Meet Jewish MEP candidates standing for the Brexit Party in London
Candidates Simon Marcus and Lance Forman are standing for the Brexit Party in this month’s European elections
Simon Marcus and Lance Forman are among the Jewish candidates representing the Brexit Party in this month’s European elections.
Lance Forman, 56, the owner of salmon curing company H Forman & Son, was a Conservative supporter before he joined the Brexit Party.
But he was inspired to jump ship after Theresa May invited Jeremy Corbyn for cross-party Brexit talks.
“For me it it was when Theresa May invited Corbyn into No.10 Downing Street to discuss the future of Europe and I find that such a stomach churning experience,” he told Jewish News.
Forman discussed perceived economic benefits of leaving the EU and said his salmon curing business exports mostly to the US and Hong Kong.
“My American customers pay [a tax] on our products. Business isn’t always about price. It’s about culture too.”
Forman expressed concern about the rise of antisemitism and said he cancelled a press conference in Peterborough on Thursday, after he discovered a 30ft swastika sprayed on his business headquarters.
“Corbyn’s allowed antisemitism to fester, not only in the Labour Party but also in the UK. People feel empowered and it’s because of Jeremy Corbyn,” he said.
But when challenged about accusations of antisemitism against his party leader Farage, he said that he would not be a member of the party if he suspected the claims to be true.
“I am not the dumb Jewish idiot. I would like to think I am a least more intelligent than that,” he said.
“As a Jewish person, I am quite Orthodox, and my father was a Holocaust survivor.
“I have a very sensitive antenna. I have never sensed that with Farage. While with [Jeremy] Corbyn I sense it extraordinarily strongly.”
But The Guardian revealed on Wednesday that Farage appeared on US talk show InfoWars and referred to “globalists” and a “new world order.”
When asked about the talk-show appearances, Forman said: “Just because you go on a programme does not mean you agree with their views at all.”
“When people talk about globalists, this has nothing to do with antisemitism,” he said. “This is about big multinational companies taking over the world.”
“I agree there’s a problem with globalists. The problem is with bureaucrats in the EU,” he added.
Candidate Simon Marcus, 46, was also a Conservative supporter before he joined the Brexit Party.
He stood for the Conservatives in London’s Hampstead and Kilburn constituency in the 2015 general election.
He joined the Brexit Party over the government’s handling of Brexit. “Like so many people, I was appalled by the way Brexit has been dealt with,” he said.
Marcus, who co-founded the charity London Boxing Academy with a business partner, said he seeks to campaign for Brexit from Brussels.
“We want to send a message to an out-of-touch Westminster elite who are doing their best to undermine the will of the people,” he said.
He also dismissed concerns about allegations of antisemitism against Nigel Farage and added that neither Farage nor himself espouse anti-migrant rhetoric.
Read more: Change UK hopeful Karen Newman: ‘Jews know better than most what immigrants do’
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