A former RMT union official labelled TalkTV presenter Isabel Oakeshott an "advertisement for the Hitler Youth" in an explosive exchange on Tuesday evening.
Former RMT Assistant Secretary Steve Hedley made the comment during a segment to discuss the ongoing strikes by RMT members that are crippling the railways.
Wearing a shirt in the colours of the Palestinian flag with text expressing solidarity, Steve Hedley laid into Isabel Oakshott and Richard Tice, accusing them of holding money offshore and being "fascist".
In a fiery 8-minute interview, Hedley accused the government of being "neo-fascist" by using the army to fill roles where needed, and said it is "holding the country to ransom".
Steve Hedley 2
Steve Hedley (L) speaking to Richard Tice (C) and Isabel Oakshott (Image: screenshot via YouTube / Piers Morgan Uncensored / TalkTV)
He went on to argue that capitalism is not working, advocating a complete reorganisation of the economy in a move to socialism, and labelling the Conservative Party "the variation of a British fascist party".
After Richard Tice, co-presenter and Leader of right-wing party Reform UK, asked if the RMT would accept "productivity improvements" as part of an increased pay package, Hedley said: "The realistic world is you and your mates, who you come on here as repeaters for, have got massive tax breaks, you're offshoring money..."
Both presenters then interrupted, asking: "What are you talking about?"
Hedley replied: "You're offshoring money, you're avoiding tax..."
After some back and forth arguing about Hedley's accusation that the presenters were holding money offshore, Hedley asked: "Have I rattled your cage?"
"Yes you have," Oakshott replied, while saying that she has no money offshore.
"Have you not?" Hedley asked.
Oakshott responded: "Absolutely nothing whatsoever, although frankly I'd quite like to..."
Hedley then interrupted, saying: "I bet you would. An advertisement for the Hitler Youth like you are."
The Hitler Youth was founded by the Nazi Party in July 1926, and from 1936 until 1945 it was the only official boys youth organisation that indoctrinated teenage boys into racist Nazi ideology with the aim of ensuring the future of the Nazi party. It evolved into a paramilitary organisation, training young men for a future in the German army.
"You're a pair of fascists!" Steve Hedley tells Richard Tice and Isabel Oakeshott.
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) January 3, 2023
Richard: "You're an embarrassment to your industry, you're an embarrassment for unions."@TiceRichard | @IsabelOakeshott | @RMTunion | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/r1tz7sizll
After some more arguing, Oakshott then said: "You sat there and accused me of being an advert for the Hitler Youth. How do you justify that? That is downright offensive."
Hedley responded: "You're an absolute fascist," after which Tice labeled him an "embarrassment" to his industry and to the union, and the interview ended swiftly afterwards.
The wider reaction on social media was mixed, with some welcoming the comparison of the two presenters to fascists, while others said the "Hitler Youth" comparison went too far.
One person tweeted: "It was a shame - the RMT advocate on the programme could have set out a sympathetic case in a positive way, but he just seemed to spout prejudice in a way that alienated neutral viewers. Opportunity lost, for sure. He should also apologise quickly for his Hitler Youth accusation."
Another user agreed with the fascism comparison, but added: "Very poor presenters, but to compare them to Hitler Youth is a bridge too far."
Hedley has previously posted a number of times on social media about Israel, including as recently as yesterday where he posted about Israel's security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visiting Temple Mount.
He wrote: "This b*****d and the other criminals in the Netenyahu regime will not be content until they’ve started a regional war with their neighbours. All funds to Israel must be stopped immediately, without the billions they get every year their racist apartheid terrorist state could not survive."
Hedley was suspended from the RMT in 2020 after he wrote on Facebook that he would "throw a party" if former prime minister Boris Johnson died of coronavirus.
After an investigation, The Sun reported that he was given a written warning after being found to have brought the Union into dispute, and was not allowed to take the "role or functions" of senior assistant general secretary for two years, a role he was reportedly paid £100k-a-year to do.
