There have recently been a series of ongoing anti-immigration protests against a hotel in Epping where some asylum seekers have been temporarily housed – and really the general existence of migrants at all.
Nigel Farage decided to fan the flames by telling lies designed to promote his evidence-free conspiracy-laden theory of two-tier policing.
His claim was that the police themselves used police vans to bus in a crowd of counter-protestors to confront his favoured anti-immigrant protestors who form the standard part of the demonstration. He went on GB News to claim that it was “absolutely astonishing” that “the police had bussed a group called Stand Up To Racism…from the station to the hotel” – as though the police had rounded up a group of people and formed a convenient taxi service just because they were against Reform and their allies.
Of course that never happened. The Essex Police force had to quickly release a statement that it was “categorically wrong” to claim that they had transported any protestors of any kind to the site in police vans. They released video footage to show what had actually happened, which was naturally nothing like what Farage had claimed.
Rather, police escorted the counter-protestors on foot as they were marching under their own steam towards the site. This is absolutely typical for any protest march. I have never been on one that didn’t have police monitoring the situation. It is mostly done to ensure the protestors “behave themselves” according to the law. It’s not sign of support – some people would see it actually as the opposite. And I’m sure they would have formed the same kind of cordon were Farage’s protest friends marching somewhere en masse.
The counter-protestors were later bundled into a police van – but to be driven away from the protest. But this was done only to ensure the safety of everyone present. After all, a set of anti-immigrant far-right agitators have previously turned up, only to end up being arrested for committing various forms of violence.
Says Chief Constable Harrington of the police force concerned:
“We’ve not driven anybody to that protest,” Mr Harrington said. “People made their own way there. We did take people away for their safety, for the safety of everyone there, because it was the best operational thing to do to prevent violence, to defuse the situation.”
The local Conservative MP, Neil Hudson, correctly criticised Nigel’s lies.
Conservative MP for Epping Forest Neil Hudson, asked about Mr Farage’s comments, told Sky News that what some politicians are saying “is not correct”. He added: “Essex Police are putting themselves in harm’s way to keep people safe and it’s very important that we have the facts, and we have no misinformation. But I’m categorical, I am fully in support of Essex Police and I’m very grateful for what they’re doing.”
The previous MP for Epping Forest shared a more general concern, saying:
It is the duty of elected representatives, all elected representatives, regardless of which party they represent, to do their best to encourage community cohesion and to calm down a potentially riotous situation. The considerable amount of misinformation by a particular political party is unfortunate and is working against community cohesion.
She didn’t name names, but I think we all know who she was referring to.
But Farage doesn’t care. Spreading misinformation to whip up his potential supporters into a frenzy of anger is all part of the game to him, no matter the potentially dangerous consequences, saying:
…if I was slightly out on accuracy, I apologise, but I think the gist of what I was saying was right
I’m not sure how the “gist” of claiming something happened that categorically did not happen could be “right”.