Nigel Farage criticised over ‘antisemitic tropes’ on far-right US talk show
Brexit campaigner under fire from Jewish community after it was revealed he discussed “globalists” seeking to engineer “a new world order”
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has been chastised by Jewish leaders in the UK for discussing theories linked to antisemitism with an American far-right talk-show host.
The former UKIP leader and LBC Radio host faced the wrath of the Board of Deputies and the Community Security Trust on Monday, after a Guardian investigation looked into past comments he made to Alex Jones’s Infowars show.
Jones, who blames the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting on the US government, is an American conspiracy theorist who was banned from Facebook earlier this month.
Farage has appeared on his show regularly since 2009 and was revealed to have discussed “globalists” seeking to engineer “a new world order,” ideas that Jewish security experts say are linked to the antisemitism by a dotted line.
“For Jones’s conspiracy-minded audience, Farage’s references to ‘globalists’ and ‘new world order’ will be taken as familiar code-words for antisemitic conspiracy theories,” said a spokesman for the CST.
In one exchange from 2012, Farage says “elected prime ministers in Greece and Italy [have been] removed by the bully boy bureaucrats and replaced by former Goldman Sachs employees”. The bank is well-known for its Jewish roots.
The Board said: “It is vital that our politicians distance themselves from conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists, including those who trade in antisemitic tropes. We would call on Nigel Farage to repudiate these ideas and to commit not to dignify oddball nasties like Alex Jones with his presence again.”
This is not the first time Farage has been criticised by Jewish representatives. In 2017, he appeared to agree with an LBC caller who suggested that the pro-Israel lobby in the US was as dangerous as Russian hackers, saying that American Jews were disproportionately powerful.
“There are about six million Jewish people living in America, so as a percentage it’s quite small, but in terms of influence it’s quite big,” Farage said. When the caller suggested that Israel had politicians “in their pockets”, Farage replied: “Well in terms of money and influence, yep, they are a very powerful lobby.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
