Twitter @ClaireByrneLive
Nigel Farage was firmly put in his place by Irish presenter Claire Byrne on Monday night after he controversially said “up the Ra” in a video.
Farage, prominent Eurosceptic, former leader of both UKIP and later the Brexit Party, and GB News host, caused a stir when he was tricked into ending a paid-for birthday greeting with the republican slogan backing the IRA in October.
The IRA, Irish Republican Army, was the most active paramilitary group during the Troubles.
Farage’s €87 (£73) shout-out – posted on the video-sharing platform Cameo – came up during an interview with the Irish journalist Claire Byrne over Irish independence.
Speaking on RTE One, she said: “Look, I know you apologised for the birthday greeting which you delivered in the last couple of days.”
Bryne then shared the clip on her show, and explained: “I want people to see just how much you know about the history and culture of this island.”
After it played she said: “Up the RA, Nigel?
“I know you said sorry and I know you got 87 quid, that’s entirely within your rights to do that – but come on.
“Don’t try and lecture the Irish people on culture and history and the precarious nature of peace on this island, you haven’t got a clue.”
The Eurosceptic ended up just pivoting the conversation back to whether the Republic of Ireland should remain part of the EU rather than addressing his own controversial statement.
He said: “Do you want to be an independent democratic nation or governed by foreign bureaucrats, that’s the question that Ireland will ask itself.”
He continued: “Do the Irish people wish to be independent or not? That is a debate that will happen in your country in the next few years, believe you me.”
Farage had addressed his insensitive video during an interview with the MailOnline before speaking to Byrne.
He said: “If I saw ‘Up the ’Ra!’ I would have looked at that as something very innocent, and wouldn’t have even known there was an implication to it.
“A lot of messages that I get are friends sending each other messages with their own little jokes or their own little words, which I have to judge – and of course I reject some if they are crude or offensive.”
When asked if he would ever read out a message if he knew it supported the IRA, he said: “Are you joking? I had a face-to-face death threat from them.”
Farage claimed that he usually rejects all unsuitable messages but some break through the screening process.
