A priest has blasted UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom for saying the UK should not give foreign aid to ‘bongo bongo land’.
Rev Huw Bellis voiced his opinion in the latest newsletter by Tring Team Parish.
He said: “It was unbelievable to hear a politician refer to those living in ‘bongo bongo land’ and his claim not to be a racist seems paper thin.
“However, he appeared to be picking up on an unpleasant theme in some popular thought – that is, in times of financial hardship we should not be giving foreign aid.
“The age-old adage ‘charity begins at home’ is wheeled out. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
He writes that his parish supports the needy who live both in and far from the area.
UKIP parish councillor for Wigginton Mike Siveyer said Bloom’s point was not about racism or depriving charities.
He said: “I think what Godfrey was saying is that taxpayers’ money should not be dolled out to the tune of a billion pounds a month for despots, dictators and criminals in the Third World.”