime for "not ridding Europe of Jewish Zionism", and states that Jews should be "rounded-up and executed within 24 hours" (p.742). Plevris, who describes himself in his book as a "Nazi" (p.600) also claims that former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is a "descendant of cannibals".
24. http://www.efdgroup.eu/news/92-the-eurozone-crisis-efd-study-trip-to-greece-.html
25.http://archive.enet.gr/online/online_fpage_text/dt=20.10.2002,id=76848240,84927984,19454128,98978672,11563824 26. http://www.iospress.gr/mikro2001/mikro20010929.htm
Mario Borghezio
Borghezio has multiple convictions for racially motivated violence, including an attack on a 12 year old child in 1991. In April 2000, during a regional election campaign, Lega Nord members chanted Borghezio's controversial "Prayer of the Gypsy", with its reference to the gassing of "nomads". He has also been filmed more recently explaining to a group of young fascists the need to infiltrate "mainstream" political organisations.
Borghezio has been linked with the neo-Nazi terrorist group "New Order". However, in a recent interview with Italian journalist Claudio Sabelli Fioretti, Borghezio admitted to his involvement with the Belgian Nazi Jean Thiriart, the founder of Young Europe, a group that espoused a united Europe "from Vladivostok to Dublin", organised in accordance with National Socialist principles.
"Lo stavo in un movimento rivale di Ordine Nuovo. Si chiamava Giovane Europa. Il leader era Jean Thiriart" he stated. This translates as: "I was in a rival movement of New Order. It was called Young Europe. The leader was Jean Thiriart".
Thiriart, a Belgian Nazi, was imprisoned after WW2 for his wartime activities, which included hunting down and killing resistance workers in occupied Europe. Thiriart trained under SS Lt Col Otto "Scarface" Skorzeny, and maintained strong links with him after his release from prison.
In fact, Skorzeny has been revealed to have had partial control over Young Europe at the time when Borghezio was a member.
Skorzeny was involved initially in Operation Werwolf, the Nazi resistance movement, and then subsequently in neo-Nazi terrorist groups across Europe. Evidence has emerged showing that Young Europe operated a number of paramilitary training camps, and that it was on the instructions of Skorzeny in the 1960s that these camps were closed down.
Associates of Thiriart were involved in an attempted Nazi coup in Belgium in 1973, and papers obtained this summer from Belgian police have helped researchers to prove ongoing links between a number of activists.
Given Borghezio's open support for fascism, and his record of racially motivated violence - his last arrest was as recently as 2007 - it is no wonder that he has started to attract the interests of prominent anti-fascists across the EU.
Slovak National Party
The Slovak National Party – members of UKIP’s EFD Group – reacted rather badly to their massive defeat in the recent Slovakian national elections. Sadly for them, they will no-longer be able to prop up Smer - their coalition partner – in government. It is interesting to note that Smer is an offshoot of the old communist party.
Jan Slota – leader of the SNS – had this to say about their defeat:
"Homosexuals and Hungarians will begin to rule in this state, so thank you very much.”
Mr Slota has described Slovak’s Hungarian minority as a "a tumour on the body of the Slovak nation".
He also famously said that "in 1248 a Frankish bishop was amazed after visiting the Carpathian basin that God could have given such a beautiful country to such ugly people. He was referring to the old Hungarians, who were Mongoloid types with crooked legs and even more disgusting horses. Somehow these people have vanished. Who civilized them? Probably us, the Slovaks".
Mr Slota has gone on record as saying that the best way to treat gypsies is with a “long whip in a small yard”. He even once threatened to “sit in our tanks and destroy Budapest".
What a charming man!
Slota has called the fascist leader Jozef Tiso "one of the greatest sons of the Slovak nation". On February 17, 2000, 40 of the 41 city council members in Žilina, where Slota is mayor, voted to dedicate a plaque honouring Tiso.
Tiso was a friend and ally of Adolf Hitler. Hitler even went as far to praise Tiso’s anti-Jewish policies during a meeting with the Slovak leader in April, 1942.
So will Farage disown Slota for his comments. Will he condemn the SNS for their racism and bigotry? Fat chance! Being in control of a group and a larger budget means more to Farage than silly little things like principles, decency and integrity.
True Finns
Timo Soini, leader of the Finnish Perussuomalaiset (True Finns) Party, and rather oddly a keen supporter of Millwall F.C, should add a little spice to Farage's group.
He wants to restrict entry to Finland for foreigners, and calls for legislation to force those already there to integrate. Describing itself as "populist", the True Finns has its roots in agrarian politics, is anti-capitalist, believing that entrepreneurship hampers bureaucracy. The party attracts a great deal of support from those who would have previously voted for the SDP or the Left Alliance. Its mix of "back to the soil" agrarianism, populism, and militaristic nationalism has led many observers to categorise the party as National Socialist. Indeed, in keeping with Nazi tradition, Soini was a corporal in the army.
In April 2009, all the leaders of Finland's political parties signed a declaration condemning racism. Only Soini refused to sign. The party also believes homosexuality to be an "aberration". Finnish celebrity Teuvo Loman complained to police about a Facebook site, called "Lets beat Teuvo Straight", set up by a True Finns candidate for Urjala municipal council elections. The site allegedly promoted violence against Loman.
