Nigel Farage, a British politician who was at the forefront of the Brexit campaign, was paid $100 to say “Up the ‘Ra!” in a recent Cameo video.
In the brief video, Farage says: “This message is for Brian Kelleher, Brexiteer, and I hope you have a great birthday. This comes from your good friend, Aidan. Now, it’s a bit early in the day, so all I’ve got actually is coffee, but I hope you enjoy a few pints with the lads tonight.
“Up the ‘Ra!”
“Up the ‘Ra” is a slogan used in support of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Kelleher apparently shared the video on his Facebook profile, and a screen recording of it has since begun to circulate online:
He's not getting an invite to .@JimAllister Christmas party. pic.twitter.com/6C1MHG98fd
— WeeMan (@AntrimLens) October 10, 2021
Cameo, based in Chicago, is an app where users can pay their favorite celebrities - including, evidently, politicians - to record a personalized video message.
On his Cameo profile, Farage’s bio reads: “They call me Mr Brexit... some people say I am controversial, and I couldn’t care less.” He charges $100 for a personal message and $1,500 for a marketing campaign or business event.
Farage has since told The Daily Mail: “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.”
Asked if he would accept a message request that was supportive of the IRA, Farage replied: “Are you joking? I had a face-to-face death threat from them.”
Farage also told the Belfast Telegraph: "I do a large number of Cameo messages and always reject those that are unsuitable, but the odd one can slip through the net.
“It did not occur to me that this particular request was a hoax and any suggestion to the contrary is absurd.”
Comments