The nasty anti-Semitism now being exposed in the Labour Party has existed for a long time, but is only now really being exposed.

As the leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), I have for years faced smears and accusations levelled at my party because of the odd comment from very junior local officials. Whenever people have said nasty things in UKIP, we have got rid of them.

The Labour Party’s problem is far worse however. Their extremists are not local branch members or parish Councillors. Instead anti-Semitic comments are being made by figures such as the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and the former Mayor of Blackburn Salim Mulla.

Already we hear of elected Labour Councillors being suspended daily, with some estimates that already fifty members have had to be suspended.

I suspect this problem for Labour is just beginning,

For too long the utter hatred entrenched in the hearts of the far-left has been given a free pass. Whilst rightly, the Nazi-loving far-right have been condemned and deemed beyond the pale, those on the fringes who write about Jewish conspiracies and of destroying Israel have been let off the hook.

Many of these sorts of far-left extremists are the activists for groups such as Hope Not Hate, which until a few years ago actually received money from the Department for Communities and Local Government. This group, which seeks to brand itself as “anti-fascist”, is in reality an anti-immigration controls, anti-capitalist organisation ironically funded by some of the world’s richest people.

I, like many UKIP candidates across the country, have had to endure disgusting abuse at the hands of these people. In the run up to last year’s General Election, Hope Not Hate stoked fear, spreading untruths about UKIP, which resulted in our poster boards being smashed up, and in some cases candidates being physically attacked.

In South Thanet we endured abuse for months on end from these hate-filled people.

Amongst their number was Jackie Walker, who regularly shrieked and ranted at myself and UKIP activists whenever given half the opportunity. It was all pretty unpleasant.

https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/727903220530593792

Since the election Jackie Walker has been a big supporter of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. She has taken a senior role on his ‘Momentum’ National Steering Group.

Lo and behold, she herself has just been suspended from the Labour Party for blaming Jewish people for an “African holocaust”, claiming that they are “chief financiers of the slave trade”.

Again, this is not some casual activist. This woman, full of hatred and anger, took a leading role in the Labour leader’s activist organisation.

Whilst it is good for democracy to have seen so many join the Labour Party during their leadership contest, we must now question the type of people who have taken control of the party. Many of them appear to be me to be hard-left, Jew-hating, anti-Israel extremists.

No wonder so many traditional Labour supporters now look at that party and find it is barely recognisable to the one they used to vote for. And no wonder so many are now turning to UKIP as the party fighting for British workers, focused on the issues that matter to them rather than engaging in Labour’s nasty sectarian politics.

Nigel Farage MEP is the leader of the UK Independence Party