Furious Reform UK campaigners have accused Conservatives of trying to stifle free speech after a “hate crime” row exploded at a market stall and police were called. Volunteers for Nigel Farage’s party were holding a stall in Wisbech to campaign for the upcoming mayoral election in Cambridgeshire when a man – who Reform claimed was Tory Wisbech mayor Sidney Imafidon – told them to dismantle it and leave immediately.
In a heated discussion, Reform refused – but then police arrived and said a hate crime might have been committed. In a video posted on social media site X, an officer can be seen asking a Reform campaigner whether he told his interlocutor to speak English – saying it could be perceived as a hate crime if so. Reform UK Cambridgeshire mayoral candidate Ryan Coogan said the campaigner had simply asked the person he was talking with to “speak clearly” because of a hearing impairment.
GB News presenter Michelle Dewberry was one of those to vent her anger at the bust-up.
“Give me strength. What is actually happening to this country?” she fumed.
When contacted by the Express, Mr Imafidon said he did not call the police but would not comment further because Reform was “looking to get publicity” and telling a “load of lies”.
A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire police said officers attended the stall at 1pm on Friday, April 11 due to “reports of a dispute over political campaigning in Wisbech”.
The spokeswoman added: “No crimes were found to have taken place and words of advice were given to both sides.”
In a video posted online shortly after the row broke out, Mr Coogan said: “People in power are stifling democracy.
“They’re using all sources at their disposal, such as the police. It’s absolutely disgusting.”
Mr Coogan added later: “They were just trying to stop the stand for political opinion, rather than anything substantial.
“It was an absolute waste of everyone’s time. They’ll use anything, be it the police or other enforcement officers, to quell the machine that is Reform around the country.”
Mr Coogan is standing against Paul Bristow for the Conservatives, Anna Smith for Labour and Lorna Dupre for the Liberal Democrats.
The seat is currently held by Labour’s Nik Johnson, but he is standing down – with polls suggesting Mr Bristow will gain the mayoralty in a rare bright spark for the Tories.
However, with the insurgent Reform gaining ground under Mr Farage’s leadership across the country, Mr Coogan believes he could snatch victory in the May 1 election.
“People are desperate for change,” he said.
“People on the doorstep are absolutely in a state of panic about what the councils are pushing through.
“Politicians have eroded trust over time with just consistent messages where they’re reading a brief in the morning and then doing absolutely nothing about it.”
In a recent interview for the Express, Mr Bristow admitted the Tories suffered their worst-ever General Election result in 2024, but added: “If I can show what Conservatives can deliver in terms of politics in a geographical area, then it’s the building block for us to come back.”
On the threat of Reform, he urged Conservatives “not to get overly wound up on their ideological or their party political positions”.
He added: “We just have to focus on ourselves and being a decent alternative to a Labour government and the votes will come.”