NIGEL Farage has been offered private security from the Home Office after being targeted twice in one week by protesters.
The Reform UK leader, 60, was pelted with rubbish from a building site in Barnsley while campaigning on an open-top battle bus yesterday.
PAReform UK leader Farage was seen ducking on the top deck of his bus when objects were thrown at him[/caption]
PAHe said he had been advised not to get off the bus in Barnsley because of the protesters[/caption]
Last week he was doused in banana milkshake while he was meeting voters in Clacton-on-Sea, where he is running to be the local MP.
The Home Office can make arrangements for private security through Operation Bridger, which usually deals with MP safety, if a candidate is facing an increased threat during the election campaign.
Footage from yesterday showed Farage trying to duck for cover as objects appeared to be thrown at him.
The politician said cops had warned him against doing a walkabout in Barnsley yesterday morning – which is why he was on a bus.
Speaking to The Sun after the incident he said he is now having to think twice about how he campaigns.
He said: “Protest is part of that democratic process that I was talking to you about earlier.
“But protest needs to be within certain bounds and certain reason, and protest does not involve chucking cement towards me, or even stones, at the bus. It’s violent protest, it’s deliberate.
“You might agree with me or disagree with me, that’s fine. I don’t mind if someone shouted abuse in the street at me, I’ll probably shout it back, that’s fine.
“But when it comes to violence, that actually poses a real threat to the whole democratic process. That was pretty nasty this morning. Had I got off that bus, I’d probably be in hospital. That’s how nasty this is.”
On how it is affecting how he interacts with the public, he said: “I’ve been doing this forever, as you know, I’ve been doing this forever. And there have been incidents over the years that have happened, and they’ve not been a bundle of fun, but they were incidents, they were isolated incidents.They were horrible.
“But now I just want to get this horrible feeling that this is just an attempt to shut me down. So what do I do? If I give in to these people, who the hell else is going to stand up?
“I’m sometimes brave to the point of total stupidity. I’m very worried about it. I’m genuinely very, very thoughtful now.”
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He added: “I’m not going to stop but my modus operandi may have to change.”
Josh Greally, 28, has this morning been charged with using threatening behaviour.
Police chiefs say it is difficult to work out the intentions of people in crowds when would-be MPs are out campaigning, but that the candidates may not want to be put in a bubble as they try to speak to the public.
The number of intelligence and crime reports received by police relating to MPs has dropped sharply in recent months, but force chiefs insist candidates have confidence in officers to protect them.
In January and February around 260 intelligence reports and 60 or 70 crime reports were received by police in relation to Operation Bridger.
But this fell to tens of intelligence reports and “small numbers” of reported crimes in the past two months.