US civil rights pioneer Reverend Al Sharpton has slammed Jeremy Clarkson’s “racist rant” against Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, in The Sun newspaper as an ex-judge calls on the Metropolitan Police to investigate.
In an article published on Friday, Mr Clarkson wrote that he had dreamed of Meghan Markle being paraded naked through British towns and publicly shamed, adding that he hates her on a “cellular level”.
The piece attracted criticism from high-profile figures, MPs and his own daughter, Emily Clarkson, and has since become the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s most complained about article.
“The National Action Network and I join with the many others who have condemned the appalling remarks by Mr Jeremy Clarkson published this week in The Sun against, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle,” Rev Sharpton said in a statement released to The Independent.
“We condemn these racist and dehumanizing actions in the strongest possible terms. They represent the vilest of the evil angels of our society and must find no refuge in the media. We join the calls for all people of goodwill in the US and abroad to stand united in this condemnation and demand for accountability.”
His comments come as Peter Herbert, a former judge and Black Society of Lawyers chair, has written to the Met urging them to take action against Mr Clarkson over his column, arguing that it incites racial hatred and should be investigated under the Public Order Act 1986.
”Given the scale and degree of race hate crime targeted at the Princess [sic] of Sussex, and the previous offensive conduct of Jeremy Clarkson, who is an individual who knows exactly what he is saying and the likely consequences of his editorial being published in the Sun newspaper, there is clear evidence of intent,” the letter, sent to Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley on Tuesday, says.
The letter, seen by The Independent, is co-signed by equalities groups, the Society of Black Lawyers, Operation Black Vote and Badung Africa, as well as activist Lee Jasper – former mayoral advisor on race and policing, Viv Ahmun – director at Blaksox, Labour’s Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Claudia Webbe, the MP for Leicester East.
Mr Clarkson’s column read: “At night, I’m unable to sleep as I lie there grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame!” and throw lumps of excrement at her.”
Mr Herbert, who is also a former chair of the Met Police Race Hate Crime Forum, said: “These words are clearly deeply offensive and for many people of colour, who have a history of slavery and colonialism, images of being paraded naked for sale and abuse are sadly part of our legacy.
“That such abuse should appear in a national newspaper and encourage assaults, is an absolute disgrace and gives potential incitement for extremists in our society and elsewhere to carry out acts of violence.
“We are aware that the intended victim, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle has received death threats and hate abuse online in the recent past, including use of the “N” word on a regular basis.”
Backing calls for Met Police intervention, Reverend Sharpton added: “We concur with the Society of Black Lawyers, Operation Black Vote and Bandung Africa that The Sun’s publishing of Mr Clarkson’s rant “has dangerous potential consequences” in the UK, the US and throughout the globe.
The Met Police confirmed that a letter has been received from Mr Herbert, in addition to numerous other complaints about the column.
“A number of reports have been made to police following the publication of an article in a national newspaper on 17 December,” a spokesperson said.
“The allegations have been assessed, no offences have been identified and no further action will be taken.”
On Wednesday, Mr Rowley said: “There’s a line to be drawn. It’s not for police to get involved with is it ethnical, is it moral, Is it proper, is it offensive? The legal lines are only crossed generally when things are said that are intended or likely to incite violence.
“I don’t think this is one of those cases, but of course, we will keep a close eye on it.”
Former Top Gear presenter Mr Clarkson was sued for racial discrimination by a producer of the show in 2015 – and has a history of making racist remarks from using the n-word to branding Mexicans as “lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight (…)”.
