Crowborough UKIP election candidate in holocaust storm

A UK Independence Party candidate in East Sussex has denied the holocaust, claiming World War Two was engineered by Zionists hoping to create the state of Israel.

Anna-Marie Crampton is representing the eurosceptic party in Crowborough for the East Sussex County Council elections.

But, with polling day just a week away, groups have reacted angrily after a website entry in her name claimed World War Two was financed by Jewish “banksters” to make the world feel guilty.

A further comment said: “It was thanks to them that six million Jews were murdered in the war along with 26 million Russians.”

Sam Westrop, director of Stand for Peace, a leading Jewish-Muslim interfaith organisation, said: “Time after time, conspiracy and anti-Zionist sentiment is revealed to be nothing more than thinly-veiled anti-Semitism.

“UKIP, to its credit, has expelled extremist and bigoted members in the past.

“They must also expel Anna-Marie Crampton. Such hatred must be fought at all times.”

The comments were made in Ms Crampton’s name on an article titled “Was Pope Benedict fired by the Knights of Malta?” on an external website called Secrets of The Fed.

The entry said: “The Rothschilds are Zionists. There is a difference between Jews and Zionists.

“These psychopaths hide behind and use the Jews.

“It was thanks to them that six million Jews were murdered in the War along with 26 million Russians.”

'Tired of being lied to"

The Facebook account, from which the comments were made, also separately shows pictures of her wearing a party rosette while stood next to UKIP leader Nigel Farage.

Also on the profile, which claims to be verified by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg, is the statement: “I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I am a conscious, aware, critical thinker and tired of being lied to. Are you?!”

Despite numerous attempts to contact her, Ms Crampton, of Southview Road, Crowborough, was not available to comment yesterday.

She is standing for the party in the traditionally Conservative area alongside prominent UKIP member Sonia Finch.

A spokesman for UKIP said it would not be appropriate to comment until he had contacted Ms Crampton.

Manchester-based researcher Colin Cortbus, who contacted The Argus about the comments, said: "Anna Marie Crampton has revealed herself to be a repulsive anti-semite, who tramples upon history and truth with her baseless, long-discredited fabrications.

"Her use of the long discredited Protocols of the Elders of Zion, used by the Nazis as a cornerstone of their racist indoctrination programmes and as school textbooks, shows that she will stop at nothing to push her racist agenda. UKIP should be utterly ashamed of her."

Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany, France, Poland, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria and Lithuania.

The Argus: