Entertainment
Laurence Fox slams Kathy Burke upon return to Twitter after temporary ban over ‘swastika’-Louise Griffin-Entertainment – Metro
Kathy Burke had said: ‘The existence of Lawrence Fox is another reason to be pro abortion.’
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Laurence Fox has slammed Kathy Burke upon his return to Twitter.
The actor was temporarily suspended from posting from the social media site after he changed his profile picture to one that was manipulated to resemble a ‘swastika’.
The Reclaim Party leader enraged many on Sunday evening when he shared an image on his page of four Progress Pride flags manipulated in such a way that a swastika symbol – once an ancient religious symbol, but is now widely recognised for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and neo-Nazis – could be seen.
He had written alongside the image, which, while no longer his profile picture, remains as a post on his feed: ‘I’ve updated my profile picture for the remainder of the holy month.
‘Blessed be the fruit.’
Comedian Kathy Burke was one of those criticising him, saying: ‘The existence of Lawrence Fox is another reason to be pro abortion.’
Laurence has since responded, saying in a five-minute video: ‘So basically, Kathy Burke is saying that she wished I was dead.
Laurence Fox was temporarily suspended from Twitter (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Okay. You know, that’s fairly standard for Twitter. You don’t really get reported or banned for that. And she’s then conflated that with the issue of abortion, which is a very difficult choice for lots of women and men and people who are going through such a difficult time.
‘But the thing that’s really bothered me more than anything, if I’m really honest, is the fact that she even brought my mother into it… she wouldn’t have been able to understand where Kathy Burke’s thinking comes from, because what my mum was, she was sound of mind. She was incredibly fair. She loved people, genuinely loved people. And she taught us to love people as well and to be kind.
“And she didn’t care about whether you disagreed politically or in any other ideological way. She just wanted everyone to be heard and for everyone to have a voice, which is why I care about free speech.
Kathy Burke had said Laurence Fox’s existence ‘is another reason to be pro abortion’ (Picture: Getty Images)
‘And I’m grateful every single day that I was blessed with such an amazing mother. So for Kathy Burke to conflate that and say that she wishes that I was aborted is a great dishonour of my mother, because my mother was a very, very, very deeply compassionate, intelligent, powerful, independent…
‘More generally, isn’t it sad that people are so full of absolute hatred?’
On Monday morning, Laurence’s account was locked by Twitter, with a notice stating it had violated the platform’s Media Policy.
In a statement, a Twitter spokesperson said: ‘We took enforcement action on the account referenced for violating our rules on Abusive Profile Information and Hateful Conduct. The account owner was required to remove the violative profile image before regaining access to their account.’
However, Laurence’s account is now back up and running, with the actor changing his profile image to the flag of China, before updating it again to be a character holding a rainbow Pride flag.
Reacting to his ban, Laurence shared the notice he’d received from Twitter, which stated it had determined the account violated its rules mentioned above.
The controversial actor and singer wrote alongside the company’s notice: ‘You can openly call the [Great Britain flag] a symbol of facism and totalitarianism on Twatter. You cannot criticise the holy flags,’ alongside emoji of the rainbow Pride flag and the Trans flag.
He added in a statement to Metro.co.uk: ‘While I’m pleased that my account has been reinstated, this temporary ban only served to reinforce the rank hypocrisy which Twitter is engaged in. Over the Jubilee weekend, I lost count of the number of posts comparing the prominence of Union Jack flags around the country to Nazi Germany.
‘The prominence of the various pride flags and symbols throughout the month of June however not only goes unquestioned, but its acceptance and celebration are enforced with a sense of hectoring authoritarianism. My post was clearly meant to highlight this double standard – and the temporary ban which resulted from it effectively proved my point.’
However, as many pointed out, his profile change came just days after a gunman killed two people during the Oslo Pride festival – with Norweigan Police saying the attack was believed to be an ‘extreme Islamist terror act’ – with one responding to Laurence’s claim you ‘can’t criticise’ the Pride flags: ‘Because you edited those flags into a swastika. Not that hard to understand to be honest.’
The account for the Campaign Against Antisemitism also slammed the image, writing: ‘Displaying pride flags in the shape of a swastika is not the edgy statement that you think it is.
‘It is possible to express a view without the hate, and without insulting those murdered by the Nazis, which included Jews and LGBT people.’
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