A FORMER counter-terrorism police chief has accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of helping incite violence that broke out in Southport after the killing of three children in a stabbing attack this week.
Farage has faced criticism from across the political spectrum for comments he made in a video on Tuesday in which he questioned if “the truth is behind withheld from us” after the attack on Monday.
Former senior Scotland Yard officer Neil Basu, who was in charge of counter-terrorism from 2018 to 2021, said there were “real world consequences” when public figures failed to “keep their mouth shut”.
Following the stabbing, there was a violent protest outside a mosque in Southport involving protesters who the police said were believed to be supporters of the English Defence League (EDL).
This was then followed by a further night of violence on Wednesday with more than 100 arrests made in London while there were also protests in Hartlepool and Manchester.
Basu said: “Nigel Farage (below) is giving the EDL succour, undermining the police, creating conspiracy theories and giving a false basis for the attacks on the police.
“Has Nigel Farage condemned the violence? Has he condemned the EDL? Fomenting discord in society is what these people seem to exist for.”
Farage meanwhile has said that it is “quite legitimate to ask questions”, although he has faced criticism from a number of others.
Brendan Cox, the campaigner and husband of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox, described Farage as “nothing better than a Tommy Robinson in a suit”.
Following the attack in Southport, there was a rapid spread of misinformation online, with Downing Street being forced to issue a statement.
Farage had posted a video on Twitter/X on Tuesday in which he said he had “one or two questions” as he speculated about whether the stabbing suspect was being monitored by security services.
“I just wonder whether the truth is being withheld from us. I don’t know the answer to that, but I think it is a fair and legitimate question.”
In an interview with the PA news agency, the Reform UK MP maintained his position, saying he thinks it is “perfectly reasonable to ask what is happening to law and order in our country”.
