Jump to content

Anne Marie Waters

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by HistoryAlight (talk | contribs) at 15:04, 14 October 2017 (For Britain). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Anne Marie Waters
Anne Marie Waters in June 2016
Born
Anne Marie Dorothy Waters[1]

(1977-08-24) 24 August 1977 (age 46)
Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Alma materNottingham Trent University
Known forFounder of Sharia Watch UK
Political partyLabour Party (2010-2014)
UKIP (2014-2017)
For Britain (2017 - present)

Anne Marie Waters (born 24 August 1977) is an Irish anti-Islam activist.[2][3][4] She is the founder and current leader of For Britain, an anti-Islam party, and serves as the director of Sharia Watch UK, an organisation which was launched on 24 April 2014.[5] In January 2016, Waters launched Pegida UK in conjunction with activist Tommy Robinson and far-right politician Paul Weston.[6]

Having unsuccessfully attempted to become a Labour Party parliamentary candidate, Waters joined the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and stood in the 2017 leadership election. She was the runner-up, with Henry Bolton winning.[7] She split from UKIP to form her own party, For Britain.

Early life

Waters was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and went to school in Stoneybatter on the Northside of the city.[8] She became an au pair in Germany during her teens. After living in the Netherlands for some time, she studied Journalism at Nottingham Trent University in England, graduating in 2003. She gained a Law degree in London while working as a secretary in the NHS.[3][9][10] She has described herself as "passionately, loyally, resolutely, and proudly British".[11]

Political career

Waters stood for the Labour Party in the Lambeth London Borough Council election, 2010 for Streatham Hill ward. She made two unsuccessful attempts to be selected as a Labour parliamentary candidate: she first sought selection for South Swindon, then in 2013 she was shortlisted to be Labour's candidate in Brighton Pavilion.[12]

UKIP

After leaving the Labour Party, Waters contested the Clapham Common ward for UKIP in the 2014 Lambeth Council election, where she finished in ninth place. At the 2015 general election, Waters stood as the UKIP candidate in Lewisham East, finishing in third place with 9.1% of the vote. During the campaign, Waters called for mass deportations, mosque closures and an end to immigration from majority-Muslim countries.[13]

She was initially chosen to stand as a UKIP candidate in the 2016 London Assembly election, but was deselected when her role in Pegida UK was announced.[14] She was stood for UKIP in the Essex County Council election, 2017[15] but was not elected.

Waters was again chosen to be the UKIP candidate for Lewisham East in the 2017 general election but was deselected after party leader Paul Nuttall described her views as "way above and beyond party policy".[16][17]

Following the resignation of Nuttall as party leader, Waters announced in early July 2017 her intention to stand in the 2017 UKIP leadership election.[18] She planned to launch her campaign in Rotherham but there were concerns amongst UKIP branch members in the town that the decision to hold it there was political opportunism. Rotherham football club cancelled her planned stadium rally.[19] Her launch took place at Dalton parish hall instead.[20]

UKIP's Rotherham branch released a statement with the backing of the town's MEP Jane Collins after their concerns were ignored by the Waters team.[21] UKIP's National Executive Committee urged members to "think very carefully" before participating in her campaign launch. Waters predicted several times she would have difficulties in being allowed to stand.[9][19]

In early July, over a thousand new members had joined the party in only two weeks, leading to accusations of far-right infiltration in support of Waters.[18] Jack Buckby, a former member of the British National Party and Liberty GB, is reported to be helping Waters in her campaign.[22] Waters passed the vetting procedure on 11 August and was allowed to stand as a leadership candidate.[23][24] Eighteen of the party's twenty MEPs said that they would leave the party if she won the leadership.[25]

However, on 29 September 2017, it was announced that Henry Bolton was the newly elected leader of UKIP. During the campaign Bolton said the party risked becoming the “UK Nazi party” if it chose the wrong candidate, which was perceived as a criticism of Waters. She came second with 2,755 votes, or a 21.3% share.[7] She described the result as a victory of Jihad against truth.[26]

Waters later left UKIP to establish a new far-right political party, provisionally called "For Britain".[27][28]

Political views

Waters has been described by UKIP MEP Bill Etheridge in The Daily Telegraph as being the "Joan of Arc" of neo-fascists.[29] She has been criticised by The Guardian for her association with far-right politicians and organisations, including her praise of Geert Wilders and Marine Le Pen.[30] The Huffington Post has pointed to her membership of the senior management of the anti-Islam group Pegida UK alongside Tommy Robinson, former leader of the English Defence League and Paul Weston, leader of the ultranationalist Liberty GB.[31] During the 2017 UK Independence Party leadership election she said that she wouldn't be opposed to Robinson joining the party.[32] "I really am unconcerned about the offence I cause", she told Lucy Fisher of The Times in August 2017.[9]

Waters, who identifies as lesbian and is in a civil partnership, says she has been a LGBT activist since her days at university. She has dedicated a significant portion of her time to championing equal rights for the LGBT community within organised religion.[33][34] Until June 2014, Waters served as a director of the National Secular Society.[35]

Waters also identifies as a feminist and an agnostic.[3]

