Ex-London Mayor Boris Johnson Compares European Union to Hitler

Image by Getty Images
— Former London Mayor Boris Johnson has come under fire for comparing the goals of the European Union to Hitler.
Johnson, who is in favor of Britain leaving the EU, told the Sunday Telegraph that the EU, like Hitler, aims to unify Europe under one “authority.”
“Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically,” the Conservative Party lawmaker told The Telegraph. “The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods.
British voters will cast ballots next month in a referendum on staying in or leaving the European Union. A vote to leave is being called colloquially “Brexit.”
As in elsewhere in Europe, Britain’s right-wing parties resent UK membership in the bloc. A Brexit would ensure Britain is not pressured into taking in some of the 1.8 million mostly Muslim migrants who entered Europe last year, they argue.
Prime Minister David Cameron is among those who wish to remain, but agreed to a referendum to appease his Conservative Party’s right-leaning bloc.
Johnson reportedly is a favorite to become the next leader of the Conservative Party.
The president of Britain’s Board of Jewish Deputies, Jonathan Arkush, said, “I don’t think references to Hitler in the debate on Britain’s position in the EU helps the arguments at all,” according to the Jewish Chronicle.
Labour Party lawmaker Yvette Cooper, who supports remaining in the EU, accused Johnson of using Hitler to play “nasty, nasty games,” according to the Chronicle. She said Johnson showed a “shameful lack of judgment” and was playing “the most divisive, cynical politics.”
“He should not try to play political games with the darkest and most serious chapter of Europe’s history,” Cooper said, adding: “The EU has played a critical role keeping peace in Europe ever since.”
The Labour Party in Britain has come under increasing attack in recent weeks for its perceived tolerance of members who make anti-Semitic remarks.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
2X match on all Passover gifts!
Most Popular
- 1
Film & TV What Gal Gadot has said about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- 2
News A Jewish Republican and Muslim Democrat are suddenly in a tight race for a special seat in Congress
- 3
Fast Forward The NCAA men’s Final Four has 3 Jewish coaches
- 4
Culture How two Jewish names — Kohen and Mira — are dividing red and blue states
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward ‘Another Jewish warrior’: Fine wins special election for U.S. House seat
-
Fast Forward A Chicagoan wanted to protest Elon Musk — and put a swastika sticker on a Jewish man’s Tesla
-
Fast Forward NY attorney general orders car wash to stop ripping off Jews with antisemitic ‘Passover special’
-
Fast Forward Cory Booker proclaims, ‘Hineni’ — I am here — 19 hours into anti-Trump Senate speech
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.