On Tuesday, anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate launched its own self-running crowdfunding campaign to sue former Ukip leader Nigel Farage after he reportedly referred the organization as an extremist group that “masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means” while discussing husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, Brendan Cox, who criticized Farage for blaming German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the tragic incident at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday evening.
Following the event in Berlin, Farage tweeted:
Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) December 20, 2016
Cox reportedly responded to Farage’s comment by tweeting:
“Blaming politicians for the actions of extremists? That’s a slippery slope Nigel.”
According to Hope Not Hate, Farage made the comments on LBC radio and thus started an attack on the organization as well as Cox, and those who believe in the organization name and motto. The organization has already sent Farage a letter demanding that he retracts his comments and publicly apologizes or it will begin legal proceedings against him. It was also revealed:
“Hope not hate is a well-respected, civil society organization whose more than 200,000 supporters come from all political persuasions. They are united by a common desire to combat racism and to do so using lawful, peaceful means. That Nigel Farage made his remarks in the context of a discussion about Jo Cox, who was so brutally murdered earlier this year, makes them all the more poisonous and hateful. As is well known, Hope not hate was one of three entities chosen by Jo’s widow, Brendan Cox, as the recipient of donations from the public who wished to show their solidarity with the family.”
Following the launch of the campaign, a source close to Farage stated to The Independent:
“It’s quite funny, in an ironic way, that an organization in receipt of a huge sum of money from the Jo Cox Fund is now crowd-sourcing an attempted legal action. There are many ways to jump on a bandwagon. Brendan Cox and his children have suffered a great deal this year, but equally there are people in Germany suffering right now.”
Hope Not Hate describes itself as an organization that seeks to challenge and defeat the politics of hate and extremism within local communities, building resilience against the politics of hate and fear, at a national and grassroots level.
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