Radio presenter Mike Parry left Channel 5 viewers gobsmacked on Friday when he ranted that certain “minorities have to be squashed” during a heated debate.
Mike Parry was a panelist on The Jeremy Vine Show alongside journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, and they had been speaking about the Insulate Britain protests which have taken place on the M25.
When the topic turned to the motorway protests, Mike shocked viewers at home when he slammed “minorities”, declaring that the UK was “too tolerant”.
Mike fumed: “The problem in this country in all areas is that minorities always get the upper hand because we’re so tolerant.”
Host Jeremy had said: “If they’re going to get superglue and glue themselves to the road, you’ve got to think about ripping them off.”
(Image: Channel 5)
Mike agreed, insisting: “You do! Of course you do!”
Jeremy went on: “You do, haven’t you? You’ve got to say, if this is the situation where you say, ‘I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to tear you off.”
However, Yasmin disagreed and replied: “Listen, I’m old enough to remember the Greenham Common Women and we did fantastic stuff that everybody got incredibly cross about.”
Mike fired back: “Yes, but they didn’t inconvenience millions of other people,”
Yasmin remarked that this country had to “put up with some of this” as it’s part of living in a “free society”.
(Image: Channel 5)
She said: “I think, if we are a free society – and I’m very glad to be living in a free society – then we have to put up with some of this. When the farmers took to the roads, none of the traditional right wing papers objected in the way they’re objecting now-“
Mike burst out: “Not to the detriment of millions of other people.
“The problem in this country in all areas is that minorities always get the upper hand because we’re so tolerant.”
Mike then fumed: “And minorities have to be squashed like that!” as he slammed his hand on the desk.
Yasmin was visibly taken aback as he said:” Oh my god.”
(Image: Channel 5)
She added: “I think you should go and live in China, they could do with you over there.”
Jeremy then chimed in, saying: “We don’t want to do too much squashing of minorities on a Friday.”
Viewers on Twitter were reeling at Mike’s comments, with one writing: “This is unbelievable- Mike Parry: ‘The problem in this country, in all areas, is that the minorities always get the upper hand cos we’re so tolerant & minorities have to be squashed, like that!”
A second penned: “WTF! ‘Minorities have to be squashed, like that!”
(Image: PA)
However, Jeremy later tweeted that Mike had only been referring to the eco-protestors, and not ethnic minorities.
He said: “This would have been totally unacceptable had Mike been referring to members of ethnic minorities. In fact this snippet does not make clear @mikeparry8 was actually talking about the eco-protesters who brought the M25 to a halt. He said they represented very few people in the UK.”
Some fans had still unconvinced with the radio presenter’s comments.
One wrote: “Which ‘minorities’ (plural) was Mike referring to beyond the one group. This is a poor excuse for what was clearly a comment about a whole range of people that Mike doesn’t like, which I guess is pretty much anyone who isn’t like Mike.
(Image: REUTERS)
“Poor excuse and irresponsible on your part.”
Mike himself took to Twitter to clarify that he was simply referring to the M25 protestors.
He tweeted: “Can I explain please the context of my comment on the @JeremyVineOn5 show this morning: “Minorities have to be squashed” It sounds brutal in isolation but it was directly aimed at the M25 protestors and OTHER minority groups who’ve had a disproportionate effect on life ..”
He added: “I do not regard anybody who is not my religion, creed or colour as a person in a minority group. I’m not even aware that I live in a mixed race society. I just live in our society. To link my “minorities” comment to ethnicity is just silly .. I don’t think like that ..
Daily Star has contacted Channel 5 for comment.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
