Councillor Richard Leppington said his tattoo is symbolic of heritage and his father – and not meant to represent a brutal division of the Nazi regime in the Balkans during WWII
A UKIP councillor has denied paying homage to the Nazi party, claiming the ‘ancient Norse rune’ tattoo on his leg is in fact a tribute to his father.
Councillor Richard Leppington has insisted he was totally unaware the ancient Odal inking was linked to a brutal armed division of Hitler’s Nazi SS accused of horrific war crimes.
The Norse rune is a diamond-shaped symbol with serifs which was seen during WWII as being symbolic of Hitler’s belief in an Aryan race.
The symbol, often referred to as the Othala rune, has more recently been used by far right groups including the US’s National Socialist Movement, to replace the swastika.
Ethnic Germans of the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division in Croatia proudly wore the symbol on their uniforms in 1941.
The division, referred to as the Prinz Eugen, was made up of ethnic German volunteers and conscripts from the Balkan nations, including the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), Hungary and Romania.
Councillor Richard Leppington has defended having the Othala rune tattooed on his leg – despite its former use by Hitler’s SS divisions in Yugoslavia
The flag of the Volksdeutsche 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen featuring a variant of the Odal Rune
Ethnic Germans of the seventh SS Volunteer Mountain Division in wore the controversial symbol on their uniforms in 1941. It has now been adopted by right-wing groups
The unit, part of the armed wing of the German Nazi Party the Waffen-SS, is accused of the most serious war crimes including massacre, rape, pillaging and mass abuse of civilians across former Yugoslavia during WWII.
But Mr Leppington, UKIP councillor for Blakeney and Bream in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, called the Nazi comparisons ‘mischief’ while defending his tattoo.
The father-of-two said: ‘It’s an ancient Nordic rune that basically means heritage and I had the tattoo in honour of my late father when he passed.
‘I had no idea about anything else. I have 13 different tattoos, all symbols of family and religious stuff because that’s my Anglo Saxon heritage.
‘I don’t know about all those other things and if people want to make mischief out of it that’s very sad.’
He added is father fought in the War, claiming it is an outrage to suggest he would support the brutality of the Germans.
He said: ‘My family and religious views are my own personal business.
‘However, my father signed up at the start of the war and spent six years fighting against the Nazis so it’s idiotic to suggest it would be to do with them.
‘It’s to do with family and heritage and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of it.’
Political activist Zac Arnold questioned Mr Leppington on Facebook over the symbol, saying it is something which causes him major concern.
Mr Leppington responded by posting a photograph of the tattoo along with the comment: ‘This is a rune meaning respect for your ancestors.
UKIP man Richard Leppington has called Nazi comparisons ‘mischief’ and said he is simply paying tribute to his father with his tattoo of the Odal rune
The UKIP man leaped to his own defence with screenshots of various websites using a different interpretation of the rune.
One of his posts read: ‘Othala is the rune of the ancient clan lands: Historic land and property which has a strong spiritual connection to the individual.
‘Othala is the crowning achievement which lies at the end of the runic journey.’
Some members of the Nazi regime wore the symbol. Pictured: Nazis marching through Guernsey during World War Two, 1940
Mr Leppington joined UKIP in 2009 and won a district council seat in 2013.
He became Cabinet Member for Development, Asset Management, Infrastructure and Housing in the rainbow coalition.
UKIP’s Forest of Dean website says Mr Leppington is ‘against the European Union but not against Europe. We must regain control of our borders and stop mass immigration whilst we still can.’