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How to Beat the Brexit Party

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How to Beat the Brexit Party PAGE 1 HOW TO BEAT THE BREXIT PARTY HOW TO BEAT THE BREXIT PARTY BREXIT PARTY CAMPAIGN CHEAT SHEET 1 2 3 The Brexit Party The Brexit Party Nigel Farage’s are dangerous exists to fight far-right friends and divisive. Nigel for a No Deal across Europe are Farage is trying to Brexit, which will toxic - reminding rebrand, but years spark a recession, people who it is of inflammatory cause medicine that Farage has remarks mean that shortages, cost allied himself many voters will people their with hurts him be motivated to jobs, and make with key voter turnout by pointing austerity look groups. out the Brexit like a warm-up Party could have a act. Most voters decisive role in the don’t want this to next Parliament. happen! 4 5 The party In communities devastated by 40 years has attracted of de-industrialisation and a decade of numerous austerity, it is vital to focus on the fact extreme figures that the Brexit Party have no solutions and people to these problems. As UKIP leader, who promote Farage wanted austerity to go further, extremist for the NHS to be privatised and for messages. These workplace rights to be scrapped. examples of Photo: Facebook outright racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism scare many voters away. Produced by HOPE not hate Ltd, PO Box 61382, London N19 9EQ Tel.: +44 (207) 9521181. www.hopenothate.org.uk @hope.n.hate @hopenothate HOPE not hate @hopenothate PAGE 3 THE BREXIT PARTY ARE DANGEROUS AND DIVISIVE, BUT THEY CAN BE BEATEN Photo: Facebook Photo: by Matthew McGregor, Campaigns Director When the Brexit Party comfortably The threat from this party won the European Elections in is very real. Nigel Farage is May they set off a political dangerous, and has used earthquake. They have dropped racism and Islamophobia to down the news agenda since Boris stir up division. Farage’s anti- Johnson became Prime Minister, migrant “Breaking Point” poster but the Brexit Party surge in the in the EU referendum of 2016 polls shows no sign of being a was condemned as “vile” by flash in the pan. Their role could people from across the political be significant in a looming General spectrum. Election, and it is possible that He claimed he would be concerned the party could have MPs in the if Romanians moved in next door next parliament. to him. During the 2015 general But who are the Brexit Party, and election campaign, Farage became how worried should we be? known for the “shock and awful” HOW TO BEAT THE BREXIT PARTY TV debate strategy, in which he frequently retweeted neo-Nazi deployed misleading statistics content. The party’s Treasurer was about foreigners with HIV. sacked after being exposed over His rhetoric has been appalling. antisemitic social media posts. Following the Westminster attack A Brexit Party campaign coordinator Farage spoke of a “fifth column was sacked after a newspaper living inside these European highlighted his previous BNP countries” on Fox News. “If you membership. open your door to uncontrolled Even after attacking UKIP for immigration from Middle Eastern being taken over by the far right, countries you are inviting in Nigel Farage said that “there is terrorism”, said Farage. Farage no difference” between UKIP and even spun the tragedy to condemn the Brexit Party. Nigel Farage opposition to Trump’s proposed and the Brexit Party want to Muslim travel ban. present a mainstream image but Farage’s far-right connections time and time again, people with across Europe and the United extreme views have found their States are absolutely toxic. political home in this movement. He has cosied up to extreme The threat of the Brexit party is figures across the world. partly electoral: they played a Nigel Farage has more in common major role in the Peterborough with Donald Trump and Vladimir byelection, and are likely to be a Putin than with the common major factor in a looming General sense values of British people. Election. We can expect that most, Wherever he goes, he has found if not all of their candidates will common cause with far-right hold rightwing populist views, populists. He has promoted the at best. Needless to say, the far-right AfD party in Germany, presence of these people in the whose leaders have engaged next Parliament poses a serious in vitriolic Islamophobia and threat to our vision of a hopeful, anti-immigrant campaigns. tolerant country. He campaigned for far-right French But the threat is not only electoral. leader Marine Le Pen, despite By becoming a serious electoral having previously condemned threat, the Brexit Party is already her party for “prejudice and moving the political debate. antisemitism”. We need to provide our own While Farage is, by far, the most pushback against their politics of