‘Racist populism’ – prominent Ukip youth member quits

Sanya-Jeet Thandi, who has been previously put-up to defend Ukip in television interviews, including on Channel 4 News (see below), wrote in the Guardian that the party is “cynically pursuing ever more aggressive anti-immigrant rhetoric”.

She wrote: “As a British-born Indian supporter of Ukip I should be proud that the party I joined at 18 has grown to challenge the Conservatives and Labour so strongly.

“In reality, however, the direction in which the party is going is terrifying: Ukip has descended into a form of racist populism that I cannot bring myself to vote for. This week I decided to leave the party and I will abstain from voting in the upcoming European elections. I urge other Ukip supporters to do the same.”

Ms Thandi pointed a recent anti-immigration poster campaign as a sign of what she believes is wrong with Ukip.

“This anti-immigrant campaign undermines Ukip’s claim not to be a racist party,” she wrote. “They are turning the election into a game of us and them. Well, I am with them.”

Ukip has been embroiled in a number of scandals about racist and homophobic comments made by candidates, members and a donor.

The party has argued that a small minority have made such comments – and said it is the only party that does not allow former members of the British National Party to join.

But Ms Thandi wrote: “In order to convince society they are not racist they need to stop giving positions in the party to people with racist views. It is not good enough to say that these individuals just slipped through the net, time and time again.

“Yes, Ukip is still a relatively young party. No, that is not an excuse to allow racists to stand for election. Nor is it an excuse to exploit the ignorance in British society and indulge the racist vote by telling them ‘they’ll take your jobs’.

“Sorry Ukip, you’ve lost another vote.”

Ukip said it was “perplexed” by Ms Thandi’s decision, following her endorsement of the party’s immigration policy a week before on Channel 4 News (see video, above).

Ukip Director of Communications Patrick O’Flynn said: “It is perplexing that Sanya could give such a whole-hearted endorsement of the party’s immigration policy one week and then accuse it of pandering to racism the next.

“She is of course fully entitled to change her mind and to belong or not belong to whichever party she chooses. But throwing the term ‘racism’ into the mix so soon after explaining UKIP’s non-racist policy is extremely unfair on UKIP members and supporters and in my view a pretty shabby thing to have done.”

The attack on @GerardBattenMEP‘s house is a direct consequence of the media campaign against UKIP http://t.co/H0yhScJ3cl

— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) May 13, 2014

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has blamed the media for an alleged attack on the home of a Ukip MEP. A brick is reported to have been thrown through the window at the home of Gerard Batten.

Mr Farage tweeted: “The attack on Gerard Batten’s home is a direct consequence of the media campaign against Ukip.”