Current Affairs

Stonewall slams gay UKIP MEP over ‘equality Nazis’ jibe

Oct 30 2014
Written by Scott Roberts

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

Britain’s largest gay rights charity has criticised UKIP MEP David Coburn for branding the supporters of same-sex marriage “equality Nazis”.

Mr Coburn, who is UKIP’s most prominent gay politician but opposes same-sex marriage, made the remarks to the Huffington Post.

He said same-sex marriage was “false bollocks” that “makes a mockery of the holy sacrament of marriage”.

The MEP claimed the reform only matters to “some queen who wants to dress up in a bridal frock and dance up the aisle to the Village People”.

Mr Coburn revealed that gay rights charity Stonewall had “very kindly” invited him to meet for lunch as “they understand that we may well be the government of the country in six months”.

Asked if he thought the charity wanted to “butter him up” and change his anti-same-sex marriage views, Mr Coburn replied: “I’m sure they do, or take me to leather bars and give me lots of drinks”.

Mr Coburn defended UKIP’s decision to keep its grouping together in the European Parliament by teaming with Polish politician Robert Iwaszkiewicz, who has joked about domestic violence and has praised Adolf Hitler’s tax policy.

“We will use whatever means possible to get ourselves out of the EU,” Mr Coburn admitted, including “getting into bed with people who you might not want to take home to see Mum”.

Richard Lane, Media Manager at Stonewall told PinkNews: “It’s more than a little ironic for David Coburn to call supporters of equality ‘Nazis’ given that just last week UKIP MEPs invited a man who’s defended Hitler to partner with them in the European Parliament.”

Stonewall Chief Executive Ruth Hunt also tweeted her dismay at Mr Coburn’s latest remarks.

Serious points more readily understood @DavidCoburnUKip when not couched in offensive comments about women. Or gay people. Is my hunch.

— Ruth Hunt (@ruth_hunt) October 30, 2014

Mr Iwaszkiewicz is a member of the fringe Kongres Nowej Prawicy (Congress of the New Right) party, which is strongly opposed to the recognition of same-sex marriage, and pledges to “Recognise the family, understood as a union between a woman and a man, as the basis of social life”.