Nigel Farage has been accused of openly discussing conspiracy theories linked to antisemitism during a series of interviews with a far-right US talkshow.
The Brexit party leader is facing strong criticism after reportedly appearing on the show of controversial presenter Alex Jones, who was permanently banned from Facebook last week.
According to the Guardian, Mr Farage appeared on Jones's show at least six times and discussed themes associated with the conspiracy theory that Jewish financiers are behind a plot to replace nation states with a global government.
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During the interviews, which are said to date from 2009 to last year, he is said to repeatedly use phrases such as “globalists” and “new world order”, which often feature in antisemitic ideas.
The Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitic sentiment, said Mr Jones was “a notorious conspiracy theorist who should be beyond the pale for any mainstream politician”.
A Trust spokesman added: “Furthermore, for Jones’s conspiracy-minded audience, Farage’s references to ‘globalists’ and ‘new world order’ will be taken as familiar codewords for antisemitic conspiracy theories.”
A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews also criticised Farage's appearance on the show, saying: “It is vital that our politicians distance themselves from conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists, including those who trade in antisemitic tropes.
"We would call on Nigel Farage to repudiate these ideas and to commit not to dignify oddball nasties like Alex Jones with his presence again.”
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During the interviews, Mr Farage is reported to have said that banking and political systems are working “hand in glove” in an attempt to disband nation states and "Globalists" are trying to engineer a world war in a bid to introduce a worldwide government.
He is also said to have claimed that climate change is a "scam" intended to push forward this government.
In the most recent interview, filmed in April last year, The Guardian states that Farage described the EU as “the prototype for the new world order”, and said “globalists have wanted to have some form of conflict with Russia as an argument for us all to surrender our national sovereignty and give it up to a higher global level”.
A spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain said Farage’s close links with Jones “demonstrates a serious lack of judgment by Mr Farage and a willingness to tolerate Islamophobia”.
While Labour's David Lammy argued that “serious questions should be asked about Farage’s associations and networks”.
The MP added: “His indulgence in conspiracy theories about a ‘new world order’ should send chills down the spine of all who are aware of how these tropes have been used in the past.”
The Herald has contacted the Brexit party for comment.
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