A Reform election agent has defended his decision to post controversial AI-generated images on social media.
Gary Farmer, who lives in Brighton, is a Reform UK election agent for Peacehaven and Telscombe. Election agents are responsible for the election campaign of their candidate.
Mr Farmer runs a Facebook page called ‘The Lightning Rod – Stand up to Leftism’ which was previously known as ‘The Roaring Horn – Britain Needs Reform’.
The page’s bio says it is “standing up for common sense and free speech, confronting toxic leftist overreach, wokeness, political correctness, radical socialism and anti-British sentiment” and the “intolerance of the left is called out here through satire, parody, criticism and news pieces”.
The page shares videos, articles and AI-generated content on the page which criticises Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour government, Green party leader Zack Polanski and his party and expresses a range of views, including some which are critical of immigration.
Among recent posts is a since-deleted image of Green party leader Zack Polanski dressed as Adolf Hitler under the question “Is the Green Party really the ‘Party of Hope’?”
Earlier this year, two images of Adolf Hitler dressed as a Green party member were also posted.
The posts have drawn anger from several quarters, including Brighton and Hove Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) who have called on Reform to remove Mr Farmer as an election agent. SUTR argue that the posts which liken the Green party to Nazism are antisemitic.
Former Newhaven District councillor and SUTR volunteer Sean Macleod, said: “Gary Farmer's behaviour is nothing short of disgusting. He used to be the chair of Brighton and Hove Reform, and he is now the political agent for Peacehaven and Telscombe.
“Reform candidates in Peacehaven and Telscombe need to remove him as an election agent and Reform nationally should expel him immediately.”
Mr Farmer has defended his posts as political satire, arguing that they are designed to “make people think” rather than to “offer a comfortable narrative”.
He said: “The re-post asked a straight question — “Is the Green Party really the party of hope?” - and it’s up to the reader to judge the answer. The image is provocative because it’s there to expose contradictions, not tiptoe around them. Its purpose is to challenge, confront, and make people think, not to offer a comfortable narrative.
“Satire isn’t designed to please everyone, but it is a legitimate way to express political concerns. People can disagree with it without trying to shut it down. If a political party can’t handle satire, that’s exactly why satire is needed. Satire pushes boundaries so people pay attention, offence isn’t a veto on expression.
“Local divisions of Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) and the Green Party have shown a strong resistance to having their political positions challenged. SUTR is a Marxist‑aligned movement that focuses its aggressive activism on opposing right‑leaning politics and is supported financially by major UK trade unions.
“As a gay man married to a non‑white immigrant, I’ve found that they struggle to process my political position, and I am targeted. Their supporters' hostility towards me is organised and well documented."
Mr Farmer said that he has faced false accusations and intimidation for nearly two years .
"This is yet another organised attempt to stifle and censor free speech that hold a mirror up to their politics," he added.
“The Facebook page Stand Up to Leftism has thousands of posts which cover a variety of topics and themes with content that critiques and questions left‑wing ideas. Against that backdrop it is reasonable to ask people to think and engage with content regardless of their politics.”
A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: “Police received a report on 23 April of online hate crime. We are in contact with the complainant and the matter is being investigated.”
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