Far Right MEP from Swedish Democrat addresses UKIP Scotland meeting

The Sunday Herald draws attention to a UKIP meeting in Scotland in which a far right Swedish MEP was given a platform. 

According to a UKIP Scotland circular to party members, Swedish Democrats MEP, Kristina Winberg, addressed a recent meeting in Edinburgh as a “guest speaker”.

The Swedish Democrats was founded in 1988 by white supremacists and includes a former member of the Waffen SS. Party members have been known to wear Nazi uniforms to meetings before the party introduced a ban in 1995 in an attempt to integrate the universal declaration of human rights into its policies.

Kristina Winberg’s appearance follows a decision by UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, to allow Winberg and fellow Swedish Democrats MEP, Peter Lundgren, to join the Europe of Freedom and Democracy political group after the European Parliament elections in May in which both were elected.

Winberg and Lundgren had written to the Europe of Freedom and Democracy grouping claiming, in relation to their party’s far right past, “We acknowledge and learn from our mistakes”.

A UKIP spokesman insisted that the “party never had a policy of white supremacy or of wearing uniforms.”

The spokesperson further stated that the Swedish Democrats party “has changed dramatically in the last 10 years with a new leader, a new political platform which expelled any extremists and acknowledges past mistakes.”

He added, “The very amiable Kristina Winberg is a member of a moderate patriotic party which is polling at 15% in Sweden.”

Winberg’s attendance at the meeting has been condemned by Christian Allard, a Member of the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish National Party. He stated “This is just another example of the type of party UKIP is – which is exactly why their support is such an embarrassment to the No campaign in the referendum.”