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Line 6: \| honorific-suffix = \| image = Gerard Batten.jpg \| caption = ~~Gerard~~ Batten ~~on 5 September~~in 2009 \| office = [[Leader of the UK Independence Party]] \| deputy = [[Mike Hookem]] Line 41: \| death_date = \| death_place = \| party =[[UK Independence Party]] (1993–2019)<br />[[Anti-Federalist League]] (1991–1993) \| website = }} Line 51: ==Political career== Batten was a member of the [[Anti-Federalist League]], an early [[Eurosceptic]] cross-party political alliance from 1992 to 1993.<ref name="GBattenMEP">{{cite web \|url=http://gerardbattenmep.co.uk/about/ \|title=About Gerard Batten \|work=Gerard Batten MEP \|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref> He was one of the founding members of the [[~~United Kingdom~~UK Independence Party]] (UKIP) in 1993,<ref name="Bennett"/> and was its first General Secretary from 1994 to 1997. He has been a member of UKIP's National Executive Committee several times.<ref name="GBattenMEP" /> Batten was first elected as a [[Member of the European Parliament]] in the [[2004 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom\|2004 European Parliamentary Election]] for the [[London (European Parliament constituency)\|London constituency]] on the basis of seeking the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the [[European Union]].<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://gerardbattenmep.co.uk/about/ \|title=About Gerard Batten \|publisher=Gerard Batten MEP \|access-date=20 March 2018}}</ref> Line 68: On 26 April 2006, Batten repeated his call for a parliamentary inquiry. He said: "Former, senior members of the KGB are willing to testify in such an investigation, under the right conditions... It is not acceptable that this situation is unresolved, given the importance of Russia's relations with the European Union."<ref>{{cite web\|last=Batten\|first=Gerard\|date=26 April 2006\|title=2006: Speech in the European Parliament: Romano Prodi\|url=http://www.gerardbattenmep.co.uk/search.php?misc=search&subaction=showfull&id=1146224529&archive=&cnshow=news&start_from=&%5C%22to_date_day%5C%22=&TB=home5\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083202/http://www.gerardbattenmep.co.uk/search.php?misc=search&subaction=showfull&id=1146224529&archive=&cnshow=news&start_from=&%5C%22to_date_day%5C%22=&TB=home5\|archive-date=29 September 2007\|access-date=2006-11-21\|publisher=[[Gerard Batten]] MEP}}</ref> Litvinenko was admitted to hospital with suspected poisoning on 11 November 2006 after eating at a London restaurant, and died on 23 November 2006. The police later concluded he had been poisoned with [[polonium]]; a small dose of which is lethal. Anatoly Trofimov was [[assassinated]] by unknown gunmen in April 2005.{{citation needed\|date=January 2012}} On 22 January 2007, [[BBC News]] and [[ITV News]] released documents and video footage from February 2006 in which Litvinenko made the same allegations against Prodi.<ref>{{cite news \|title='Multiple attempts' on Litvinenko \|work=BBC News \|date=22 January 2007 \|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6285631.stm\|access-date=1 March 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|title=Litvinenko footage emerges \|publisher=ITV News \|date=22 January 2007 \|url=http://www.itv.com/news/index_de20839cb1d32bc0891bbbd13c6a4c1e.html \|access-date=1 March 2007 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929104844/http://www.itv.com/news/index_de20839cb1d32bc0891bbbd13c6a4c1e.html \|archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref> The [[Mitrokhin Commission]], which was established in 2002 and closed in 2006 with a majority and a minority report, without reaching shared conclusions, and without any concrete evidence given to support the original allegations of KGB ties to Italian politicians contained in the [[Mitrokhin Archive]]. Led by the [[Centre-right coalition (Italy)\|centre-right coalition]] majority, it was criticized as politically motivated, as it was focused mainly on allegations against opposition figures.<ref>{{cite web\|last=Stille\|first=Alexander\|date=11 December 2006\|url=<!--http://www.slate.com/id/2155274-->https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2006/12/the-secret-life-of-mario-scaramella.html\|url-status=live\|title=The Secret Life of Mario Scaramella\|website=Slate\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920123906/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2006/12/the_secret_life_of_mario_scaramella.html\|archive-date=20 September 2018\|access-date=19 July 2023}}</ref> In November 2006, the new Italian Parliament with a [[Centre-left coalition (Italy)\|centre-left coalition]] majority instituted a commission to investigate the Mitrokhin Commission for allegations that it was manipulated for political purposes.