Um, why exactly is Nigel Farage saying migrants are eating the Royal Parks swans?

In his latest anti-migrant rant, Nigel Farage is accusing Eastern European migrants of eating the swans in the Royal Parks. Yes, he’s doing a Donald Trump.

The Reform UK leader was on LBC yesterday, answering questions from listeners, when he started spreading this bizarre claim.

“If I said to you that swans were being eaten in Royal Parks in this country, that carp were being taken out of ponds and eaten in this country by people who come from cultures that have a different… would you agree it happened, is happening here?”he said.

When asked where these mysterious people come from, he said: “People who come from countries where it’s quite acceptable to do so.”

Ever the evasive politician, Nigel was pressured into revealing who exactly he was talking about. To the suggestion that he was talking about Eastern Europeans, he said:”So I believe.”

This theory is straight out of the Trump administration’s playbook, with the US President famously saying “illegal aliens” were eating people’s pets during his re-election campaign. But the theory that Eastern European immigrants are eating swans actually goes back more than a decade.

A 2003 article from The Independent reported on theories floating around that Eastern Europeans, especially Romanians, were eating swans at Royal Parks. The rumours got so widespread that some of London’s police force was used to patrol rivers, just to make sure no swans were being grabbed.

Back then, there was no official case of migrants eating swans ever reported. When asked about the apparent “disappearance” of London’s swans, a Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “There appears to be a perception that this may be attributable to Eastern Europeans. We stress we have no evidence of this.”

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Kensington Garden swans, via Rose Moallemian on Unsplash

A video circulating online, captioned “RSPCA worker catches migrants eating swans” has been making its way across socials and family WhatsApp chats. It shows a family being approached by an RSPCA welfare officer aa they surround a cooking pot with the meat and bones of a mysterious bird.

It’s recently been addressed by the RSPCA, which said the clip is from a 2010 television programme.

“Speaking generally, wild birds, including swans, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take them except under licence,” an RSPCA spokesperson told Sky News

“Anyone with first-hand information about specific animal welfare offences can share any evidence with us. There is more information on how to report on the RSPCA website.”

London Royal Parks has also responded to Nigel’s wild claims.

“We’ve not had any incidents reported to us of people killing or eating swans in London’s eight Royal Parks,” it said. “Our wildlife officers work closely with the Swan Sanctuary to ensure the welfare of the swans across the parks.”

So, it looks like Nigel is spreading a widely disproven theory about migrants to make them look bad once again. Can’t say I’m surprised.

The Tab has approached Nigel Farage for comment.

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Featured image by: Victoria Jones/Shutterstock and Allwyn Mendes/Unsplash