October 25th 2023.
Good Morning Britain has been hit with a wave of controversy and thousands of complaints after Richard Madeley posed a seemingly inappropriate question.
The 67-year-old presenter received a slew of backlash from viewers due to his query to British Palestinian MP Layla Moran about her family connection in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war.
Madeley had asked: ‘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?’
Layla Moran, the MP for Oxford West and Abingdon and a vocal opponent of the attacks, responded: ‘Not this. Everyone has been surprised by the timing, sophistication [and] the way that it has happened.’
Viewers were quick to express their outrage at the comment and the hashtag ‘#GMB’ began trending, with many calling for Richard Madeley to be sacked from the programme.
One tweet read: ‘This is no different from asking British Jews if they have any special warning about settlers attacking Palestinians. Outright racism from Richard Madeley.’
The programme has since received over 2300 complaints from Ofcom and Richard Madeley has issued an apology. A spokesperson from Good Morning Britain said: ‘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 did not mean to imply that she or her family might have had any prior knowledge of the attacks.’
Layla Moran later spoke out about the incident, saying it was obvious she was taken aback by the question and that it came from a place of 'ignorance'. She accepted his apology and urged viewers not to let it distract from the big issues at hand.
The controversy surrounding Richard Madeley’s comment has sparked a wave of debate about the ongoing conflict and has shone a light on the need for a better understanding of the issue.
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