A local elections advocate affiliated with the Reform party, whose tanning salon was visited by Nigel Farage, has been found to have expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler. Aaron Taylor, a former branch treasurer and potential candidate, posted a tribute to the Nazi leader and denied the occurrence of the Holocaust. Taylor, who had been actively involved in campaign activities, shared images of Farage’s visit to his Sun Spa salon in Essex earlier this year. In a disturbing online post from January, he displayed a picture of Hitler with the caption: “I gave it my all. Now its time, for you to give it your all.”
The controversial tweets, since deleted, were exposed by anti-racism organization HOPE Not Hate (HNH). When confronted at his salon in Jaywick, Taylor expressed remorse over his actions, stating that he had been removed from the party. He apologized, attributing his offensive posts to potentially being under the influence of alcohol at the time.
The revelations come at a time when the Reform party, led by Farage, has been gaining momentum in the polls ahead of the May 7th elections. The party’s association with individuals expressing extreme views has raised concerns. HNH’s director of research, Joe Mulhall, emphasized the need for the party to expel individuals like Taylor who openly support Hitler and engage in Holocaust denial.
Taylor, a self-proclaimed proud member and volunteer for Reform, displayed a contrasting image of himself on social media compared to his extremist views. His previous Twitter handle, @the_jackal123, was changed to “AaronEssexTay” after his controversial posts were uncovered. Despite his removal from the party, Taylor remained enthusiastic about the upcoming local elections in a video shared on his profile.
Despite his troubling online behavior, Taylor had held positions within Reform’s branches and was actively involved in the party’s activities. However, he claimed to have canceled his membership on his own accord and denied being expelled. Reform clarified that Taylor is no longer associated with the party and had failed the vetting process to become a candidate.