References

  1. ^ Waters, Anne Marie (28 June 2017). "Anne Marie Waters on Twitter: "Dorothy."". @AMDWaters. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 24 August 2017 suggested (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  2. ^ Waters, Anne Marie (24 August 2017). "Anne Marie Waters on Twitter: "Big 4-0. I'll be spending it at a hustings in Yorkshire!"". @AMDWaters. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  3. ^ a b c Bloodworth, James (18 August 2017). "Meet Anne Marie Waters – the Ukip politician too extreme for Nigel Farage". New Statesman. Retrieved 10 September 2017. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  4. ^ "Anne Marie Waters: Irishwoman running to become next UKIP leader accused of 'dividing Britain'". Irish Post. 30 August 2017.
  5. ^ Wheeler, Brian (30 June 2017). "Anti-Islam campaigner Anne Marie Waters launches UKIP bid". BBC News. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  6. ^ Douglas Murray. "Cologne exposes a crisis in our continent, yet parliament is debating Donald Trump". The Spectator.
  7. ^ a b Walker, Peter (29 September 2017). "Henry Bolton elected new leader of Ukip". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  8. ^ McKinney, Conor James (29 August 2017). "Irish-born candidate to lead Ukip rejects 'neo-fascist' label". Irish Times. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  9. ^ a b c Fisher, Lucy (10 August 2017). "Is Anne Marie Waters too extreme even for Ukip?". The Times. Retrieved 12 August 2017. (subscription required)
  10. ^ "About Me". Annemarie. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Who is Anne Marie Waters, the Dublin-born woman aiming to become the next leader of Ukip?". DublinLive. 30 August 2017.
  12. ^ Le Duc, Frank (19 July 2013). "Labour poised to choose parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  13. ^ Wright, Paul. "Who is Anne Marie Waters? Ukip leadership hopeful accused of stoking up anti-Muslim hatred". International Business Times. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  14. ^ Niall Flynn. "Pegida member says 'there's still time for Ireland'". The Irish Times.
  15. ^ "SOPN". basildon.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  16. ^ Proctor, Kate (28 April 2017). "Ukip leader Paul Nuttall to investigate anti-Islam election candidate for Lewisham". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  17. ^ Lawrence, David (9 May 2017). "Leading anti-Muslim activist Anne Marie Waters warns of UKIP leader Paul Nuttall's 'ultimate demise' over her deselection as a candidate. Will Nuttall finally drop Waters for good?". Hope Not Hate. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  18. ^ a b Walker, Peter (2 July 2017). "Large influx of new Ukip members prompts fears of far-right takeover". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  19. ^ a b Wheeler, Brian (30 June 2017). "Anti-Islam campaigner Anne Marie Waters launches UKIP bid". BBC News. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  20. ^ "UKIP leadership bid launched in Dalton". Rotherham Advertiser. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  21. ^ Wheeler, Brian (30 June 2017). "Anti-Islam campaigner Anne Marie Waters launches UKIP bid". BBC News. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  22. ^ Walker, Peter (27 July 2017). "Ukip leadership hopeful gets help with campaign from ex-BNP member". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  23. ^ "Ukip divided over anti-Islam leadership candidate". ITV News. 12 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  24. ^ Walker, Peter (11 August 2017). "Ukip allows anti-Muslim activist to stand in leadership contest". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  25. ^ Roberts, Rachel (5 September 2017). "Ukip leadership hopeful opens door to Tommy Robinson joining party". The Independent. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  26. ^ Oppenheim, Maya (30 September 2017). "Failed Ukip leadership candidate proclaims 'Jihad 1, Truth 0' after shock defeat". The Independent. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  27. ^ Humphries, Will (12 October 2017). "Ukip loser Anne Marie Waters will start far-right party" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  28. ^ "Former UKIP leadership candidate to launch new far-right party". 12 October 2017.
  29. ^ Etheridge, Bill (22 June 2017). "Neo-fascist entryists want to take over Ukip. We must save our freedom loving party". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2017. (subscription required)
  30. ^ Walker, Peter (27 April 2017). "Ukip under fire for choosing candidate who called Islam evil: Selection of Anne Marie Waters, ex-deupty leader of far-right group Pegida, reveals 'grubby, true face' of party, says Tim Farron". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 June 2017. Anne Marie Waters, an activist from the anti-Islam Pegida movement, has also praised the far-right leaders Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders.
  31. ^ Hopkins, Steven (4 January 2017). "Pegida: Tommy Robinson Reveals New Leaders Paul Weston And Sharia Watch's Anne Marie Waters". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  32. ^ "Ukip leadership hopeful opens door to Tommy Robinson joining party". The Independent. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  33. ^ Bartlett, Jamie (2017). Radicals: Outsiders Changing the World. London: William Heinemann. p. 49. ISBN 9781785150371.
  34. ^ Butterworth, Benjamin (14 June 2017). "Lesbian ally of the EDL's Tommy Robinson standing to be UKIP leader". PinkNews. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  35. ^ Mills, Tom (22 June 2015). "Taking racism seriously: Islamophobia, civil liberties and the state". OpenDemocracy. Retrieved 12 August 2017.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anne_Marie_Waters&oldid=805313932"