UKIP Nazi Salute 'Was Grab For Camera'

A UK Independence Party (UKIP) candidate accused of making a Nazi-style salute was trying to grab a camera from his girlfriend, according to his party leader.

Nigel Farage said Alex Wood, 22, who is standing for a council seat in Somerset, wanted to stop his girlfriend taking photos of him "imitating a pot plant".

The picture, showing Mr Wood leaning forward with his arm almost straight out in front of him, was exposed by a national newspaper who found it on Facebook.

Despite the party leader believing his excuse, Mr Wood is still suspended as police investigate his claim that offensive comments were made after his account was "hijacked".

Mr Farage, on a visit to Ramsey in Cambridgeshire ahead of Thursday's elections, said he was considering reinstating him.

"I am in absolutely no doubt at all that that photograph of Alex Wood was nothing to do with a Nazi gesture," he said.

"He was literally reaching across the pub to pull the camera away from a girlfriend who was photographing him and I have witness statements that support that.

"I am very angry that a 22-year-old was sacked from his job quite wrongly because of what was said in a national newspaper."

Alex Wood's UKIP campaign leaflet (Pic: Facebook)

Another picture obtained by the Daily Mirror showed Mr Wood with a knife between his teeth in front of a Union flag, but he claims this was a pirate-themed Hollywood stunt.

"You don't expect to go into politics, so it was a silly prank at the time," said the would-be county councillor.

Asked about the comments on the website, he said: "Racist, homophobic, fascist views absolutely disgust me. I'm completely against such views so these statements are not mine."

Mr Farage, writing for The Huffington Post, admitted he "nearly had kittens" when he first saw the "salute" photo but said he believed Mr Wood's story.

"I believe him when he says that he was angrily trying to take a camera off his girlfriend who was annoyingly taking pictures of him in the pub imitating a pot plant," he wrote.

"The fact that this is supported by the people who were with him that night suggests that he has been unfairly treated."

Nigel Farage on the campaign trail in Ramsey

Mr Wood has insisted he will still stand in the elections and would "emerge victorious" but his excuses were greeted with ridicule online.

Trending on Twitter as #ukipexcuses, one poster wrote: "It wasn't a Nazi salute I was just calling back my falcon."

Another added: "It wasn't a nazi salute, a tiny invisible unicorn was dancing on my hand."

UKIP is fielding a record number of candidates in Thursday's elections as it aims to capitalise on a surge in popularity and recent by-election success.

The party has accused the Tories of running a "coordinated smear campaign" due to fears it will erode their vote in the contests.

Cabinet minister Ken Clarke fuelled the row by calling party members "clowns" and suggesting some of their supporters were racists.

David Cameron, who once called UKIP members "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists, mostly" said on Wednesday; "I'm not calling anybody anything."

Mr Farage has admitted that some UKIP candidates have "embarrassed" the party but insisted they had all been vetted.

"We have done what due diligence we can at branch level. If people seemed to be very, very odd we didn't accept them but we have taken people on faith," he said.

"We don't have the resources to trawl through absolutely everybody's social media sites and that has led to one or two embarrassments."

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