More than 2000 complaints have been filed against Good Morning Britain after Richard Madeley posed a ‘vile’ question that sparked uproar.
The 67-year-old broadcaster was chastised for asking a ‘offensive’ question regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, with viewers demanding his dismissal.
On Tuesday, October 17, he had asked British Palestinian MP Layla Moran: ‘With your family connection in Gaza, did you have any indication of what was going to happen 10 days ago? Was there any word on the street about it?’
The Liberal Democrat politician, who is the MP for Oxford West and Abingdon and condemned the attacks, replied: ‘Not this. Everyone has been surprised by the timing, sophistication [and] the way that it has happened.
‘What I will say is that I have been warning, and others have in Parliament as well, for a number of years now that if we don’t find a way… The fact of the matter is there has not been a (negotiating) table, let alone to go back to a negotiating table, for at least 10 years now.
‘This is a cycle of violence and every time there is a cycle of violence, my worry now is that this is radicalising another generation, on all sides.’
Viewers fumed over his question, accusing him of racism, with one saying: ‘This is no different from asking British Jews if they have any special warning about settlers attacking Palestinians. Outright racism from Richard Madeley.’
‘DID RICHARD MADELEY JUST ASK A PALESTINIAN MP IF SHE KNEW ABOUT THE ATTACKS BEFORE IT HAPPENED?? Absolutely VILE and OFFENSIVE! He should apologise or be taken off #GMB,’ someone else fumed.
Thousands more people have complained to Ofcom following the segment, with the ITV daytime show receiving 2,378 complaints following Tuesday’s edition.
Madeley later issued an apology, with a Good Morning Britain spokesperson saying: ‘Richard is sorry that he has upset viewers with his question to Layla Moran. His intention was to understand the mood and atmosphere amongst the civilian population of Gaza immediately before the attacks.
‘He asked Layla about her family in Gaza City because she had discussed speaking to them earlier in the interview. He did not mean to imply that she or her family might have had any prior knowledge of the attacks.’
Moran has subsequently come out and accepted Madeley’s apologies, adding that the inquiry originated from a ‘place of ignorance’ but was not posed maliciously.
During an appearance on Sky News’ Politics Hub on Wednesday, the lawmaker stated that it was clear she was caught away by her reply.
‘I think my face at the time looked pretty flummoxed,’ she said.
‘Look, the conversation as a whole over the 15-minute interview was an important one. We were looking at how we got here, where we go.
‘I didn’t feel and don’t feel that it came from a place of malice. I think it frankly came from a place of perhaps ignorance.’
She continued: ‘Perhaps it reminds us that in this conflict, which is complicated — this is not the slam dunk in a way that Russia-Ukraine was – this has a long history that needs to be understood and this has an important context in the wider region that needs to be understood.
‘I have accepted his apology. The main thing is that I don’t want it to distract from these big issues.’
Madeley’s remarks came after the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted on October 7, when the terrorist organisation kidnapped hundreds of Israelis and launched strikes into southern Israel.
At least 1,400 people were murdered, many of them civilians, and thousands more were injured, while Israel’s continuous attacks have killed over 5,700 people in Gaza, including 2,360 children, and injured 5,364 more.
The 18-day stretch is the worst escalation between the Gaza Strip and Israel since 2006.
In recent developments, Israel has rejected requests for a truce from the UN Secretary-General, the Palestinians, and many countries in a high-level UN meeting, and has pledged to destroy Hamas once more.
Meanwhile, hospitals in Gaza are closing as water and fuel for generators run out, with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announcing on Tuesday night that it would cease operations in the besieged Gaza enclave on Wednesday night due to a lack of fuel, according to a message posted on the messaging platform X.
‘UNRWA will run out of fuel TOMORROW night – forcing us to halt operations and delivery of humanitarian aid to people in need,’ it said.
Source My Celebrity Life.