Channel 4 has responded to calls on Twitter for Countdown star Rachel Riley to be sacked over a tweet that she has now deleted and apologised for.
Six people were killed and a further 12 were injured on Saturday (April 13) during a mass stabbing in a shopping centre in Sydney, Australia.
The massacre was perpetrated by 40-year-old Joel Cauchi from Queensland, who was shot dead by a police officer. Police have subsequently told reporters Cauchi was suffering from mental health issues.
However, ahead of this information being shared, TV personality Rachel, 38, was slammed over claims she posted an Islamophobic tweet.
Rachel Riley responds to Sydney tragedy on Twitter
Rachel uploaded words to Twitter suggesting the horror that unfolded was part of a “globalised Intifada”.
Intifada, an Arabic word, means ‘uprising’. It has previously been used to describe armed uprisings by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Rachel’s tweet read: “For 6 months now, people have been out on our streets proudly calling for the ‘Intifada Revolution’. If you want to know what ‘Globalised Intifada’ looks like, see the Sydney Mall. 5 victims stabbed to death and 8 transferred to hospital, including a baby, due to one man and a knife.
“In the second intifada over 1,000 Israelis were murdered in restaurants, on buses and in the streets by suicide bombings, stabbings, stoning, lynching, shooting rockets. The youngest victim was just 9 hours old. Sydney mall, multiple times over is what they’ve been proudly calling for.”
‘I am sorry if this message was misunderstood’
The message came in for a furious backlash from social media users, with some accusing Rachel of being ‘racist’ and others calling for Channel 4 to axe her from its shows.
She later insisted her words were “misunderstood”. She posted: “Just to clarify, my intention with this tweet was not to say this attack was caused by any ideation or to link it to Islamic extremism.”
My intention with this tweet was not to say this attack was caused by any ideation or to link it to Islamic extremism.
Rachel’s tweet continued: “At the time we did not know who the attacker was. And as such I made no reference. My aim was to highlight the weekly calls for ‘intifada’ being tolerated in London and around the world, which in actuality means violence on our streets. For six months now, I have avoided taking the Tube, or going with my kids to anywhere near the marches each Saturday. And each week we see the extremist chants on proud display with little outcry.”
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