Brexit campaigner Michael Gove has compared experts claiming Brexit will damage Britain's economy to the Nazis who orchestrated a smear campaign against Albert Einstein.
"We have to be careful about historical comparisons, but Albert Einstein during the 1930s was denounced by the German authorities for being wrong and his theories were denounced," Gove told LBC radio.
"They got 100 German scientists in the pay of the government to say that he was wrong and Einstein said: 'Look, if I was wrong, one would have been enough.'
"The truth is that if you look at the quality of the analysis, if you look at the facts on the ground, you can come to an appropriate conclusion."
Gove was denounced on social media for the "absurd" comparison:
Michael Gove comparing pro-EU experts to the Nazis. So offensive and absurd, where do you even begin. https://t.co/QZHTBEaakT
— Owen Jones 🌹 (@OwenJones84) June 22, 2016
Gove could have cited John Stuart Mill to make his point. He resorted to an outrageous Nazi comparison.
— George Eaton (@georgeeaton) June 22, 2016
While a handful of economists do support a vote to leave in the EU membership referendum on June 23, the vast majority, and most major international bodies, advise that the economic impact of such a vote would be harsh.
But Gove and his fellow Brexit campaigners have repeatedly said such experts are not to be trusted as they have been wrong in the past.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Josh is a staff writer covering Europe, including politics, policy, immigration and more.
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