Nigel Farage is worried that UKIP might be turning a bit racist and these 11 burns are going to need ointment
Yesterday, UKIP leader Gerard Batten proudly announced that their new Special Advisor for Rape Gangs and Prison Reform would be – pause for fanfare – Tommy Robinson, or Stephen Yaxley-Lennon if you prefer people to use their real names. The announcement was met with contempt on the internet.
party for racist shithouses appoints criminal racist shithouse in advisory role.
Tommy Robinson only has an interest in victims of grooming if he's able to use it to bash the entire Muslim community, he doesn't help anyone except himself. https://t.co/HWLxELzLEX
— Dan Hett (@danhett) November 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/PhilJDore/status/1065743707041873921
https://twitter.com/matthaig1/status/1065859088096014336
Clever move from UKIP as they can say they're supporting work for British people by giving jobs to Tommy Robinson, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and Andrew McMaster all at once.
— Tiernan Douieb (@TiernanDouieb) November 23, 2018
Even former UKIP leader and architect of Brexit, Nigel Farage wasn’t happy, suggesting that allowing Tommy Robinson a platform might give UKIP a reputation for being far-right.
Nigel Farage on Tommy Robinson's Ukip role: "If Brexit is able to be portrayed as a plaything of street activists, thugs and the far right, that is very bad for the Brexit cause."@Nigel_Farage | #TommyRobinsonhttps://t.co/IzD8JNa9RP
— LBC (@LBC) November 23, 2018
The sheer hypocrisy didn’t escape Twitter’s notice, as these 11 comments show.
1.
https://twitter.com/edmorrish/status/1065900996763762688
2.
Imagine being so racist that Nigel Farage asks you to tone it down a bit https://t.co/nujFTtXEnf
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) November 23, 2018
3.
(l-r) Nigel Farage, Gerald Batten. "This dog-whistle racism is acceptable. But hiring-Tommy-Robinson racism is UNacceptable." pic.twitter.com/Kd444qZdQ1
— Dorian Lynskey (@Dorianlynskey) November 23, 2018
4.
https://twitter.com/blairmcdougall/status/1065909973597777920
5.
https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson_MP/status/1065891831668453376
6.
The Definition of Two faced. https://t.co/EtDTXb7Fix
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) November 23, 2018
7.
https://twitter.com/SpillerOfTea/status/1065905426041118720
8.
Farage who paraded around his anti-immigrant poster, spoke at a far right rally for Hitler enthusiasts, in a strange plot twist, is berating Batten and UKIP for being 'too racist'
— LINA (@agirlcalledlina) November 23, 2018
9.
https://twitter.com/matthaig1/status/1065913580426592256
10.
Farage: “Batten is dragging Ukip into the direction of effectively being a street activist party” pic.twitter.com/g88CNG9j4Q
— John Rain 🥇 🎃 (@ItsJohnRain) November 23, 2018
11. The Mirror subtly pointed out the irony with its choice of image.
Farage demands no confidence vote in 'shameful' UKIP leader over Tommy Robinsonhttps://t.co/JVNuwGGYzR pic.twitter.com/DcnruTiM0l
— Mirror Politics (@MirrorPolitics) November 23, 2018
However much Nigel Farage dislikes Tommy Robinson, the combination of the two was just a little too much for some.
Turns on #r4today to hear Nick Robinson saying "coming up in the next half hour Nigel Farage on Tommy Robinson"…
Retrieves radio from the garden, phones glazier
— Tom Jamieson (@jamiesont) November 23, 2018