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Nigel Farage tells audience member to 'calm down' when asked about his 'scaremongering' on refugees

The Ukip leader was asked to explain his suggestion that women could be at risk of sex attaks from reugees if Britons vote to stay in the EU

Samuel Osborne
Tuesday 07 June 2016 21:21 BST
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Nigel Farage tells audience member to calm down after calling him out on scaremongering

Nigel Farage told an audience member to "calm down" when she asked him a question about immigration during a debate on the EU Referendum.

Mr Farage's response came as an audience member asked him to explain his suggestion that women could be at risk of sex attacks from refugees if Britons vote to stay in the EU.

The audience member asked: "How can you have the audacity to use such blatant scaremongering tactics or the Leave campaign?

"In light of the recent horrific sexual assaults in Germany, you have basically suggested that a vote to Remain is a vote for British women to be subdued to the same horrific assaults."

Mr Farage replied: "Just calm down there, a little bit alright?

He said: "Because... sometimes in life what it says at the top of a newspaper page and what you've actually said can be slightly different things.

"Look, I'm used to being demonised because I've taken on the establishment.

"When I first suggested we should have an Australian-style points system, you'd think I'd said something dreadful. And now I'm pleased to say lots of people are saying it.

He added: "What I said about Cologne was that it's a huge issue in Germany. It's a huge issue in Sweden. I think Angela Merkel has made a big mistake by saying 'please anyone come', and what's happened is a very large number of young, single, males, have settled in Germany and Sweden who come from cultures where attitudes towards women are different.

"I haven't scaremongered in any way at all."

The Ukip leader was criticised by a fellow Brexit campaigner earlier this week for "outrageous blatant scaremongering" over his suggestion women could be at risk of sex attacks from refugees if Britain stays in the EU.

Mr Farage had said the possibility of such attacks in the UK will be "the nuclear bomb" of the referendum campaign.

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