It took just 24 hours for the back-tracking to start!
Remember:
Speroni was directly quoted by the Guardian, saying: "Breivik's ideas are in defence of western civilisation", and "I'm with Borghezio. I don't think he should resign. If [Breivik's] ideas are that we are going towards
Eurabia and those sorts of things, that
western Christian civilisation needs to be defended, yes, I'm in agreement".
In a statement on 28 July, UKIP said Nigel Farage had contacted Speroni, his EFD co-president, "to demand an immediate retraction and apology following his remarks and those of his fellow Northern League MEP Mario Borghezio . . . . If no retraction is forthcoming then UKIP will suspend its membership of the EFD group in which it sits alongside the
Italian political party".
On 29 July, UKIP's follow up statement said Speroni had written to Farage saying that he condemns the massacre and the extreme fundamentalism in question - an addition to his earlier remarks.
Has Speroni withdrawn the statements he made in support of Borghezio?
No, he has not.
Has Speroni retracted his agreement with Breivik's ideas?
No, he has not.
Has Speroni apologised?
No, he has not.
Has Nigel Farage suspended UKIP
MEPs' membership of the EFD as he said he would?
Apparently not. It seems Borghezio has been suspended by his party and UKIP says it is satisfied that this "will send a clear message that they, and we will not have any truck with such disgraceful sentiments now or in the future". Farage is convening the EFD next week to suspend Borghezio from the group.
So that's it. The book thrown at Borghezio; Speroni quietly forgotten. UKIP can trumpet that Farage has taken "prompt action", and the EFD can survive with the temporary loss of one Italian.
Note that Farage's demands for "an immediate retraction and apology" from Speroni are for home consumption only. The EFD's website doesn't mention them, or the threat to suspend UKIP MEPs' membership of the group.
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