Advertisement

Former member of anti-Islam group Pegida UK will be Ukip candidate

Poll bid: Anne Marie Waters will stand in Lewisham East
Poll bid: Anne Marie Waters will stand in Lewisham East

A former member of anti-Islam group Pegida UK has been chosen as the Ukip candidate to fight a south London seat.

Anne Marie Waters will fight Labour’s Heidi Alexander for the second time in Lewisham East after the pair went head to head at the last general election.

Ms Waters, director of Sharia Watch UK, sparked outrage when she organised an exhibition of Prophet Mohammed cartoons in 2015.

It was later cancelled on the advice of the Met’s counter-terror detectives.

She has been criticised for past links to Pegida UK. The group was set up by former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson as the British version of German protest group Pegida, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said is “full of prejudice”.

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said in a 2016 radio interview that party members should not associate with Pegida or take part in marches.

When asked last night if she was still in Pegida UK, Ms Waters replied: “No, I’m not”.

In a campaign launch video on YouTube she said “millions of people in Britain are worried about immigration ... Will we accept rape gangs targeting our daughters? No.

"Will we accept violence in the street over cartoons... No.” UKIP said she would “work hard to promote the party and gender equality”.