London chairman of Ukip suspended over racist remarks

"Saw red": Paul Wiffen wrote an "angry email" in response to allegations about Ukip being racist
12 April 2012

A leading member of the UK Independence Party has been suspended from his post as London chairman after being accused of posting racist remarks on a magazine's website.

Paul Wiffen, who is campaigning to be MP for Ilford South, spotted an attack on his party on the social work website Community Care.

He was so incensed he fired off a reply saying: "You Left-wing scum are all the same, wanting to hand our birthright to Romanian gypsies who beat their wives and children into begging and stealing money they can gamble with, Muslim nutters who want to kill us and put us all under medieval Sharia law, the same Africans who sold their Afro-Caribbean brothers into a slavery that Britain was the first to abolish."

Mr Wiffen was immediately dropped from his post as chairman of the London region of Ukip.

But he has been allowed to continue campaigning for the Ilford South seat and also for a ward in the Redbridge council elections.

He said: "I was very surprised to see such a party political piece on a website called Community Care, and when I read the lies about Ukip being a racist party, I just saw red, and fired off an angry email. I am truly sorry to anyone who was offended by some of the language I used."

Ukip has also apologised for Mr Wiffen's outburst. A spokesman said : "Ukip is a party of real people, not career politicians. Real people sometimes make mistakes and when they do they should apologise. Both Ukip and Mr Wiffen have apologised."

Mike Gapes, MP for Ilford South, said Ilford did not need BNP-style extremism. Toby Boutle, the Conservative candidate for the area, said if Mr Wiffen made the comments "then he is clearly unfit to run for office". A spokesman for Lib-Dem candidate Anood Al-Samerai said: "I would not wish to see this man standing in Ilford South."

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