Press Release: For Immediate Release, Tuesday 6^th January 2004

Duff attacks UKIP justification for letter bombs

Andrew Duff, Liberal Democrat MEP for the East of England, has reacted strongly against the suggestions from the UK Independence Party that the terrorist attacks on EU political personalities is a result of a lack of democracy.

In a statement today Mr Duff said:

‘UKIP representatives have shown the highest contempt for strengthening the constitutional legitimacy of the European Union. They hate and fear the growing strength and effectiveness of the European Parliament. They are wholly misguided, but they are entitled to their view.

'What is inexcusable is to seek to justify the pathetic efforts of Italian anarchists to maim Romano Prodi and other civilians.

'If UKIP sinks to the level of ETA and the IRA decent people will know what to do with their candidates in this June's forthcoming European Parliamentary elections. All decent people will reject these English ultra-nationalists and their sinister undertones'.

ENDS/...

Notes to Editors, the following is the text of the UKIP Press release issued earlier today.

For Immediate Release 6th January 2004

Letter bombs and diminished democracy prove UKIP prediction correct

The U.K. Independence Party said today that the spate of letter bombs sent to leading European Union politicians were the price of forcing a political ideal on people without giving them a choice.

The Party said that it had been warning for over 10 years that the absence of democracy within the European Union, and the failure to give people a choice as to whether they wished to participate or not, would end in civil unrest and violence.

U.K. Independence Party MEP Nigel Farage said that this prediction was now coming true, and that while the party deplored the bombs, it could understand the reasons behind them.

Mr Farage said, We have spent 10 years warning that the route the European Union has chosen for itself, to swallow up nation states without giving the people of Europe the final say, was destined to end in civil unrest and violence. It would appear that that prediction is now coming true.

We can only hope that the EU comes to its senses and listens to the people. If it fails to do so, then there is clearly a very real danger of an accelerating wave of attacks as more and more extremist groups resort to violence as they are denied democracy. ENDS