Candace Owens’ father-in-law has tried to distance herself from her controversial comments about Jews that have caused a stir, prompting social media users to accuse her of spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
Lord Michael Farmer, the British aristocrat who made his fortune in metals trading, began a lengthy X thread on Monday by writing: “Given public comments from a high-profile member of my family, I want to express the views of mine on antisemitism. and Israel’s current military campaign in Gaza in the public record.”
Farmer, a big-money donor to UK Conservative Party politicians, wrote that he was “all too aware of the cruelty perpetrated” against Jews both before and during the Second World War when he came of age .
“The best man at my wedding and my lifelong friend was Jewish,” Farmer wrote, adding that he appreciated “the kindness and caring of Jewish friends … at a time when I had few close relationships.”
Farmer, a member of the House of Lords, which is the UK’s upper house of parliament, went on to praise Israel as a “rare example of a democracy in the Middle East”.
“Certainly, it has the right to defend its citizens when it is attacked murderously on its own soil in one of the most brutal and heartless massacres in history,” Farmer wrote, referring to the Oct. 7 terror attacks by Hamas that left nearly 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians dead and many more in Hamas captivity.
“We cannot forget the large number of innocent hostages that were taken,” Farmer wrote, noting that “many have died and some are still missing.”
“Israel faces an existential threat as Hamas, the terrorist organization, has declared their intention to destroy it,” he added.
Farmer noted that “the plight of civilians in Gaza is also utterly appalling, but I see that Israel has little choice but to fight its enemy where it chooses to hide – in tunnels under key infrastructure and behind innocent civilians.” .
“We cannot forget that they have been forced to prosecute this war,” Farmer wrote.
Owens released a statement to The Post in which she said, “I honestly hate to blow the wind out of the media’s sails, but I just got back from a two-week vacation with my father-in-law 72 hours ago.”
“While we have different perspectives on a number of topics, we disagree on what it means to be a family,” Owens said in her statement.
The podcaster added that “any institution or individual that seeks to divide a family is ungodly.”
“I hope society can return to a place where political issues don’t inspire family rifts,” Owens said, adding, “I’m extremely proud that we provide an example of that.”
Over the weekend, Owens, who commands a following of more than 5.4 million people on social media, co-hosted an X Spaces broadcast titled “The Truth About Zionism” during which she suggested that Israel played a role in the President’s assassination John F. Kennedy.
She also said in a video posted on X that “Catholics and Christians were disappearing at Easter” and that “they would find bodies all over Europe and be able to trace them back to the Jews.”
Owens, who parted ways with the Daily Wire earlier this year after getting into a public spat with media company co-founder Ben Shapiro over Israel, also said a “Frankist cult masquerading as Jews still participates in this st day.”
She also repeated her charge that Israel is a haven for Jewish pedophiles fleeing justice in the United States.
“I’m very attached to the idea that Israel is our ally,” Owens said in a video that was widely shared on X over the weekend.
“If one more person says that stupid statement, I will personally punch you in the face,” Owens said, before adding that it was a “joke.”
The farmer’s son, George Farmer, is a former CEO of the now-defunct social media app Parler.
In October 2019, George Farmer and Owens, 35, married in a lavish ceremony at Trump Winery near Charlottesville, Va., before a star-studded guest list that included actor Jon Voight, radio host Larry Elder, the leader of Brexit Nigel Farage and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
The two married just eight months after meeting at an inaugural event launching Turning Point UK.
The couple has two young children.
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