Some accuse her of Islamophobia
Rachel Riley has apologized in a social media post following a stabbing in Sydney that left six people dead.
Joel Cauchi, 40, attacked people with a long knife at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center on Saturday.
Five women and one man were killed in the attack, several others were injured, including a baby girl, and Couch was eventually shot and killed by a police officer.
Investigators are not treating Couch's actions as terrorism-related and police said he suffered from mental health issues, Sky News reported.
After the attack, Riley shared a post on X in which she appeared to link the attack to pro-Palestinian protests and marches.
The Countdown host wrote in a since-deleted post: “For six months people have been proudly calling for an 'uprising in our streets' in our streets. If you're wondering what a 'global uprising' looks like , come to Sydney Shopping Centre.”
When Couch was identified as the attacker, she wrote in a follow-up post: “Global condemnation of this attack has now claimed six innocent lives, including a 38-year-old mother who was protecting her child.
“No, naming the attacker Joel Couch does not change my view that it is wrong for people on our streets to call for massive terrorist attacks around the world, with or without 'cause' if you If you want to know.”
The posts sparked outrage from many who criticized Riley for linking Couch's actions to pro-Palestinian marches.
Some called for Channel 4 to sack the presenter over her comments, with one writing: “She should be sacked now for inciting hatred of Islam in her tweets aimed at exacerbating racial tensions.”
Another said: “In a previous, more civilized decade, Rachel Riley would have been fired by her employer for being Islamophobic.”
Riley has now apologized for her original post and clarified what she meant.
“I'm sorry to those I offended,” she said in a post on Sunday night. “My post was vague and while its true purpose was to call for violence, it was more likely to be misunderstood because it was not in the right place or time.” , I deeply apologize.
“I know nuance is not popular online, and while I'm sure many of the people speaking out are the same people who have been trying to silence me or get me fired for the past 6 years, they would happily join in calling for violence against the enemy , I’m also sure there are some people who don’t fall into this camp, and it’s for them that I’m writing this now.
“I have also been assaulted in recent months and it was a Muslim woman and her husband who came to see if I was okay. I thank them and hope to remove any offense caused to the community.”
Earlier in the day, she clarified the intent of her original post, saying she never intended to link the Sydney stabbings to “Islamic extremism”.
She wrote: “My aim was to highlight the weekly tolerance of calls for 'uprising' in London and around the world, which in practice meant violence in our streets. For six months I avoided taking the Tube and every Saturday and Children go anywhere near a march and every week we see extremist slogans proudly displayed and very few people protesting.
“Sadly, the type of attack that occurred in Sydney yesterday was the type of violence involved in previous uprisings and I hope it can be avoided in the future, but in my view ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
“Recently, in some circles, attacks on Jews have been repackaged as 'resistance,' and we should unite to condemn all acts of violence, no matter who the perpetrators, no matter who the victims. If this message has been misinterpreted, I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention.”
A spokesman for Channel 4 said: “We have reminded Rachel of her obligations as a contributor to Channel 4 programmes.”
Related Links:
Video shows brave man trying to fight off Sydney shopping center attacker
#Rachel #Riley #apologizes #Sydney #stabbings