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://today.reuters.it/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-11-28T141548Z_01_DIG850609_RTRIDST_0_OITTP-COPACO-MITROKHIN.XML~~\|url-status=dead~~\|agency=Reuters\|date=28 November 2006\|access-date=27 July 2023}}{{dead link\|date=April 2019\|bot=InternetArchiveBot\|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> In December 2006, colonel ex-KGB agent Oleg Gordievsky, whom Scaramella claimed as his source, confirmed the accusations made against Scaramella regarding the production of false material relating to Prodi and other Italian politicians,<ref>{{cite news \|date=27 November 2006\|title='Il gruppo della Mitrokhin voleva Prodi e D'Alema' \|url=https://www.repubblica.it/2006/11/sezioni/esteri/putin-spia-avvelenata/intervista-limarev/intervista-limarev.html \|access-date=26 July 2023 \|work=La Repubblica\|language=it}}</ref> and underlined their lack of reliability.<ref>{{cite news\|last1=Bonini\|first1=Carlo\|last2=D'Avanzo\|first2=Giuseppe\|date=7 December 2006 \|title=L'ex spia del Kgb su Scaramella 'Un bugiardo, voleva rovinare Prodi' \|url=https://www.repubblica.it/2006/12/sezioni/esteri/caso-litvinenko-2/scaramella-testa-prodi/scaramella-testa-prodi.html \|access-date=22 July 2023 \|work=La Repubblica\|language=it}}</ref> ===European Union, Ireland and Brexit=== Line 78: In 2006, Batten commissioned a document from [[Sam Solomon]], "A Proposed Charter of Muslim Understanding", which amounts to a proposed code of conduct, including the rejection of passages in the [[Quran\|Qur'an]] that propose "violent physical Jihad", and that should be considered "inapplicable, invalid and non-Islamic". When asked why Muslims should sign up to such a document, he told ''The Guardian''{{'}}s Rowena Mason in February 2014: "Christians aren't blowing people up at the moment, are they?"<ref name="Mason040214">{{cite news \|last=Mason \|first=Rowena \|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/04/ukip-mep-gerard-batten-muslims-sign-charter-rejecting-violence \|title=Ukip MEP says British Muslims should sign charter rejecting violence \|work=The Guardian \|date=4 February 2014 \|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref> Batten participated in the international [[counter-jihad]] conference in Brussels in 2007.,<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://bridge.georgetown.edu/research/factsheet-counter-jihad-movement/\|title=Factsheet: Counter-Jihad Movement\|date=17 September 2020\|work=Bridge Initiative\|publisher=Georgetown University}}</ref> and has been said to have long-standing links with the counter-jihad movement.<ref>{{cite journal\|url=https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/files/192414854/Aked_Jones_Miller_Counterjihad_report_2019.pdf\|last1=Aked\|first1=H.\|last2=Jones\|first2=M.\|last3=Miller\|first3=D.\|year=2019\|title=Islamophobia in Europe: How governments are enabling the far-right 'counter-jihad' movement\|journal=Public Interest Investigations\|publisher=University of Bristol\|page=24}}</ref> In 2008, Batten invited the Dutch [[Party for Freedom]] (PVV) leader and MEP [[Geert Wilders]] to the European Parliament, in an unsuccessful attempt to screen Wilders' film ''[[Fitna (film)\|Fitna]]'' for MEPs.<ref name="Bennett">{{cite news\|last=Bennett\|first=Asa\|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/21/gerard-batten-ukip_n_5350598.html\|title=Meet Gerard Batten, The UKIP MEP Scare-Mongering About Islam, Immigrants And Bilderberg\|work=Huffington Post UK\|date=21 May 2014\|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="Waterfield">{{cite news\|last1=Waterfield\|first1=Bruno\|last2=Bingham\|first2=John\|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4603182/Dutch-anti-Muslim-politician-turned-away-from-Britain-at-Heathrow.html\|title=Dutch anti-Muslim politician turned away from Britain at Heathrow\|work=The Telegraph\|date=13 February 2009\|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref> According to Batten in ''[[The Freedom Association#Publications\|Freedom Today]]'', Wilders "is a brave man trying to defend western civilisation in the face of its own loss of the most basic instinct of self-preservation".<ref>{{cite news\|url=https://politicalscrapbook.net/2013/11/nigel-farage-rejects-extremists-courted-by-his-ukip-mep-colleaguge-geert-wilders-gerard-batten/\|title=Farage Rejects Far-right Extremists Courted by His UKIP MEP Colleague\|work=Political Scrapbook\|date=15 November 2013\|access-date=14 February 2018\|archive-date=14 February 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214202808/https://politicalscrapbook.net/2013/11/nigel-farage-rejects-extremists-courted-by-his-ukip-mep-colleaguge-geert-wilders-gerard-batten/\|url-status=dead}}</ref> When Wilders was refused entry to the UK at [[Heathrow Airport]] in 2009, following an invitation from the UKIP peer <!