Activists interrupt Nigel Farage’s election rally with a banner of Vladimir Putin saying ‘I love Nigel’
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Political campaigners interrupted an election rally hosted by Nigel Farage this evening by unfurling a banner of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the words âI <3 Nigelâ embossed on it.
The group Led By Donkeys, which is known for their political stunts, visited a rally the Reform UK leader held at the Columbine Centre in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, and unfurled the poster using a remote control while Mr Farage was speaking on stage.
The speech took place around seven miles north of Clacton-on-Sea where Mr Farage is campaigning to become elected as the next MP.
Footage published by the group on the social media website X showed Mr Farage saying that children are just âbeing told all the bad things that we did in our historyâ as the poster slowly rolled down from the ceiling, revealing a photograph of Mr Putin smiling with a thumbs up with the words âI <3 Nigelâ underneath.
Some laughter can be heard initially in the video recording before Mr Farage is seen saying: âWho put that up there? Someone at the Columbine Centre needs to get the sack. Are we agreed?â which prompted cheers and applause from the audience.
âAnd we will hound them to make sure that is the case,â he added. âGo on, pull it down.â
Chants of ârip it down, rip it downâ were then made by the crowd and two men were seen trying to pull it down unsuccessfully. The video then ends.
Alongside the footage, the group wrote: âWe just dropped in on Farageâs election rally with a beaming picture of Putin. Nigel was not pleased.â
The poster is a reference to the parliamentary candidateâs highly-criticised comments in a BBC Panorama interview, where he said Western allies had provoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He later reiterated his stance, despite insisting he was not defending Mr Putinâs actions.
His decision to double down on his stance on Russia sparked anger among voters and âunderminedâ the UKâs role in Nato, Conservative candidates later claimed.
Former PM Boris Johnson was among several high profile Tories to criticise Mr Farage, labelling his comments âmorally repugnantâ.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called the remarks âdisgracefulâ and said anyone standing for Parliament should make clear Russia is the aggressor in the conflict.
Despite the widespread criticism across the UK political spectrum, they were welcomed by Kremlin-affiliated media.
It comes after Mr Farage reported Channel 4 to the elections watchdog, claiming the broadcaster used an actor as a âplantâ in its undercover investigation into his campaign.
The broadcaster has denied that Andrew Parker, who was filmed using a racial slur when describing Mr Sunak, was paid by or known to Channel 4 News before the expose on Mr Farageâs campaign in Clacton.
But Reform, in a letter to the Electoral Commission, said it was âwholly unbelievableâ for it to be a coincidence and Channel 4âs piece âcannot be described as anything short of election interferenceâ.
A spokesperson for Channel 4 News said: âWe strongly stand by our rigorous and duly impartial journalism which speaks for itself.
âWe met Mr Parker for the first time at Reform UK party headquarters, where he was a Reform party canvasser.
âWe did not pay the Reform UK canvasser or anyone else in this report. Mr Parker was not known to Channel 4 News and was filmed covertly via the undercover operation.â
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said: âAs Channel 4 News is a licensed broadcaster, its reports are exempt from the regime regulated by the Commission. Further, the Commission does not enforce the laws on defamation of candidates, which are a matter for the police.â
Mr Farage has also said he will not appear Laura Kuenssbergâs show on the BBC on Sunday following his appearance on Question Time.
During the special programme, which aired on Friday evening, Mr Farage was asked why his party âattracts racists and extremistsâ.
The Reform leader said he had âdone more to drive the far-right out of British politics than anybody else aliveâ, adding later that the audience was âriggedâ.
He posted on X: âI have just been invited to appear on Laura Kuenssberg. Iâm refusing until the BBC apologises for their dishonest QT audience. Our state broadcaster has behaved like a political actor throughout this election. Reform will be campaigning vigorously to abolish the license fee.â
A spokesperson for the BBC said in response: âLast nightâs Question Time audience was made up of broadly similar levels of representation from Reform UK and the Green Party, with the other parties represented too.
âThere were also a number of people, with a range of political views, who were still making up their mind.â
Itâs understood no BBC employees were in the audience.