The police have been praised by Gawain Towler after arresting a man who threatened to “shoot” Nigel Farage in the head.
Speaking to GB News, the former Director of Communications for Reform UK declared “at long last” the authorities are taking a threat “seriously”.
Police arrested a man on Tuesday for threatening to kill the Reform leader just days after the tragic killing of former MP Ann Widdecombe, GB News understands.
The suspect described himself as a “terrorist” on social media and warned Mr Farage: “I am going to shoot you in the head if you win.”
Reacting to the arrest, Mr Towler told GB News: “It’s a damning indictment on current society, modern society, and such a thing is needed.
“I think it’s extremely sad, but it is needed. Nigel is somebody who gets a great deal of death threats.
“We heard about this arrest today, and only last year, Afghan immigrant Fayaz Khan was sent down for five years for threatening to kill Farage.”
Mr Towler stressed: “This is not new. This isn’t news. It’s astonishing that it takes so long. It’s astonishing that it’s taken the murder of a friend for people to start taking it seriously.”
Gawain Towler has praised the police for taking a threat against Nigel Farage ‘seriously’
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GB NEWS / PA
Mr Towler suggested that there may be more arrests in future as “at long last” a threat against Mr Farage has been “taken seriously”.
He told GB News: “The guy didn’t get sent down for five years for nothing, and there will probably be more arrests, because at long last the authorities are taking things seriously.
“And what Zia Yusuf has said is absolutely right, though sad.”
Mr Towler pointed to another member of Parliament who he believes is also at great risk of threat, naming Green leader Zack Polanski.
The arrest comes within a week of the tragic killing of Ann Widdecombe – a political ally of Nigel Farage | PA
He said: “He is no doubt somebody who would be on a threat register. I don’t agree with a word he says, but I’m sure the things he believes in cause people to wish him harm.
“And he too deserves as much protection as anybody else, and I think it’s important to think a little bit beyond the box.”
Mr Towler argued that people must recognise that “people of all parties get threats”.
He told GB News: “People joke about the Mayor of London’s armoured Land Rover, but sadly, sadly, it’s something that is necessary in the modern world. He gets an awful lot of threats too.
“So we must be bipartisan about this, we must be specific about this and recognise that people of all parties get these threats.
“And let’s be honest about this, women get it harder than men because men get stuff for their politics, women also get sexual violence thrown into the mix.”
Mr Towler told GB News that people must recognise that ‘all people from all parties get threats’
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GB NEWS
Mr Towler concluded that free speech is “not there for people to whip up hatred against individuals”.
He said: “I wish we were in a society where these permanent threats to our leading politicians and not so leading politicians were not in extent, but they are extent. They do exist.
“I’ve received dozens of death threats over the last couple of years, dozens and dozens these days, mostly from the right actually, rather than from the left. But one does have to have a thick skin, and Ann Widdecombe herself did make it very, very clear, freedom of speech is sacrosanct and paramount.
“But freedom of speech isn’t there so you can whip up hatred against individuals and support the creation of the biosphere, the ecosphere, where violent acts can take place.”