‘People would be more outraged if Tyson Fury’s comments were racist.’ Chuka Umunna
Labour MP Chuka Umunna has become the latest figure to call for boxer Tyson Fury to be dropped from the Sports Personality of the Year shortlist.
Heavyweight boxing champ Tyson Fury has controversially been nominated for the BBC award after claiming that homosexuality and paedophilia will bring about the apocalypse.
“There are only three things that need to be accomplished before the devil comes home,” the boxer had said in an interview. “One of them is homosexuality being legal in countries, one of them is abortion and the other one’s paedophile.
“Who would have thought in the 50s and 60s that those first two would be legalised?” he added. “When I say paedophiles can be made legal, that sounds like crazy talk doesn’t it? “But back in the 50s and early 60s, for them first two to be made legal would have been looked on as a crazy man again.”
Speaking on the BBC’s Any Questions, former Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna became the latest figure to speak out against the boxer.
He said: “When you’re competing at sport at the highest levels, you’re not just engaging in your sport. With that comes a responsibility because you’re a public figure, and whether you like it or not, you are a role model. With Tyson Fury, his views are sexist, they are homophobic. I don’t want him being put up as a role model, in light of those views. That’s very different from arguing about if he gets the belt for winning his contest. We are talking about the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
“My worry is if this is allowed to carry on, at best it amounts to turning a blind eye to the things he has said and the offence that he has caused, and at worst it could be interpreted as condoning it. I don’t think that that is right.”
After journalist Isabel Oakeshott said she was “not offended” by his comments and Tory MP Dominic Grieve said Fury is entitled to his views without being disqualified, Mr. Umunna added: “This is not about banning him from expressing a view. We are not talking about whether he can say what he wants to say, we’re talking about whether he should receive an accolade which is linked to his personality and what he said. I find all of these ‘isms that we have extremely offensive – sexism to Islamaphobia.
“Just think – if he had made racist comments, and made those comments about people of colour, I think it would have generated a slightly more outraged reaction… I think it’s wrong.”
The MP also said that US Presidential candidate Donald Trump would be “not welcome” in his constituency, after his divisive comments.
Mr Umunna was briefly a contender for the Labour Party leadership earlier this year, but withdrew from the contest in May. After Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader, the MP opted to leave the shadow cabinet and return to the back-benches.
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11 Comments
Dennis Macaulay
December 14, 06:42Chuka Umunna!
I hope this guy becomes PM some day! He hits the right notes. I do agree with him, nobody is saying take way the man’s medals, just don’t make him a role model to be emulated.
I often say this, relate homophobia to racist and people begin to see how stupid homophobia is. As long as people still consider sexual orientation as. Conscious choice that could be switched anytime we would continue to hear crap such as this.
This argument about paedophiles is quite dangerous! Children not up to the legal age cannot be said to give consent for sex. I hate when people throw in paedophilia when we talk about homosexuality.
Keredim
December 14, 10:31Nah, he won’t be PM anytime soon. Too many skeletons in his cupboard and he can’t handle the press intrusion ?
Maximus
December 14, 07:50My MCM… Of course I agree with him 100%.
Homophobes shouldn’t be allowed to thrive.
Masonkz
December 14, 08:13Peadophilia is already legal in Nigeria…
…while what two consenting adults choose to enjoy between themselves become an issue for public ridicule.
Dennis Macaulay
December 14, 09:08Word!!!
Uziel
December 16, 03:37I find it interesting that Mr. Umunna stylish ignored pedophila in his argument. Him for talk for that matter…
ken
December 14, 10:07Its refreshing to see a Nigerian publicly fight against homophobia. Especially a Nigerian with Igbo descent!
And the icing on the cake? The brother is damn cute 🙂
Colossus
December 14, 14:34Seriously, what’s it with you calling out the igbos everytime. If you’re igbo, then speak out against homophobia. If you’re not, has anybody from your tribe done the speaking out?
ken
December 15, 08:27U jst wanna nag abi?
Am not a tribalist. Bt wit my experience so far in naija, igbos have the highest levels of homophobia. It doesnt mean all igbos are homophobes tho
Delle
December 14, 11:52I’m in love with him already. And he’s Nigerian? All the better! Umunna just come home and rest ur over stressed head on my shoulders.
Uziel
December 16, 03:30Okay. I know I’m crazy, but I’m thinking about this in this way:
Mr. A, an influential entertainer goes on tv to say that Christians are the problem with the world; that religion is false and people go with it because they’re ignorant. What would be your reaction? Would you be this outraged? Should you be this outraged?
I think we’ve just about passed the stage where we get offended when we encounter a homophobe who makes such declarations. At this stage, antagonisizing their views seem to only justify their belief system however faulted it may be.
Asking for his name to be removed from the shortlist and thinking up sanctions like taking his belt or whatever, almost seems like persecution for having an opinion contrary to what seems to be the society’s shiny new toy. And isn’t that what we’re against? To stop the pointless persecution we go through by educating people on how we’re not what they think and not bullying them into thinking like us.
Good morning.