The Daily Mirror has apologised to a former UKIP candidate who it accused of making a Nazi salute on its front page in April 2013. (Picture shows original front page, left, and apology, bottom right)
The newspaper conceded on Friday that Alex Wood “was reaching out to stop of friend taking a photo on a mobile phone”.
Wood was standing for UKIP at the May 2013 local elections in Somerset when it ran the story.
The newspaper also reported that he had made racist comments on Facebook, but it said in an apology on Friday that they were “not made by him and the police have confirmed that they were not made by Mr Wood”.
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The Mirror said that it hoped the apology would “go some way to repairing Mr Wood’s reputation”.
The apology said in full: “In print and online articles in April and May 2013 we said that Alex Wood, who was standing for UKIP in the May 2013 local elections in Somerset, had been photographed making a ‘Nazi salute’. We also said that he had made racist comments on Facebook.
“We now accept that these allegations were wrong and there is no reason to believe that Mr Wood is a racist or a Nazi. The photograph, one of a series of photographs appearing on his Facebook page, was taken out of context. Mr Wood was reaching out to stop a friend taking a photo on a mobile phone. The comments on Facebook purportedly made by Mr Wood were not made by him and the police have confirmed that they were not made by Mr Wood.
“We apologise to Mr Wood for the allegations made and any hurt and distress caused as a result. We hope this apology will go some way to repairing Mr Wood’s reputation.”
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