London, United Kingdom

An activist group, on Saturday (Jun 29) interrupted a rally speech by Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain’s right-wing Reform UK party, by lowering a banner featuring a “beaming picture” of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

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The incident comes days ahead of the United Kingdom general elections, which will be held on July 4, as candidates are making their final pitch to the voters. 

‘I (heart emoji) Nigel’ banner

The Reform UK party leader was in the middle of his speech at The Columbine Centre in Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex, a county in southeast England when a remote-controlled banner featuring an image of the Russian president was lowered. 

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Farage did not notice the banner with a picture of a beaming Putin giving a thumbs-up with the words “I (heart emoji) Nigel” written below as it was being lowered. 

It wasn’t until some people in the audience began laughing that he saw the banner and said “Who put that up there?” adding, “Someone at the Columbine Centre needs to get the sack.”

The stunt was carried out by an activist group called Led by Donkeys that posted the video of it on their X account with the caption, “We just dropped in on Farage’s election rally with a beaming picture of Putin. Nigel was not pleased.”

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“Nigel Farage says Putin is the world leader he ‘admires the most’ and blames the West for Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,” the group said in the clip referring to a recent statement by the Reform UK leader which drew strong criticism across the British political spectrum.

The audience was heard chanting “Rip it down” before two people tried to pull it down and/or tear it, which did not work. 

Farage’s controversial remarks about Ukraine war

The Reform UK leader is running as a member of parliament (MP) in the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea in his eighth attempt to win a seat in the House of Commons. 

Farage sparked outrage earlier this month when he said that while the conflict in Ukraine is Putin’s fault, the West “provoked this war”. 

Also Read | Woman throws milkshake at Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on first day of campaigning

Speaking at the BBC Panorama show, the Reform UK leader said he had been warning about conflict with Russia since 2014. 

He added that it was the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union that gave Putin “an excuse” to go to war with Ukraine. 

At the time, Home Secretary James Cleverly from the ruling Conservative Party accused Farage of echoing the Russian president’s “vile justification” for the war. 

Meanwhile, the Labour Party, which is expected to win by a landslide margin in the upcoming election branded Farage as “unfit” for any political office.

(With inputs from agencies)