Events in Cologne are very shocking to people unless like me you’ve spent the last 17 years spending part of your time working in Brussels. The women there are sadly now molested regularly in certain districts.

My assistant in the European Parliament has been called a “bitch” and told to “cover up” on multiple occasions. And these are not isolated incidents.

These issues can be difficult to talk about. But perhaps people are starting to wake up.

The response to events in Cologne from the Mayor Henriette Reker amounts to an unconditional German surrender.

German girls in public actually dress and behave more conservatively than in many parts of the United Kingdom. Yet this intimidation from male migrants has led to the suggestion of a new code of conduct for German girls.

It amounts to a very deep insult that will be felt in Germany and right across Europe too.

The problem is very simple: if you let in large numbers of young, male migrants who come from a culture where women are thought of and treated differently, what do you expect?

Some of the migrants were even quoted as saying that Mrs. Merkel had welcomed them. They are of course right, she did. And what a terrible, historic mistake that has proven to have been.

Worse still are the cover-ups involved. The state broadcaster in Germany attempted to hush up events in Cologne and elsewhere. Instead of exposing what has been going on, much of the mainstream media decided to try and sweep it under the carpet instead.

It is all sadly reminiscent of what happened in this country in Rotherham and Rochdale when we saw a cover-up of the abuse and exploitation of young girls.

Sweden has massive problems as well. Swedish Democrats MEP Peter Lundgren has told me: “A Swedish police officer made the connection between Cologne and sexual harassment in Sweden.

“Sweden has a huge problem with sexual assaults and rapes carried out by young male Muslim migrants.

“The same thing happened in the Swedish town of Kalmar as took place in Cologne on New Year’s Eve.

“Indeed shootings, murder and sexual assaults are a regular occurrence in Swedish cities like Malmo.”

We can criticise Sweden and Germany but what about this country? Only this week we’re seeing serious discussion about the changing of the GCSE exam timetables to fit in with Ramadan.

It is clear that the West as a whole lacks cultural confidence. Quite frankly I’m tired of speeches from David Cameron and Theresa May who seek to assert values but do nothing. We get words but very little action.

These shocking scenes in Cologne are not far removed from us here in the United Kingdom. Whilst these men may not have EU passports, they soon will. They will then be free to come to the streets of Britain.

Ultimately this whole question of border controls, identity and security are issues on which the referendum will be determined. We are at a cross-roads as a country and a continent. For the good of our people and our nation, we must leave the European Union and start standing up for our Judeo-Christian heritage.

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Hurrah for Peter Bone

At last somebody has broken the deadlock! Entrenched camps and negative briefings to newspapers and commentators by some people who are supposedly on our side has not been helping the Leave campaign.

But an initiative spearheaded by Peter Bone under the name GO – Grassroots Out – has really sparked some positive activity.

So energetic has Mr. Bone been that he has even invited the Prime Minister to join the organisation in the House of Commons! Not much chance of success there.

But Mr. Bone has signed up the youngest Tory MP in the country Tom Pursglove, Kettering MP Philip Hollobone and Kate Hoey, the Labour MP for Vauxhall.

We will all be sharing the stage at an event in Kettering on January 23rd, chaired by UKIP MEP Margot Parker. You can book tickets here.

It is the first of a big series of genuine cross-party events that will take place. Peter Bone tells me that he has had a very positive reaction in the House of Commons tea room. I have a feeling that this might just take off.

Nigel Farage MEP is leader of the UK Independence Party