There has been a recent Twitter spat between former UKIP leader Nigel Farage and the widow of Jo Cox the Labour MP during a discussion following the latest Islamic atrocity in Berlin. In the conversation, in which Mr Farage said that the Berlin attack was ‘Merkel’s fault’ and called Mr Cox a supporter of extremists because of Cox’s support for the far Left ‘Hope Not Hate’ organisation.
Cue immediate outrage from members of the Left, including from ‘Hope Not Hate’, not about the fact that a Jihadi has slaughtered 12 innocent people in Berlin, but that Mr Farage had the temerity to accuse Mr Cox of being a supporter of extremists. Well on this one Mr Farage is 100% correct. The extremists are not people like Mr Farage, but the likes of Hope Not Hate. It is HnH who have kicked off violently when patriots have tried to peacefully march or protest, it’s people linked to HnH who attacked Nigel Farage’s family when they were having a pub lunch. Hope Not Hate also smear Islamic reformists and centre right secularists as ‘far right’. In fact Hope Not Hate are so much dyed in the wool extremist leftists that they have now become the violent, freedom hating, censorious fascists that they purport to be fighting.
Yes, Hope Not Hate have all the hallmarks of political extremists and they show these credentials every time they have a demonstration or harass a politician they disapprove of or smear ordinary decent people as ‘fascists’ or ‘Nazis’ or ‘xenophobes’. Hope Not Hate are extremists of that I have no doubt. If Brendan Cox doesn’t want to be called a supporter of extremists then there is a simple way of avoiding this situation and that is not being a supporter of extremist groups like Hope Not Hate. There’s an even better way to avoid being tainted by the extremism of Hope Not Hate and that’s not to sit as a director of an organisation set up your murdered wife’s name that is donating money to the extremists of Hope Not Hate. If Brendan Cox doesn’t want to be called an extremist then I’ll tell him what Leftists tell Rightists which is if you don’t want to be seen as a supporter or an associate of extremism then just don’t associate with extremists.
In a way Brendan Cox is really only getting a little bit of the ‘guilt by association’ tactic that’s been used for many years and with a large amount of success by the Left. The way the Left works this as follows: Have a youthful short term association with groups like the BNP or the NF, or are a former member of Conservative groups or question some aspect of Leftist doctrine, then you are permanently tarnished in the eyes of Hope Not Hate and groups like then. HnH and similar groups always will always preface your name or cause with the phrase ‘far right’ even if you are genuinely and categorically not part of the traditional far right. I see no reason why this tactic should not work the other way. If people can be falsely smeared and hounded as ‘neo Nazis’ for some bit of teenage idiocy twenty years in the past, then Brendan Cox can be quite justifiably classified as a supporter of extremism in the here and now. Brendan Cox’s support for the extremism of Hope Not Hate is not way back in the past, it’s happening today, that to my mind is much more worrying than something idiotic that someone did decades or more ago.
Mr Farage was quite correct in my view to point out the extremism of Hope Not Hate because they are extremists and promote extreme politics of a kind that is not supported by the majority of the UK population. Brendan Cox is an supporter of an extremist Leftist group and he should not be immune from being called out for that support.
Hope Not Hate are trying to bring legal action against Nigel Farage for referring to them as extremists and I suspect that this will go very bad for Hope Not Hate. Firstly suing for libel is extremely expensive. Secondly Hope Not Hate will have to prove defamation which damages their organisation’s image. On the first point I don’t think that Hope Not Hate have got those sort of funds available. On the second point if they try to prove defamation is causing them reputational damage then a whole bucket of worms will be opened up concerning Hope Not Hate’s finances, activities, personnel and contacts. Bringing an action against Nigel Farage will most likely only harm Hope Not Hate themselves as many more people will then become aware via court reports, just how murky this organisation really is.
In a way I hope that Hope Not Hate make good their threat as it could end up being the death or at least the opening up to public ridicule of this dangerous, thuggish and violent bunch of Left wing extremists
Links
Breitbart story on the argument between Brendan Cox and Nigel Farage
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/12/20/extremist-hnh-legal-action-farage/
Companies House report into the Jo Cox Foundation
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10392667/officers
‘Third Sector’ magazine on the setting up of the Jo Cox Foundation
http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/foundation-established-name-jo-cox/fundraising/article/1399809
An examination from this site of the questionable pro-Islam politics of the late Jo Cox
The Guardian’s usual Leftist spin on the argument between Brendan Cox and Nigel Farage
