Maajid Nawaz Hits Out At Tribalistic Politics Behind Jo Brand Joke Fallout

15 June 2019, 13:31 | Updated: 15 June 2019, 16:36

Maajid Nawaz hits out at the "rank hypocrisy" in the fallout following Jo Brand's battery acid joke, calling out the tribalistic politics behind calls for her to be sacked.

The comedian said on a radio show: "Certain unpleasant characters are being thrown to the fore and they're very, very easy to hate and I'm kind of thinking: 'Why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?' That's just me. I'm not going to do it, it's purely a fantasy, but I think milkshakes are pathetic, I honestly do, sorry."

But Maajid Nawaz called out the political tribalism that surrounded the outrage that followed, hitting at the reactions to Danny Baker's royal baby joke and Carl Benjamin's remarks about not raping Labour MP Jess Philips.

Speaking on his LBC show, Maajid said: "Compare Jo Brand to Carl Benjamin to Danny Baker, and the rank hypocisy, the tribal-based political posturing, the disingenuity.

"The full spectrum of how our commentators and pundits respond along emotional lines rather than rational lines is laid out bare for all to see and the emperor has no clothes.

"You can't claim freedom of speech when it comes to Jo Brand if you're calling for the police to investigate Carl Benjamin or for Danny Baker to be sacked.

"And you can't claim that what Jo Brand said is highly offensive and is an incitement of violence and she should lose her job if you were giggling at what Carl Benjamin said.

"She sheer rank hypocrisy involved here disgusts me."

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