-- Pearson only became party leader later in that year -->[[Malcolm Pearson, Baron Pearson of Rannoch\|Lord Pearson]] for Wilders to screen his film to members of the [[House of Lords]],<ref>{{cite news \|last=Charter \|first=David \|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/banned-dutch-mp-geert-wilders-hits-out-at-cowards-after-being-sent-back-9ngrzxw8ln9 \|title=Banned Dutch MP Geert Wilders hits out at 'cowards' after being sent back \|work=The Times \|date=13 February 2009 \|access-date=14 February 2018}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Batten said: "We can't do anything about murderers, rapists and paedophiles coming from the EU but they will stop a democratically elected politician from the EU talking about the sources of terrorism."<ref name="Waterfield"/> In a 2010 video, Batten said that no further mosques should be built in British cities,<ref name="Mason050214">{{cite news \|last=Mason \|first=Rowena \|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/05/tory-mp-ukip-muslim-code-conduct-frightening-halfon-batten \|title=Tory MP says Ukip politician's call for Muslim code of conduct is frightening \|work=[[The Guardian]] \|date=5 February 2014 \|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref> and thought the existence of "two incompatible systems living in the same place at the same time" was a threat.<ref name="Mason040214"/> In 2011, Batten circulated a draft four-page document entitled "Confidential draft – Dismantling Multiculturalism" to [[Christian Concern]], a lobby group. He wrote: "Islamic fundamentalism is the cuckoo in the western multicultural nest. We can either address it now or be destroyed by it in the course of time." The document advocates repealing "the act of parliament that gives exception for ritual slaughter for religious reasons" and any law which "gives official recognition to Islamic banking". The [[HM Treasury\|Treasury]] told ''[[The Guardian]]'' that no UK legislation mentions any such financial service.<ref name="Syal">{{cite news \|last1=Syal \|first1=Rajeev \|last2=Mason \|first2=Rowena \|last3=Foggo \|first3=Daniel \|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/05/ukip-batten-muslims-halal-banned \|title=Ukip MEP who supported Muslim code of conduct urged halal slaughter ban \|work=The Guardian \|date=5 February 2014 \|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref> When asked about the document in 2014, Batten called it "a rough draft which I would like to publish in due course but it's not one of my priorities at the moment. You can't hold me to anything in it."<ref name="Syal"/> In 2018, at a rally of protesters demanding the release of [[Tommy Robinson]], Batten described Muhammad as "a paedophile who kept sex slaves"<ref>{{cite news \|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/gerard-batten-ukip-mohamed-paedophile-tommy-robinson-protests-muslims-a8447741.html \|title=Ukip leader Gerard Batten calls Muhammad a paedophile at Tommy Robinson rally \|date=15 July 2018 \|work=[[The Independent]] }}</ref> and, in an interview with [[Sky News]], said that Muslim ideology [[History of concubinage in the Muslim world\|legitimised sex slaves]].<ref>{{cite news \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oMliI6rkFI \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/5oMliI6rkFI \|archive-date=2021-12-22 \|url-status=live\|title=UKIP leader Gerard Batten: Muslim ideology legitimises sex slaves \|work=Sky News }}{{cbignore}}</ref> ===Complaint of censorship === In 2018, Batten was featured in the [[Channel 4]] documentary ''Carry on Brussels: Inside the EU''. A reviewer from ''The Guardian'' said the high point of the programme was the scene in which he left the European Parliament chamber, complaining of being censored because his microphone had been cut off. Others ~~argue~~point out that he had overrun the allocated time for speeches.<ref>{{cite news \|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/may/19/carry-on-brussels-brexit \|title=Carry on Brussels – why televised Brexit is boring as hell \|date=19 May 2018 \|work=The Guardian}}</ref> ==UKIP leadership (2018–2019)== Line 97: In June 2018, Batten attempted to broaden the party's appeal by allowing three controversial online political figures to join the party: [[Carl Benjamin]], [[Mark Meechan]] and [[Paul Joseph Watson]]. Watson worked for the conspiracist [[InfoWars]] website, Benjamin had tweeted that he "would not even rape" Labour politician [[Jess Phillips]] and Meechan, known online as "Count Dankula", released a video showing him teaching his girlfriend's dog how to raise its paw in the manner of a [[Nazi salute]], and to react to the phrase "Do you wanna gas the Jews?". The presence of the three led to criticism from antiracist groups.