Last year’s race riots became known as the Farage Riots for one simple reason – Nigel Farage went online and suggested that the truth was not being told about the Southport murders.
It was untrue, but it immeasurably boosted far-right claims and stoked the racist fires.
Now he’s doing it again.
Yesterday, on GB News, he spoke about the recent events in Epping, where racists have rioted in protest at the presence of migrants in a local hotel. This followed alleged sexual assaults on local girls by a migrant resident at the hotel.
Escorted away by police
At one protest, last Thursday, anti-racists came under attack from a larger number of racists and were escorted away by the police for their own protection.
That’s not how Farage is telling it. Echoing allegations made in the Daily Telegraph he claimed that:
“Essex police were literally escorting and bussing masked thugs to and from the protest in Epping.
“They were caught red-handed helping to light the fuse that led to violence”.
Just one problem – allegation that police had ‘bussed’ anti-racist protestors to the event was completely untrue.
Video footage he referred to actually showed Essex police transporting anti-racist protestors AWAY from the far-right mob. Not towards it.
It was done for the protection of the anti-racists who were significantly outnumbered by violent racists, and were being attacked, egged on by known fascist and neo-Nazi agitators.
This was reported at the time by Searchlight and others.
Police denial
Today Essex Police categorically denied the truth of Farage’s claims:
“There are claims on social media that Essex Police officers ‘bussed’ protesters to the protest outside the Bell Hotel on Thursday 17 July.
“This is categorically wrong.
“Officers did provide a foot cordon around protesters on their way to the protest, where they and others were allowed to exercise their right to protest.
“Later some people who were clearly at risk of being hurt were also escorted by vehicle away from the area for their safety.
“To reiterate, we categorically did not drive any counter protesters to the site on any occasion.”
Huge online currency
However, the claim that police bussed in anti-racists to the protest has now gained huge currency online and is in danger of becoming part of the accepted narrative of recent events.
Nigel Farage could, of course, help redress that with a public correction.
If only…
