'They’re eating our swans in Royal Parks': Farage sparks backlash after false claims about foreigners
The Reform UK leader was pressed by Nick Ferrari at Breakfast to condemn some of the US president's outrageous comments - the latest seeing him link paracetamol to autism
Nigel Farage has bizarrely claimed eastern europeans are "eating swans in Royal Parks" as he failed to criticise Donald Trump's numerous baseless claims.
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The Reform UK leader was pressed by Nick Ferrari at Breakfast to condemn some of the US president's outrageous comments - the latest seeing him link paracetamol to autism.
But Farage declined to denounce his political ally and self-described "friend", insisting there was "some truth" in Trump's claims last year that illegal immigrants from Haiti had been eating domestic pets in a small Ohio city.
Expanding on his defence of that baseless claim, Farage told Ferrari: "If I said to you that Swans were being eaten in royal parks and carps were being taken out of ponds and eaten in this country from people with different cultures. Would you agree that is happening?"
When asked who he believed was doing this, the Clacton MP replied: "People who come from countries where it is acceptable to do so."
Ferrari then pushed him to clarify if he meant "Romanians and eastern Europeans", to which Farage responded: "So I believe. I'm not saying that, I am putting it back as an argument."
There have been no recent reports of Swans being poached from royal parks.
A Royal Parks charity spokesperson said: “We’ve not had any incidents reported to us of people killing or eating swans in London’s eight Royal Parks. Our wildlife officers work closely with the Swan Sanctuary to ensure the welfare of the swans across the parks.”
In 2013, thirteen swans had been found mutilated following a spate of attacks in a central London park.
Royal Parks said most of the swans were found injured rather than dead, leading them to believe that dogs, rather than foxes, were the culprits.
In 2003, Scotland Yard launched an investigation into claims that the Queen's swans were being stolen by gangs of asylum-seekers who cooked and ate them.
However, the Met later said there was no evidence of asylum seekers or people from Eastern Europe being responsible for the reported reductions in the swan population, and no arrests were made.
Videos have been posted online of migrants appearing to fish from community ponds, but it is unclear whether they are breaking any fishing rules and no arrests have been reported.
Similarly, city officials in Springfield, Ohio, said there was “no credible reports" that immigrants in the city were "eating the dogs and cats", as Trump had claimed in September last year.
A month after Trumps' remarks, Farage placed a bet on Ferrari's show that "within the next month or so we will find some evidence of it", adding at the time: "Whenever he says something like this that is absolutely crackers, in the end there always proves to be some truth in it."
On his return to the LBC studio a year later, Ferrari called on the Reform leader to pay up because no evidence had emerged.
But Farage refused, saying: "[I'll give you the £10] If you can prove it hasn't happened."
The Metropolitan Police was unable to comment on Farage's claims.
LBC have approached the Environment Agency for a comment.