Farage sorry for Brexit ‘bullet’ speech a week after Jo Cox murder (VIDEOS)
UKIP leader Nigel Farage has apologized for his choice of words in a Brexit victory speech during which he hailed achieving ‘independence’ from Europe “without a single bullet being fired.”
The right wing politician’s controversial comments come a week after Remain supporter and Labour politician Jo Cox was shot dead in broad daylight in her constituency.
His reference has been branded “insensitive” and “shameful” by some political commentators.
Nigel Farage claims #Brexit victory 'without a single bullet being fired'. Unbelievably insensitive and crass after #JoCox killing.
— Michael Wilkinson (@ThatMichaelW) June 24, 2016
Nigel Farage says #Brexit victory was achieved "without a single bullet being fired". That's a pretty shameful line. #EUref
— Harry Horton (@harry_horton) June 24, 2016
Shouts of "shame" & "that's disgusting" at Remain party when Nigel Farage said Leave had won the #euref "without a shot being fired"
— James Landale (@BBCJLandale) June 24, 2016
As Britain’s decision to vote Leave in the EU referendum became apparent, Farage told supporters that the outcome was a “victory for ordinary people.”
“We have fought against the multinationals, we fought against the big merchant banks, we fought against big politics, we fought against lies, corruption and deceit,” he said.
He added: “And we will have done it without having to fight, without a single bullet being fired.”
Hours later Farage was much less animated when rowing back on his “bullet” comment and apologized for his wording.
“Normally, normally to get independence you have to fight for it. We didn’t have to fight for it, we didn’t have to don khaki but I understand what you’re saying and if that caused any offence, I apologize,” he told reporters in London.
Earlier, Farage indicated a prominent and controversial advert from the official Leave campaign, a group with which he was not involved, was misleading. The ad implied that £350 million a week in funding from the UK to the EU would be earmarked instead for the NHS.
Leave campaign buses had been emblazoned with the funding strategy in the lead up to the referendum which Farage, a long-time Eurosceptic, acknowledged was a “mistake”.
WATCH: Nigel Farage explain it was a 'mistake' for Leave to claim there would be £350M a week for NHS.https://t.co/vHm3vjYuYZ
— Dr Paul Monaghan MP (@_PaulMonaghan) June 24, 2016
Farage said guaranteeing the money for healthcare coffers was “one of the mistakes I think the Leave campaign made.”
Hey @Nigel_Farage & #brexit-if saying £350m will go into NHS is a mistake, DON'T PUT IT ON THE SIDE OF A BLOODY BUS. pic.twitter.com/wLnPvwu1sk
— Paul Wheeler (@fourthlinewing) June 24, 2016