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Georgia runoff Democratic hopeful said Brexit was driven by ‘ethnocentrism and hate’

Warnock has raised more than $100m for the Senate runoff election

Mayank Aggarwal
Wednesday 30 December 2020 04:07 EST
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File image: Raphael Warnock is locked in a crucial Georgia Senate runoff    
File image: Raphael Warnock is locked in a crucial Georgia Senate runoff     (Getty images)

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Georgia Senate runoff Democratic hopeful Raphael Warnock said Brexit was driven by “ethnocentrism and hate” in a sermon in 2018, a video of which has recently resurfaced.

“Nativism and ethnocentrism and bigotry in high places on both sides of the Atlantic. Before there was Trumpism over here, there was Brexit over there,” said Mr Warnock, who has been the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.  

The video also shows that the pastor, in 2018, said: “Hate has gone viral,” according to US media reports.

“Different contexts, same problem. Nativism and ethnocentrism and hate. Us against them,” he said.  

In June 2016, people in Britain voted by a small majority in favour of leaving the European Union and, with the transition period ending, has since secured a limited free trade agreement with the bloc of 27 remaining European nations. 

Georgia is the theatre of a crucial Senate runoff, as if the Democrats win the two seats they will secure the majority in the upper house of Congress. A majority in the Senate would be critically important for Joe Biden to pursue his agenda.

Democratic hopefuls Mr Warnock and Jon Ossoff have already raised more than $100m (£74m) each in the race against Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.

So far, more than 2.3 million people, about half the total turnout in the 2020 presidential election, have already cast their ballots early for the runoff vote on 5 January 2021.

During November’s elections, Mr Biden winning Georgia and securing its 16 electoral college votes meant Democrats claimed the state for the first time in 28 years.  

Donald Trump has since been highly critical of the state’s Republican leadership and the veracity of its election processes in general, without providing evidence, in comments his party fears could hurt their turnout next month.

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