LONDON: The British right-wing political party Reform UK is under renewed scrutiny after an anti-racism campaign group alleged that several of the party’s candidates for local elections had posted hateful and extremist content online.
The offensive messages were discovered despite assurances by party leader Nigel Farage that a rigorous vetting system was in place for the selection of candidates.
The group Hope Not Hate said last week it found evidence that a number of Reform UK candidates for the May 1 local elections in England had promoted far-right conspiracy theories or made Islamophobic remarks on social media. The party has more than 1,600 candidates standing in next week’s polls.
In a report published on Thursday following an investigation into the allegations, the BBC confirmed it had found several offensive messages, including a call to “nuke” Islam, a claim that a British town with a large Muslim population was a “s***hole,” and support for a “demographic jihad” conspiracy theory that accuses Muslims of seeking to replace the native population of the UK.
Some of the posts were recent, others dated back several years, but they could still be viewed when the candidates were selected by Reform.
One of them, Steven Biggs, who is standing in North Durham, had posted a message that stated “Islam has no place on this earth” and linked to content from extremist right-wing anti-Muslim group Britain First.
A candidate in Doncaster shared content alleging an Islamic colonization plot, while a third, in Lincolnshire, endorsed the idea that Muslim immigration was a strategy to supplant native populations.
At a campaign event in Dover on Thursday, Farage said Reform UK had put in place a vetting system “as good if not better than other parties.” He added that “hundreds” of applicants were rejected because of offensive or “outrageous” remarks.
Farage has long rejected claims that Reform UK harbors extremists. The party is chaired by Muslim entrepreneur Zia Yusuf, and has taken steps to distance itself from figures such as jailed anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson. Farage previously said he would “never want anything to do with” Robinson.
Hope Not Hate, which said it focuses on monitoring the far right, argued that the examples of hate speech it uncovered call into question Reform UK’s vetting claims. Some of the posts the group highlighted were subsequently deleted or hidden.
Reform UK has yet to respond publicly to the latest report.
