Hope Not Hate sues Nigel Farage for libel
Anti-fascist charity sues former Ukip leader after he called the group 'violent and very undemocratic'

Anti-fascist campaigners Hope Not Hate has taken legal action against former Ukip leader Nigel Farage after he accused the group of "pursuing violent and very undemocratic means".
Lawyers working with the advocacy group have filed a libel claim in the High Court seeking damages of up to £100,000 for what the group describes as "reputational harm and an injunction to restrain Mr Farage from repeating his lies".
Farage made the comments on the Nick Ferrari at Breakfast programme on LBC radio in December 2016, a day after a terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Farage had tweeted that the attack, which left 12 people dead and 48 injured, was "no surprise", and that such attacks would be German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s "legacy".
After criticism for his comments surfaced on Twitter from Brendan Cox, the husband of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox, Farage claimed to Ferrari that "of course he would know more about extremists than me, Mr Cox. He backs organisations like Hope not Hate who masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means."
On 20 December, Hope Not Hate demanded a retraction and a formal apology from Farage, threatening legal action if their demands were not met.
After instigating legal proceedings on Friday, Nick Lowles, chief executive of Hope Not Hate, said: "This case is not about money. It’s about Hope not Hate saying no more to Nigel Farage’s fake news.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"We are an avowedly peaceful organisation and Nigel Farage’s lies are deeply damaging to the vital work we do bringing communities together across cultural and religious divides.
"We will not allow them to peddle this lie to the people of Britain."
The lawsuit was financed by more than 14,000 supporters through a crowdfunding campaign, and was timed in conjunction with Hope Not Hate's campaign "to stop Farage and his rightwing support base from making such statements in the runup to the general election", writes The Guardian.
-
Is New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s plan for free buses realistic?
Talking Points A transit innovation or a costly mistake
-
5 side hustle ideas to supplement your budget
the explainer Almost two-thirds of Americans are looking to get a second job in the next year
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strong
Talking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rights
The Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain
-
Does Reform have a Russia problem?
Talking Point Nigel Farage is ‘in bed with Putin’, claims Rachel Reeves, after party’s former leader in Wales pleaded guilty to taking bribes from the Kremlin
-
The Liberal Democrats: on the march?
Talking Point After winning their highest number of seats in 2024, can the Lib Dems marry ‘stunts’ with a ‘more focused electoral strategy’?
-
Is Britain turning into ‘Trump’s America’?
Today’s Big Question Direction of UK politics reflects influence and funding from across the pond
-
Behind the ‘Boriswave’: Farage plans to scrap indefinite leave to remain
The Explainer The problem of the post-Brexit immigration surge – and Reform’s radical solution
-
What difference will the 'historic' UK-Germany treaty make?
Today's Big Question Europe's two biggest economies sign first treaty since WWII, underscoring 'triangle alliance' with France amid growing Russian threat and US distance
-
Is the G7 still relevant?
Talking Point Donald Trump's early departure cast a shadow over this week's meeting of the world's major democracies