In December 2006, True Finn councillor Jussi Halla-aho caused a controversy when he published the following comments as part of a discussion about immigrants and rape: “The number of rapes will increase in any case. Therefore, as more and more women will undoubtedly get raped, I sincerely hope that at least the right women, the green-leftist reformers and their voters, will find themselves in the clutches of the rapists, who randomly select their victims. Rather them than anyone else. With people like that nothing else works, except when their own multiculturalist views turn against them.” Halla-aho, who describes asylum seekers as "parasites" , has been charged with hate crimes.
Another interesting True Finn politician, is the former wrestler and parliamentarian Tony "the Viking" Halme. In 2004, he received a four-month suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay fines totalling 80 income-linked "day-fines" - amounting to EUR 4,480 - for criminal offences that were uncovered in connection with a drunken firearms violation episode in the summer of 2003.
Other charges brought against Halme included behaviour likely to cause danger, smuggling, possession of imported goods knowing them to be illegal, and drug use. The latter is ironic, as he has called for drug offenders to be sent to Russian prisons, where they can be dealt with in a more cost effective manner. The day after he was elected to parliament he caused a stir by attacking President Tarja Halonen as a "Lesbian". (Halonen had been a champion for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-Gender rights in her country). In 2006 Halme was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. In that same year he was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital.
The True Finns will sit well with the populist Lega Nord, the Italian party expelled from the Independence & Democracy Group by Farage following allegations of racist behaviour. That party is partly defined by its homophobia.
More on the Lega Nord
Giancarlo Gentilini, Lega Nord's deputy mayor of Treviso called in 2007 for the "ethnic cleansing" of homosexuals." I will immediately give orders to my forces so that they can carry out an ethnic cleansing of faggots," he told a local television station. "The faggots must go to other cities where they are welcome. Here in Treviso there is no chance for faggots or the like."
In the same year he taunted Pecoraro Scanio, Italy's Minister of the Environment and an open bisexual, by saying: "In Gorgo, a woman was raped with a chisel in the back and in the front. I say to Pecoraro Scanio that I want the same thing happens to his mother and his sister."
Pro-Federalist Lega Nord – the party's constitution says that the party will end its political activity when federalism is obtained - are no strangers to racially motivated violence: indeed, MEP Mario Borghezio was fined in 1993 for beating a 12 year old Moroccan child. In 2005, whilst sitting as an MEP, he was found guilty of setting fire to the belongings of immigrants under a railway bridge in Turin, during a vigilante raid. In September 2007 he was arrested by Belgian police for his part in an anti-Islamic demonstration.
The former leader of Lega Nord, Umberto Bossi, an MEP in the last parliament, was convicted of incitement to violence in 1998. He received a one-year suspended prison sentence. He had previously received a conviction for taking a 200 million bribe. In 2003 he described Africans as "Bingo-Bongos", and suggested that the Italian navy should open fire on boats carrying refugees.
Notorious holocaust denier Father Floriano Abrahamowicz is considered to be the "unofficial Chaplain" of Lega Nord. He told an Italian newspaper: "I know the gas chambers existed... but I don't know if anyone was killed in them. I know that, in addition to the official version, there is another version..." He has also been a vocal supporter of Erich Priebke, the German SS officer convicted of war crimes for a 1944 massacre in Rome, extradited to Italy from Argentina and currently living under house arrest.
The Lega has its own militant faction, the so-called Green shirts.
Morten Messerschmidt: Heil Hitler, & some embarrassing songs.
The Danish People's Party (DPP), rejected by the British Conservatives, has been condemned by the Paris based European Jewish Congress for its approach to the question of immigration. It has also been accused of Islamophobia.
Morten Messerchmidt is one of the DPP's new MEPs. In 2002 he was sentenced to prison for racially motivated offences. In April 2007 he was reported to have been drunk in a restaurant in Copenhagen, and was seen "Heiling Hitler". Messerchmidt subsequently admitted singing Nazi songs at the restaurant. The incident caused him to temporarily resign from his position in the government.
Messerchmidt is a former assistant to Mogens Camre MEP, himself reported to the police for possible violations of anti-racism legislation in 2007.
And Farage has the nerve to condemn the BNP and the English Democrats!
And what about the odious Nuttall? He refused to share a platform with the BNP’s candidate in Oldham. He even refused to take part in a debate with him in a recent edition of the Sunday Politics Show. And yet Nuttall is quite happy to sit with fascists in EFD! Another first class hypocrite!
And do you remember a blurred photo, taken in the summer of 1997, showing Nigel chatting to two men? One was Tony "the bomber" Lecomber, the other was Mark Deavin, head of research for the BNP. It can be seen above.
When the photo was sent anonymously to UKIP, Farage claimed bafflement. While admitting that
"I briefly met Mr Deavin at his request on June 17 1997, and had lunch with him in a restaurant," he insisted that "
I have no recollection of ever meeting or speaking to Mr Lecomber in my life... I can only surmise that Mr Lecomber was planted outside the restaurant or that the photograph has been doctored." A month after the lunch, by an odd coincidence, Deavin wrote an article in Spearhead which discussed the possibility of closer relations between the BNP and UKIP.
Deavlin had briefly infiltrated UKIP but was expelled by Alan Sked in May 1997 after his true affiliations were discovered.
It is an interesting fact that Farage met Deavin AFTER the BNP man's expulsion from UKIP. At the time of the photo Farage was also having serious problems with Alan Sked. The relationship between the two had deteriorated to such an extant that Sked had even briefly managed to expel Farage from UKIP!
At the time of the photo Farage was considering his political future and his options.
It seems that every time this incident is mentioned Nigel gives a different version of what exactly happened. At the last count he was on version number 5. How about giving us version number 6?