<ref>{{cite news \|title=Is there life in UKIP yet? \|url=https://www.theweek.co.uk/94645/is-there-life-in-ukip-yet \|work=The Week UK \|date=28 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|last=Norton \|first=Oliver \|date=20 April 2016 \|title=Shocking video shows man training 'Hitler dog' to perform a Nazi salute \|work=Mirror Online \|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/outrage-man-trains-hitler-dog-7792702 \|access-date=28 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|date=23 April 2016 \|title=Video of man teaching dog Nazi salute meets outrage \|work=Times of Israel \|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/video-of-man-teaching-dog-nazi-salute-meets-outrage/ \|access-date=28 April 2018}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite news \|last=Wootson \|first=Cleve R Jr \|date=12 September 2017 \|title=This video showed a Nazi-saluting dog. Was posting it on YouTube a hate crime? \|newspaper=Washington Post \|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/09/12/this-video-showed-a-nazi-saluting-dog-was-posting-it-on-youtube-a-hate-crime/ \|access-date=24 March 2018 \|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news \|date=12 September 2017 \|title=Hate crime trial of YouTube user over video of dog 'taught to do Nazi salute' \|work=The Telegraph \|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/12/hate-crime-trial-youtube-user-video-dog-taught-do-nazi-salute/ \|access-date=24 March 2018 \|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> In November 2018, Batten appointed anti-Islam activist [[~~Tommy Robinson (activist)\|~~Tommy Robinson]] as his adviser on matters including [[Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal\|'rape gangs']] and prisons.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite news \|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46308160 \|title=UKIP leader defends hiring Tommy Robinson \|date=23 November 2018 \|work=BBC News}}</ref> The appointment was strongly criticised by [[Nigel Farage]], who indicated an intention to seek a vote of no confidence in Batten.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> In response to the appointment, Farage along with many other UKIP MEPs resigned from the party in the following weeks, forcing Batten to withdraw UKIP support for the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy alliance with their MEP representation being reduced to 9 from a peak of 24 MEPs in 2014.<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/uk-independence-party/nigel-farage/news/100404/ukip-boss-gerard-batten \|title=Ukip boss Gerard Batten quits EU group after fresh attack from Nigel Farage \|date=7 December 2018 \|website=PoliticsHome.com \|access-date=7 December 2018}}</ref> Farage left saying: "Many UKIP members – including UKIP's NEC – urged that Robinson should not become an advisor to Batten. Sadly, these pleas fell on deaf ears." Farage likened UKIP under Batten to the [[British National Party]].<ref>{{cite news \|last1=Embury-Dennis \|first1=Tom \|title=Nigel Farage quits Ukip \|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-quit-ukip-tommy-robinson-party-brexit-politics-resignation-leader-a8667311.html \|work=The Independent \|date=4 December 2018}}</ref> Another MEP, former leader [[Paul Nuttall]] left calling the appointment of Robinson "catastrophic".<ref>{{cite news \|title=Ex-Ukip leader quits in protest at 'catastrophic' appointment of Tommy Robinson as adviser \|url=https://www.itv.com/news/2018-12-07/ex-ukip-leader-quits-in-protest-at-partys-direction/ \|publisher=ITV News \|date=7 December 2018}}</ref> In January 2019, Farage founded the [[Brexit Party]], and in February, established it in the European Parliament, with nine MEPs who had left UKIP joining the party: himself, [[Tim Aker]], [[Jonathan Bullock]], [[David Coburn (politician)\|David Coburn]], [[Bill Etheridge]], [[Nathan Gill]], [[Diane James]], [[Paul Nuttall]] and [[Julia Reid]]. Line 389: [[Category:1954 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:UKBritish ~~Independence~~critics ~~Party~~of ~~parliamentary candidates~~Islam]] [[Category:British Eurosceptics]] [[Category:British Telecom people]] [[Category:UKBritish ~~Independence~~counter-jihad ~~Party MEPs~~activists]] [[Category:Leaders of the UK Independence Party]] [[Category:MEPs for England 2004–2009]] [[Category:MEPs for England 2009–2014]] [[Category:MEPs for England 2014–2019]] [[Category:~~Counter~~Right-~~jihad~~wing ~~activists~~populists in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:~~British~~UK ~~critics~~Independence ofParty ~~Islam~~MEPs]] [[Category:~~British~~UK ~~Eurosceptics~~Independence Party parliamentary candidates]]