The BBC has suspended a news reporter who claimed Tyson Fury is a “laughable idiot” who is “harming” him on social media, in addition to promoting a petition demanding the boxer be dropped from the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award because of his private opinions.
Tyson Fury is Britain’s newly-crowned heavyweight champion of the world, making him a late addition to the short list for the BBC award. He also happens to be someone with holds staunchly traditional views regarding homosexuality, abortion and women. The ‘impartial’ national broadcaster has insisted “nominees for BBC Sports Personality of the Year are decided on their sporting achievements.”
However, the incident come just two days after a presenter said Mr. Fury was a “dickhead”, live on BBC News, who “should not” win the award due to his severely socially conservative views.
Andy West, who works for BBC Northern Ireland, yesterday Tweeted:
Mr. West’s suspension is believed to be related to the fact he signed a petition along with 90,000 others calling for the boxing champion to be dropped from the short list. The journalist, who is gay, also wrote on Facebook that he is “ashamed” to work for the BBC because of their insistence that the award should be judged on sporting achievements alone.
He argued that: “My employer [the BBC] is hurting me and other gay people by celebrating someone who considers me no better than a paedophile and who believes homosexual people are helping to bring about the end of the world.
“It’s tempting to see him for the laughable idiot he is but sadly there are many other idiots who will be inspired and encouraged by his naive, juvenile bigotry.
“I am ashamed to work for the BBC when it lacks bravery to admit it is making a mistake.”
Mr. Fury, 27, is a committed Christian and the son of Irish travellers who left school at the age of 11. Shortly before his recent world championship bout with Wladimir Klitschko, he told the Daily Mail:
“We live in an evil world. The devil is very strong at the minute, very strong, and I believe the end is near. The bible tells me the end is near.”
Adding: “There are only three things that need to be accomplished before the devil comes home: one of them is homosexuality being legal in countries, one of them is abortion and the other one’s paedophilia.
“Who would have thought in the 50s and 60s that those first two would be legalised?”
These views have come under renewed scrutiny since he became world champion, and despite the petition and being summoned to parliament by a Labour MP for re-education, Mr. Fury has refused to renounce them.
He even became the subject of a police investigation after members of the public claimed his comments amounted to a “hate crime”. Greater Manchester Police confirmed yesterday that they have dropped the criminal investigation.