Nigel Farage’s alignment with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones during a controversial interview has sparked intense debate about free speech and political correctness. Here’s the full story.
New Low for Farage
In a surprising new low for a political figure whose political career is riddled with increasingly lower lows, a 2018 Alex Jones interview has resurfaced in which Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, appears to agree with the US far-right conspiracy theorist that the parents of the murdered Sandy Hook children were fascists intent on destroying free speech.
Interview After Legal Action
The interview took place shortly after the parents of the Sandy Hook school shooting victims took legal action against Jones for his incendiary claims that the massacre was a hoax and that the parents were “crisis actors,” a conspiracy term for a person who pretends to be the victim of a tragedy to influence public opinion.
Farage Aligned With Jones
During the interview, Farage seemingly aligned himself with Jones’s views on free speech, implying that left-wing efforts to suppress such speech were tantamount to fascism, stating, “the liberals have become the very fascists that they try and criticise with their rhetoric.”
Sandy Hook Tragedy
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which took place in December 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut, resulted in the tragic deaths of 26 individuals, including 20 children, and remains one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.
Jones’s False Narrative
In the aftermath, Alex Jones propagated the false narrative that the incident was a “false flag” operation, leading to significant distress for the victims’ families, who subsequently pursued defamation lawsuits against him.
Jones’s Legal Consequences
Jones’s actions and comments were not only hurtful, damaging and insane but also legally consequential, culminating in a court order for him to pay $1.5 billion in damages.
Farage Didn’t Challenge
During the 2018 interview, Farage did not challenge Jones’s disparaging remarks about the Sandy Hook lawsuits, instead focusing on a perceived attack on free speech by the political left.
Jones Complained About Left
Jones complained that the “left is trying to bully it [free speech] out of existence,” adding, “They [Sandy Hook parents] have filed 15 frivolous lawsuits on me now. More came in today. The lawyers see it, they’re total frauds, they’re overturned as fast as they come in. But they are so authoritarian, the left is so authoritarian.”
Farage’s Fascist Comment
Farage responded with his comment about the liberals becoming fascists, seemingly lumping the Sandy Hook parents in with that descriptor, adding, “If we can resist this politically correct charge, this attempt to stop us thinking and speaking freely, if we can resist that, then our victory actually will be complete.”
Not Isolated Incident
Farage’s appearance on Jones’s show was not an isolated incident. He has been featured on Infowars multiple times, discussing various conspiracy theories and using terms like “globalists” and “new world order,” which are often used in the antisemitic conspiracy theories which Jones used to rile up his audience.
Engaging With Fringe Views
Farage’s engagement with figures like Jones and his recent praise for controversial personalities like Andrew Tate has further highlighted his willingness to entertain and promote fringe views in his constant drive for media attention.
Praise for Andrew Tate
For instance, he described Tate, a misogynist internet personality who was banned from most mainstream social media platforms and who is currently on trial in Romania for sex trafficking and other offences, as an “important voice” for the “emasculated” young men he is so popular with, adding that Tate was only attempting to defend “male culture.”
Farage on Ukraine
Farage’s controversial views extended beyond free speech and domestic politics, as he recently made headlines with his assertion that the West had provoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a stance that drew sharp criticism from across the political spectrum in the UK.
Far-Right Victim Politics
Farage, along with others who peddle in far-right victim politics, often defend free speech alongside a vehement opposition to political correctness, which critics argue frequently undermines their credibility and aligns them with extremists, who are all too happy to promote extremist views in an attempt to reach those who often feel marginalised by mainstream political voices.
Farage’s Spokesperson Defends
Despite these controversies, Farage’s spokesperson defended his actions, suggesting that Farage was “not even sure he was even aware of Sandy Hook” at the time of the interview. The Sandy Hook massacre and the parent’s subsequent legal action against Jones was widely covered by mainstream media and famously led then-President Barack Obama to break down talking about it in a news conference in 2016.
Guardian Barrel-Scraping
When asked about the interview by the Guardian, Farage’s spokesperson added, “The Guardian are scraping the barrel with this one. Perhaps its journalists have nothing better to do than sit through countless hours of interview footage to find very little.”
Controversy’s Election Impact
Despite the outcry over Farage’s statements, it remains to be seen if the most recent controversy to engulf Farage, one of many in the last few weeks, will affect his chances of being elected on polling day.
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