Leave.eu condemned for ‘racist’ slur against Merkel
BREXIT campaign group Leave.eu has come under fire from politicians across the political spectrum over a “racist” and “insulting” advert that called Angela Merkel a “kraut”.
The meme, shared across the group’s online channels, shows the German chancellor with her hand raised aloft in a pose not dissimilar to a Nazi salute.
“We didn’t win two world wars to be pushed around by a kraut,” the attack ad states in large capital letters.
Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, responded in the House of Commons this afternoon, saying he wanted to “entirely dissociate myself from any sort of racist or demeaning language towards Germany… They are our friends, they are our allies, they are a great country.”
The offensive term “kraut” is derived from the traditional Bavarian sauerkraut dish of fermented cabbage, and
‘This demonstrates the depths that Leave.eu will go to as they try and tear our country apart’
was used as derogatory slang to describe German soldiers during the First and Second World Wars.
Independent Group for Change MP Chris Leslie raised the tweet in the chamber, describing it as “frankly racist”, and Tom Brake, the Liberal Democrats’ Brexit spokesman, described the advert as “nothing short of insulting and offensive”.
He added: “This demonstrates the depths that Leave.eu will go to as they try and tear our country apart.”
Labour MP David Lammy apologised to Germany, saying: “Do not be fooled into thinking Leave.eu’s xenophobic bile is representative of the UK.”
Leave.eu confirmed that their account had been reported to Twitter, but the social media site decided there was no breach of its rules. In a defiant retaliation to the furore, they posted a picture of Winston Churchill’s famous V flick in “response to the permanently offended, liberal blue tick brigade”.