Nick Tenconi
Nick Tenconi | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the UK Independence Party | |
| Interim 16 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Lois Perry |
| Deputy leader of the UK Independence Party | |
| In office May 2024 – 16 June 2024 | |
| Leader | Lois Perry |
| Preceded by | Rebecca Jane |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 1984 |
| Political party | UKIP |
Nick Marcel Tenconi (born March 1984) is a British politician, personal trainer and activist who has been the interim leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) since June 2024. He is also a leader of the right wing pressure group, Turning Point UK.
Biography
[edit]Tenconi is a self-employed personal trainer who runs a lifestyle coaching business from a gym in Reading.[1][2] In 2023, Tenconi received publicity after driving to Ukraine to deliver aid.[3]
He was elected as deputy leader of UKIP in May 2024, and has been acting leader since Lois Perry quit after endorsing Nigel Farage's Reform Party during the 2024 general election.[4] Perry later claimed that she quit because "there was something 'sinister' going on, which she had not foreseen: certain elements in the leadership, whom she does not name, 'wanted to go after quite an extreme viewpoint'". However, she said that Tenconi was not part of this extremist tendency.[5]
As the COO of Turning Point UK, he has been involved in organising street demonstrations in London's Honor Oak at a pub which had previously held drag queen storytime events, and in counter protests against Palestine solidarity marches in London. The repeated protests by TPUK saw hundreds of counter protesters outnumbering and drowning out TPUK's activists.[6] According to Trans Safety Network, Tenconi "was enthusiastically involved in the street violence, personally offering to fight individuals, and physically moving towards and grabbing at counter-protesters. This is evidence of a clear turn by TPUK towards unapologetic street fascism."[7]
The LGBT news website, Pink News, wrote, "Nick Tenconi, uses his Twitter platform to espouse hateful anti-trans views."[8]
A feature on the radical right published by Hope Not Hate said of Turning Point UK that "following the addition of COO Nick Tenconi to the group, it appears to be in the process of reinventing itself as a street-protest organiser, taking a key role in the demonstrations against drag queen storytelling sessions throughout the year."[9]
Tenconi was also seen with a loudspeaker at anti-migrant protests in Plymouth in August 2024,[10] and at other anti-migrant protests in Aldershot and Reading leading chants of 'invaders out'.[11] Tenconi alleged that a man who killed three young girls in Southport, which sparked the anti-migrant riots, was "under orders".[12] Tenconi was also at a protest in Trafalgar Square on 1 August which turned violent.[13]
Tenconi has described himself as a "defender of masculinity, Christianity, and conservative values" and has expressed his opposition to "satanic woke culture".[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Childs, Simon (20 June 2024). "Inside the Tory-Linked Far-Right Group Organising Against the Left". Novara Media. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Nicholas TENCONI personal appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Reading personal trainer goes to Ukrainian front line to deliver essentials". BBC News. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "UKIP in disarray as members "leave in droves"". Searchlight. 22 June 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- "Knives being sharpened after extreme right election disaster". Searchlight. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024. - ^ "'Delusional' ex-UKIP Leader 'tells all'". Searchlight. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Lawrence Fox and fash friends humiliated in Dulwich". freedomnews.org.uk. 15 March 2023.
- ^ O'Thomson, Jess. "Exclusive: The Truth About the Far Right Attack on Honor Oak". Trans Safety Network. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ Billson, Chantelle (28 May 2023). "Pitiful anti-drag turnout seen off with 'joyful' LGBTQ+ street party". Pin kNews. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ Lowles, Nick (2024). "STATE OF HATE 2024, PESSIMISM, DECLINE AND THE RISING RADICAL RIGHT" (PDF). hopenothate.org.uk.
- ^ Davies, Caroline (6 August 2024). "'Thuggery on tour': Plymouth takes stock after day of far-right violence". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "UKIP leader responds to criticism over presence at Aldershot protests". Farnham Herald. 14 August 2024.
- "Personal trainer leads 'offensive' chants at clashing pro and anti migrant protest". Reading Chronicle. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024. - ^ "After the Southport killings – who is responsible for the racist riots?". Searchlight. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ Quinn, Ben (7 August 2024). "Actors, activists and conspiracy theorists – a guide to the British far right". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 September 2024.