Ukip Site Concerns Ukip Chairman

Yasin Akgun wrote:

RE: Michael Walker's comments about UKIP

I'd like to make a complaint about Michael Walker's ignorant comments about UKIP; making such sweepingly unintelligent statements that he probably picked out of newspapers with a reading age of 12 such as "ukip are bnp in suits".

I'm a Turkish born Brit. I am a member of UKIP, working for UKIP right now. I'm also the Vice Chairman of Young Independence, the youth wing of the party.

So how Mr Walker can make bizarre claims that UKIP are basically the BNP is beyond me. I've campaigned with Hope Not Hate before and so have other UKIP members, there's plenty of other valuable organisations like yours but we've always perceived your organisation to be more intelligent but after Mr Walker's comments my respect for your organisation has gone right down. I hope that you ensure that Michael Walker does his research before he makes ignorant and unfounded comments. It really does make Hope Not Hate look less credible.

Regards,Yasin Akgun


Michael Walker responds:

Yasin Akgun acts outraged as I suggest that comments made by Glenn Tingle (the UKIP candidate for the Norwich North by-election) imply that there is very little difference between the views of the BNP and Mr Tingle with regards to immigration.

Unfortunately for Yasin it would appear that Mr Tingle's true views are even closer to the BNP than we first suspected as Tingle has refused to deny that he was previously a member of the National Front.

Perhaps even more unfortunately for Yasin is a comment from Tom Wilde, a senior UKIP member and the moderator of the Democracy Forum, UKIP's own in-house discussion forum.

Tom Wilde writes:

This is completely unacceptable behaviour by Glenn Tingle.Occasionally the anti-fascists have had a pop at UKIP in the past, usually unfairly and often because they've been fed duff info by the europhiles. That's annoying, but what I really hate is that in this case they seem to be right.Going round collecting a petition for people to be evicted for a "crime" for which the cops have just failed to find any evidence is unacceptable campaigning.

I don't know the truth of the claim made in this thread that Glenn Tingle was once in the National Front, but if that is so then to my mind it strengthens the case for banning any former National Front or BNP member from representing UKIP in any election ever.

We've already had the Buster Mottram business, where an ex-NF member of UKIP turned out to be working for the BNP.

I'm aware that people want to be fair to individuals who may have just made an unwise choice or two thirty years earlier, but UKIP has serious work to do so I don't think we need to put up any more of these losers embarrassing the party.

So Yasin, what is it to be? Does UKIP still want Mr Tingle to represent them at the election? Or do you agree with Mr Wilde that Tingle is a loser?

And in case Yasin claims that Tingle's views are a one off, here is another comment on a UKIP website - I think the fact that concerns here are being raised by UKIP's Welsh Chair suggests that racism is endemic in some wings of UKIP.

Dissent in the UKIP ranks as UKIP website focuses on non-white immigration

UKIP has published an article on its website, reproduced from the Daily Telegraph, entitled "Britain’s non-white population up 500,000".

While this may be acceptable for a national newspaper to print, for a party in which certain factions have had alleged close links to the BNP, and which claims to be focused on UK withdrawal from the EU, doubts must be raised as to the reason for posting this article on the UKIP website.

Such doubts have been raised by UKIP supporters with some incredulous supporters commenting that UKIP might as well announce their merger with the BNP and asking themselves if UKIP really are the BNP.

Indeed, the Chairman of UKIP Wales was so concerned that he wrote to UKIP leader Roger Knapman.

Below is the text of the message:

Roger (Knapman),

I am very concerned to see that 2 out of 3 of our top stories on ukip.org website relate to immigration (and with no reference relating them to the EU).

I am particularly anxious that the main headline refers to "Britain's Non-White population is up 500,000".

I accept it’s a newspaper headline but is it a top story for us? What impression does this give to those who view our site?

I understood that our concern is space not race is this correct?

I hope and trust this is an oversight on someone’s part.

To prevent further embarrassment I think it should be removed or at least placed out of the 'top story' bracket - our Party is experiencing enough problems without adding to them in this way.

Other stories such as EuroPol, Barroso's key note speech to French Parliament (who introduced him as the leading politician in Europe when he is merely head of the Civil service in the EU) and Vice President EU Commissioner Wallstrom's upcoming participation in the 'Sound of Europe' Conference have not been included.

Regards
Richard Suchorzewski
ChairmanUKIPWales