Reform merch was being flogged – from £15 leather wallets to £40 Reform FC shirts – while local London Reform groups had set up stalls, with one showing off a Mr Farage cardboard cut-out and a Donald Trump bust
Reform UK members have dismissed historic racism allegations against Nigel Farage and suggested being upset over the claims is a “hot topic”.
Attendees at a rally in London on Friday night said the claims were “absolutely ridiculous” and were part of a smear campaign against their heroic leader. Mr Farage, who gave a typically attention-seeking address with pyrotechnics and dramatic music, declared he was providing “hope” to the nation.
In a speech on stage, he declared: “Britain is broken. We know nothing works anymore. We know our politicians have been hopeless, led our country into decline. We’re here because we are providing something that none of the others can. We are providing genuine hope for the people of this country.”
The event, which featured banners saying “London needs Reform”, was attended by more than 2,000 people and showed the party’s eyes are set on making gains in the capital city at May’s local elections.
Reform merch was being flogged – from £15 leather wallets to £40 Reform FC shirts – while local London Reform groups had set up stalls, with one showing off a Mr Farage cardboard cut-out and a Donald Trump bust.
But as the new year rolls in, Mr Farage has continued to face pressure over racism and antisemitism claims, which include the Reform leader saying “Hitler was right” and making references to Nazi gas chambers at his private secondary school Dulwich College.
Some 34 former peers of the Reform leader have now made accusations, with one man last week claiming Mr Farage called him a “p**i” and told him to “go back home” when he was at school with him.
Speaking to The Mirror at Friday’s rally, Kieran Mishchuk, 19, a Reform councillor in Swale, said: “Well, obviously, it’s the hot topic to upset people, but in reality, it was 50 years ago, right? First of all, 50 years ago.
“Why hasn’t it been addressed sooner if it was that serious? I think this is a massive play by people just to try and derail this success.”
He added that he knows people who have been sacked for a “little joke”, adding: “The severity of that is unbelievable. It ruins lives just because someone can be so triggered by something so really minor.”
Mr Mishchuk, who said he has been interested in Mr Farage since he was in primary school when Brexit was going on, added: “Nigel was always the one for me that I thought gave us hope. He was speaking the truth.”
Karon Phipps, 60, from Castle Point in Essex, suggested she didn’t believe that dozens of people could have experienced antisemitism and racism from Mr Farage in the 1980s because Britain wasn’t as diverse then as it is now.
Ms Phipps, who attended the rally draped in a Union Jack flag, said: “I just think it’s absolutely ridiculous. I can’t remember what I did last week to be fair.
“And you know what, there’s 34 or 35 (people) out now, and I’m not being funny, but back in the 1980s we weren’t as diverse as the country is now. So I just think the numbers don’t add up.”
She also questioned the timing of allegations coming to light now, saying: “I’ve always thought, why now? Farage, he’s been an MEP, he’s done a lot of things over his political career, and all of a sudden it’s just kicking off and I just think it’s just a smear campaign as far as I’m concerned.
“Reform is Nigel plus everybody else. It isn’t a one-man band. We’re all on the ground. We’re all doing our thing to support putting Nigel into No10 because we agree with his policies.”
Pat Sara, 24, from Surrey and a recent graduate, dismissed the allegations as he said he was focused on the future.
He said: “Well, me, personally, I haven’t paid too much attention to those. What happened during his school days, well, that’s school days. What really matters is what happens now and what happens for the future of the UK. There’s only one party that can deliver that, and it’s Reform.
“And although Nigel Farage may be our leader, it’s not just only about Nigel Farage, but about the many talented senior people in our party and the people who aspire to do great in the party.”
Claims against Mr Farage include from award winning director and producer Peter Ettedgui, who was 13 at the time, who told The Guardian that the Reform leader would tell him “Hitler was right”, or “Gas them” before adding a hiss to replicate the sound of the gas chambers.
Mr Farage has repeatedly denied the allegations and has demanded an apology for offensive BBC programmes in the 1970s and 80s – the time the claims against him go back to.
He has also attempted to defend the alleged historic comments by reading a letter from one of his unidentified peers, who said Mr Farage had been “offensive” but not with malice during his school days.
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice has meanwhile described the allegations as “made-up twaddle”, while the party has suggested they are politically motivated attacks. In a powerful letter in December, 26 former peers of Mr Farage said it was “false” to suggest their allegations are politically motivated, as they “represent a broad swathe of professional backgrounds and political opinions”.
They added: “Most of us have had no contact since we left Dulwich. Until writing this letter, we have not acted as a group. We have neither plotted nor conspired. All we have in common is that we either directly experienced or witnessed your racist and antisemitic behaviour.”
The signatories also said it was “not true” they had only come forward since Reform began leading in the polls, pointing to previous reporting from as far back as 2013 in which similar allegations were made.
Elsewhere, they said Mr Farage’s recent denial “disturbs us” and said it is important people seeking high office “own their past”.