Police are looking into allegations against Nigel Farage after he told a crowd in Newport “we’ll take a knife” to “pen-pushers” in Whitehall.
Gwent Police have responded to dozens of concerned Twitter users who have reported Farage’s comments, thanking them for getting in touch and telling them: “We have been made aware of comments made last night in Newport and we are looking into these allegations.”
Despite reports that the speech took place last night, it is believed that the comments were made a week ago during the Brexit Party’s stop in South Wales on their ‘We Are Ready’ tour around the UK, reported the South Wales Argus.
A new argument broke out over Farage’s language on Saturday morning, however, when several videos showing part of his speech were posted onto social media and quickly gained traction, with many saying his words amounted to inciting violence.
The video shows Farage describing civil servants as “overpaid penpushers in Whitehall who are not doing a neutral job.”
He continues: “And once Brexit is done, we’ll take the knife to them. Had enough of all of it.”
HuffPost UK have approached Nigel Farage for comment, and have attempted to contact Gwent Police – who confirmed they were looking into the allegations via Twitter – for an official statement.
Alliance Party MEP Naomi Long said Farage’s comments ammounted to “a clear incitement to violence” against civil service staff, and asked the Met Police to investigate.
The outcry over Farage’s turn of phrase comes just days after a row broke out around the Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s dismissal of MPs pleas to tone down his language as “humbug”.
Labour MP Paula Sherriff addressed Johnson directly in the House of Commons on Wednesday urging him to stop using phrases such as “surrender” and “betrayal”, which she claimed had been echoed in death threats made against MPs.