high profile figure in the Brexit division, and to help shape the Party, he is backed by a party that pushback of other progressive is rife with bad actors. forces. HOPE not hate and its supporters will play our part in The party’s first leader, Catherine that pushback. Blaiklock resigned abruptly after being exposed by HOPE not hate as having an extensive history of social media racism and had PAGE 5 Photo: Steve Bowbrick / flickr / Bowbrick Steve Photo: HOW TO BEAT THE BREXIT PARTY THE BREXIT PARTY: DANGEROUS AND DIVISIVE The Brexit Party has carved out a role on the hard right of British politics, arguing vociferously for the most extreme form of Brexit, and savaging opponents with the dangerous language of “betrayal”. Whilst trickling policies out, the party currently has no manifesto, but it is possible to ascertain what the party might push for if it secures the election of any of its candidates in a forthcoming election. The Brexit Party is not a fascist or far-right party, unlike the British National Party, or what UKIP has become; saying otherwise at this stage would not only be factually incorrect, but would undermine our case against them. However, the party is rooted in dangerous and divisive populism, and has been shown to hold extreme and discriminatory tendencies within it, which have the potential to make their voices heard at the very top of the party. Photo: Facebook Photo: PAGE 7 RACISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA Farage has historically sought to Nazi propaganda and is widely exploit anxieties around immigration recognised as the low point of and appeal to the racist vote. the entire campaign. Farage has From 2013, under his leadership to this day refused to apologise UKIP adopted an increasingly anti- for it. immigrant tone, and Farage’s appeal l Blamed immigrants for making to racism was on stark display him late to one of his own during the EU Referendum, during speaking events, stating which he worked with Leave.EU, “That has nothing to do with of which Brexit Party Chairman professionalism, what it does Richard Tice was co-founder and have to do with is a country in co-chair. The campaign relentlessly which the population is going sought to stoke fears around through the roof chiefly because immigration, and shamefully of open-door immigration and exploited tragedies such as the the fact that the M4 is not as Orlando nightclub shooting. navigable as it used to be.” To take just a few examples, l Told LBC radio in 2014 that Farage has: “I was asked if a group of l Posed in front of the infamous Romanian men moved in next to ‘Breaking Point’ poster in the you, would you be concerned? lead up to the EU referendum, And if you lived in London, which has been compared to I think you would be”. HOW TO BEAT THE BREXIT PARTY l Claimed that parts of Britain fix the totally broken and crime were “unrecognisable” and “like infested places from which a foreign land”. He had also they came,’’ Farage said the claimed he felt “awkward” when President’s comments were he heard people speaking other “genius”, that he “does things languages on the train. his way” and called him “a remarkably effective operator”. l When asked who he thought should be allowed to come to l Following the Westminster the UK, he said: “People who attack Farage spoke of a “fifth do not have HIV, to be frank. column living inside these That’s a good start. And people European countries” on Fox with a skill.” During the 2015 News. “If you open your door general election campaign, he to uncontrolled immigration deployed misleading statistics from Middle Eastern countries about foreigners with HIV in a you are inviting in terrorism”, TV debate. said Farage. He even spun the tragedy to condemn opposition l Defended US President Donald to Trump’s proposed Muslim Trump after he retweeted a post travel ban, stating “Surely an from Britain First, the far-right American audience seeing this anti-Muslim street movement horrendous thing happening in that has carried out “mosque Westminster should start to invasions” in the UK. Farage say to itself that when Donald called the outrage “out of all Trump tries to put in place proportion” and “ridiculous”. After vetting measures, he is doing it Trump told four congresswoman to protect your country”. of colour to “go back and help Photo: Twitter Photo: PAGE 9 Whilst Farage is by far the most Ann Widdecombe MEP: HOPE not high-profile figure within the hate revealed that Widdecombe Brexit Party, there are multiple appeared on the Richie Allen Show, party figures who have been a radio broadcast affiliated with tarnished by racism, Islamophobia conspiracy theorist David Icke or antisemitism scandals. that serves as an online platform These include: for antisemitic conspiracy Michael McGough, treasurer: theorists and Holocaust deniers.
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