Posting on Jo Cox's death, she said it should not cloud judgement over EU

Swastika-covered Vote Leave activist Eva Van Housen (pictured)

Swastika-covered Vote Leave activist Eva Van Housen caused further outrage on Saturday by describing the killing of Jo Cox as an ‘unfortunate’ event that should not stop people voting for Britain to leave the EU.

The Mail on Sunday can also disclose shocking tweets by a neo-Nazi group in support of the MP’s alleged killer, Thomas Mair. The National Action group posted vile messages including, ‘Our thoughts go out to Thomas Mair #Britain-First #JoCoxMP’ and, ‘Don’t let this man’s sacrifice go in vain. #JoCox would have filled Yorkshire with more subhumans.’

The Mail on Sunday revealed earlier this month that Ms Van Housen, who has several tattoos of Nazi symbols, had distributed Vote Leave campaign materials with her boyfriend, a former BNP official, in Leeds.

Commenting on Mrs Cox’s death on Facebook, Ms Van Housen said: ‘Whilst it is unfortunate for this to happen, we must not let this deter us from voting out of the EU… do not let emotions override facts and logic, that is exactly how you fail.’

Accusing the Remain side of exploiting Mrs Cox’s death for political advantage, she said the media was ‘turning her death into a huge attack on the Brexit campaign… [it] has NOT changed any of the FACTS and REASONS as to why we NEED to leave the EU’.

Her boyfriend Mark Collett weighed in: ‘The murder of Labour MP Jo Cox is being used as an emotional tool to attack Vote Leave. This is how desperate the establishment is; they will do or say anything in order to con people into voting to stay in the EU.’ A message left by a supporter under their messages read: ‘The leftist w*****s will use this as a tool to keep the “vote to leave” supporters in.’

Ms Van Housen also compared Mrs Cox’s death to that of pro-EU Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh – she was killed in 2003 on the eve of her country’s vote on joining the single currency.

She forwarded a message on Facebook yesterday saying: ‘In 2003, Sweden was about to vote out of Europe. On September 11, 2003, three days before the vote, pro-euro Anna Lindh was brutally stabbed to death.

‘Debate was suspended in the media and replaced by eulogies for the politician. The polls reversed and Sweden adopted the euro.’ However, the 22-year-old was twisting history. The Swedish people rejected the euro – but the country remains in the EU, as leaving was not the question put in the referendum. Ms Van Housen declined to speak to The Mail on Sunday.

One of the Tweets sent out by the secretive National Action fascist group, accompanied by a picture of alleged killer Thomas Mair

Popular MP Jo Cox died after she was shot three times and stabbed as she arrived for a constituency meeting in Birstall near Leeds. She leaves behind her husband Brendan and two children

Meanwhile, the secretive neo-Nazi group National Action used Twitter to spread their hatred.

One message, next to a cartoon of two dark-skinned apparent terrorists wielding weapons, read: ‘This is the types #JoCox welcomed into our lands. She and her ilk have blood on their hands.’ National Action did not respond to the MoS’s messages.

Another group, the Notts Casual Infidels, caused outrage by linking to a Guardian article about Mrs Cox’s killing with the comment: ‘We knew it was only a matter of time before we take it to the next level. We have been mugged off for Far to [sic] long’.

An unnamed user of the site went on to make vile and inflammatory comments about the newly elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

An allied group, the North West Infidels, were revealed in the MoS exposé to have displayed ‘diversity = white genocide’ banners next to Vote Leave slogans, to have been involved in violent clashes with anti-fascist protesters in Liverpool, and to have links to online hate campaigns. The Notts Infidels have since removed the Facebook post about Mrs Cox and apologised.