Farage’s racism

[CuriousKangaroo]

I haven’t yet seen a post about this story: Twenty people allege he has a racist past. He denies it. Who’s telling the truth about Farage’s schooldays? | Nigel Farage | The Guardian

Farage no longer categorically denies these incidents, and is now trying to fudge things by saying he didn’t mean any harm and it was a long time ago - presumably because he knows it is true and realises that 20 separate people saying it means only the truly deluded wouldn’t believe he was a racist.

But what I am interested in is does this actually assist his election chances? We already know that many of his supporters are racists - does it actually work for him that this blatant racism from him shores up their support? Are they secretly (or perhaps not so secretly in some cases) pleased?

And what do those of you who are Reform supporters but believe yourself not be racist think? Does it make you change your mind about him or Reform?

In my days, Enoch Powell was the cunt. At least he was a well educated and schooled cunt. Farage is just an oik.

I think this thread highlights how racisim is viewed

fighting facisim in the wars was not fighting racism it was fighting a regime that was attacking Europe. Attacking white Europe

everyday racism was the norm for majority of non white people in the uk up until the 90’s

I really do not know where this utopia of anti racist anti facist part of the UK was, but it certainly wasn’t in the most diverse parts of the uk and very much doubt it was in the least diverse

attacking white Europeans is judged differently but many look at how welcoming we were to the Ukrainians can’t remember the open arms to Muslim Bosnian’s refuges

Bollocks.

Bamber Bridge. I'll leave you to read about it and then tell me how racist the UK was in the war.

Us lucky Scots have got the pleasure of the odious creature visiting Scotland today Falkirk to be precise a flashpoint for hotel protests.
Much has been made of the 750 tickets sold at the conference hotel for his hate yak fest.
750 do not speak for 5.5 million people.

I think you have misread or misunderstood my post

I was offered South African oranges on York market in about 1984/5. When I declined them the stall holder’s response was that he didn’t blame me after they’d had “those filthy black hands all over them”. I was speechless and everyone I told was incredulous. I told a LOT of people and exactly which stall it was, he was boycotted by everyone I knew after that.

Regarding Farages visit to Falkirk today it's no different to the tactics used by the BNP in the 90s when Nick Griffin looked to capatilise on tensions in Oldham.

I am roughly the same age as Farage. Yes, there was a lot of racism when I was growing up, but it wasn't acceptable behaviour. At primary school I told a fellow pupil off for calling another child the n word. This would have been about 1970. My (working class and not particularly lefty) parents and school had drummed it into me not to use the word.

Farage's narrative that everyone was racist when he was growing up is bollocks. And how does he explain away his racist bullying in the 1980s? Because by then things were changing really rapidly.

^This. Especially since the Holocaust was within many people’s living memories back then.

It's dangerous to let it go because he could be running the country in a few years. If you care about women's rights, have you seen the way he treats female journalists in interviews? He is still indulging in bullying behaviour, even of you didn't believe the 20+ witnesses. And these reports first surfaced in 2013. It wasn't just casual racism, it was overt antisemitism. He admires Putin. He is deeply in favour of privatising the nhs, look beyond the current manifesto. He damaged this country with Brexit (which would have been a disaster no matter who led it). He will put boots on our sons, mark my words, because the man has no heart. Starmer, for all his faults, has some empathy.

Is that you point of view that it was changing really rapidly it from your personal experiences

I am not defending Farage but the claims or playing down how things were just because as a country we fought a facist regime is utter nonsense

I am absolutely not denying there was a lot of overt and covert racism in the 60s and 70s. But Farage is painting a picture of it being widely acceptable to everyone, which is so far from the case. Otherwise there wouldn't have been organisations like the ANL for a start.

And yes, things were definitely beginning to change in the 80s. I can't imagine a single one of my fellow sixth formers would have said the same things Farage said to a 9 year old in 1981 or 82. Also see the example @BIossomtoes posted.

Eta: And really, the salient point is this: Farage hasn't apologised unreservedly for his youthful racism. Why is that?

In 1972, a lad whose family had been kicked out from Uganda by Idi Amin joined our class (my year). This is infants. Some kids tried to tease them and the teachers were very firm about name calling. Which was unacceptable no matter what the name or the "intent" as dog fucker Farage is trying to claim.

I’m a few months older than Farage. I remember standing in the middle of Tesco when in 6th form loudly declaring that I was unable to buy any apples because they were all from South Africa. Maybe going to a bog standard comp was a better education after all. And my dad was in the RAF in WW2 so any pro Hitler comments would have totally enraged him. It’s silly to make out a Farage was just having bantz. It would have been seen in at least as bad a light then.

I was living in London as child in the late 60s, my best friend was black, memories pulling faces in the mirror, playing on the see saw.

We moved to Cornwall & i went to a large Comp, out right racism as very much frowned upon, we had a couple of black kids there and i remember they were very good at sport.

The idea we'd get away with racist slurs would have been ludicrous - the Holocaust was taught in History, we were all horrified by it, there were kids at school who were Jewish, when i look back on it but at the time they were just kids, no one gave a shit & no one would have dreamt of taunting them.

Farage equating what he did with the Black & White Minstrel show is just wrong, this man could be PM in a few years time.

According to (some) polling he is dropping, YouGov have him on 26%, not long ago, its was 30/31.

Racism was not overtly acceptable in the 1980s.

Not to say that there weren't racists doing and saying racist things, but the societal norm was that racism was wrong.

I would have been shocked to hear racist and anti-Semitic comments like Farage's.

What a weaselly little sh1t he is.

@Southernecho and long may that drop continue.

My (younger) DB has reminded me there were a couple of older kids at High School who went around telling the white kids they had "better join the NF" with some Farage-style racist toppings. I had totally forgotten because it was only for a day or two.

DB said "Yes, probably better you don't know why".

So that's two people very much from Farages generation calling bullshit on his "it was the fashion at the time" excuse. The man is a nasty little racist prick, and he's squirming like all bullies do when cornered. Which for many should be proof itself.

He hasn’t apologised becuase he is a racist nothing new there all it’s highlighted was that he was an awful bully too again hardly news

but I think you have lived in a comfortable bubble

do you think people were going to the police to report racism or to their hr departments in the 80’s to report racism

just because you remember a few times that you heard racist behaviour being pulled up doesn’t mean it wasn’t for many an acceptable part of society and an issue people had to deal with day in day out it was so normalised

just because you remember a few times that you heard racist behaviour being pulled up doesn’t mean it wasn’t for many an acceptable part of society and an issue people had to deal with day in day out it was so normalised

Oh, quite. Just look at the Met in 2025 when it seems to be an essential skill.

The same people no doubt who believe Shamima Begum should remain stateless for the rest of her life for decisions she made at 15. Farage believes that but his actions at 15 are excusable apparently.

but I think you have lived in a comfortable bubble

Er, no. I am not going to give a load of personal details, but you have made a massive and wrong assumption there.

Just out of interest, how old are you?

Yep, no change there. My ex-partner was often harassed by them back in the 90s. They seemed to think dreadlocks=criminal.

Also, the accusation of living in a bubble ...

The reason I was shouting my head off at Rock Against Racism gigs was precisely because I was aware of my privilege

It was in relation to racism the comfortable bubble either you have been fortunate which is very good to hear about or it wasn’t directed towards you and your family

55 soon