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Watch: Ukip MEP squares up to Front National founder and Holocaust-denier Jean-Marie Le Pen | Watch: Ukip MEP squares up to Front National founder and Holocaust-denier Jean-Marie Le Pen |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Ukip's immigration spokesman Steven Woolfe has had an angry stand-off with Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France's National Front party. | Ukip's immigration spokesman Steven Woolfe has had an angry stand-off with Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France's National Front party. |
He pushed through Monsieur Le Pen's team as the far-right politician spoke to journalists and photographers in Brussels. | He pushed through Monsieur Le Pen's team as the far-right politician spoke to journalists and photographers in Brussels. |
But as soon as he realised cameras had picked up his rather petulant exchange, Mr Woolfe tried to blame it on a journalist. | But as soon as he realised cameras had picked up his rather petulant exchange, Mr Woolfe tried to blame it on a journalist. |
"I was not pushing you," he told Mr Le Pen, adding: "I was pushing him - the journalist stepped on me," he claimed. | "I was not pushing you," he told Mr Le Pen, adding: "I was pushing him - the journalist stepped on me," he claimed. |
Mr Le Pen, an MEP for south-east France, has never been far away from the headlines. Earlier this month he launched a scathing attack on his daughter, who succeeded him as leader of Front National, the party he led in five French Presidential elections. | |
He said he hoped she would marry soon and change her last name after she suspended him from the anti-immigration party for repeating his view of the Holocaust as a "detail of history". | He said he hoped she would marry soon and change her last name after she suspended him from the anti-immigration party for repeating his view of the Holocaust as a "detail of history". |
Despite their shared anti-immigration and anti-EU stance, Ukip and the French National Front are not allies in the European Parliament. | Despite their shared anti-immigration and anti-EU stance, Ukip and the French National Front are not allies in the European Parliament. |
Ms Le Pen accused Mr Farage of "political dirty tricks" and "media stunts" last summer after she failed to form an official group in the European Parliament. | Ms Le Pen accused Mr Farage of "political dirty tricks" and "media stunts" last summer after she failed to form an official group in the European Parliament. |
Her Front National and its hard-right allies from four other EU countries lost about €22m (£17.6m) in public subsidies when they fell short of the seven nationalities they needed to form a political group in Strasbourg. | Her Front National and its hard-right allies from four other EU countries lost about €22m (£17.6m) in public subsidies when they fell short of the seven nationalities they needed to form a political group in Strasbourg. |