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Brexit voters say they felt ‘ashamed’ after seeing ‘offensive’ Leave.EU’s Angela Merkel tweet
Nick Ferrari on LBC Radio (Photograph: LBC) - Credit: Archant
Brexit voters have said they felt 'ashamed' after seeing Leave.EU's 'offensive' tweet about Angela Merkel.
The tweet, which the pro-Brexit group eventually apologised for, was criticised by politicians across the political divide including Vote Leave conveyor Michael Gove.
After the post was seen hundreds of thousands of times #NotInMyName started to trend on Twitter - with Brexiteers also criticising the post.
Leave-backing radio presenter Nick Ferrari was one of those that said the Twitter post was "offensive".
The LBC broadcaster said that he was a "reluctant" leave voter, and the post made him almost "embarrassed to have voted Leave".
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He said: "I was a reluctant Leave voter. I did not wake up every morning wanting to stick it to Jean-Claude Juncker and Brussels. I just felt it was going in the wrong direction.
"But when I see the poster that was put out by Leave.EU in which they refer to Germans as Krauts and also manages to choose a picture of Angela Merkel almost giving the Hitler salute.
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"Do you know what, it almost makes me embarrassed to have voted Leave.
"That is exactly the sentiment that I despise."
MORE: Leave.EU slammed for 'xenophobic bile' about Angela Merkel
MORE: Leave.EU apologises for 'xenophobic' tweet about Angela Merkel almost 24 hours later
Another Brexiteer to emotionally hit back at the tweet was Adrian Yalland, who said it was "racist, xenophobic and nauseating".
He said it had tipped him over the edge in terms of his support for Brexit, and he now wanted to "disassociated" himself from the cause.
In one tweet, he wrote: "I have struggled with what I am about to say for some time. But I am now at the place where for my own conscience I have to say it. I now disassociate myself from Brexit and believe that because of what Brexit has morphed into, we need to press the pause button and reassess."
Yalland said he "desperately wanted Brexit to work" but it had become a "global joke", and tweets like this had not helped.
He said: "The advert, which I refuse to retweet, is racist, xenophobic and nauseating. I detest it, and Leave.EU."
Within minutes the Leave voter had received hate on Twitter from a Brexit Party supporter, who called him a "traitor".
In messages of support, in particular from the Remain side, respondents said that post had taken "guts" to write.
James O'Brien wrote: "This takes guts. Adrian was among the best informed of my Brexit callers of the last few years. Excellent thread."
Other Brexiteers to condemn the message included Tom Stone.
He said: "I voted to leave and I am not a racist nor am I a prejudice [sic]. They don't represent my views not millions of others. I am appalled and disgusted by it".
Tyler Durden wrote: "Most leave voters voted to leave the EU in spite of this hateful rhetoric, not because of it. I'm embarrassed to be associated with this crap. Stop it!"
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