Nadine Osman
Countdown co-presenter Rachel Riley has issued an apology after being accused of perpetuating anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia following her tweet about the Sydney mall massacre.
Channel 4 is now under mounting pressure to fire Riley, 38, after she falsely claimed the Sydney mall stabbings were part of a “globalised Intifada”.
Intifada [Arabic for “uprising”] has been used to describe armed uprising of Palestinians against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In a tweet that has since been removed, Riley drew a parallel between the shopping centre assault carried out by English tutor Joel Cauchi, and the ‘globalized Intifada’ movement, prompting widespread outrage and accusations of racism and insensitivity. The presenter, who is Jewish and pro-Israel, has released a statement on X expressing regret and offering apologies if her message was misunderstood.
‘Just to clarify, my intention with this tweet was not to say this attack was caused by any ideation or to link it to Islamic extremism,’ Riley wrote.
She continued: ‘At the time we did not know who the attacker was, and as such I made no reference.
‘My aim was to highlight the weekly calls for ‘intifada’ being tolerated in London and around the world, which in actuality means violence on our streets.
‘For 6 months now, I have avoided taking the tube, or going with my kids to anywhere near the marches each Saturday, and each week we see the extremist chants on proud display with little outcry.
‘Sadly, the type of attack seen in Sydney yesterday is exactly the kind of violence the previous intifada involved, and I hope to avoid in future, but in my opinion, ignoring the problem won’t make it go away.
Attacks on Jews have recently become repackaged as ‘resistance’ in some circles, and we should in one voice condemn all acts of violence, whoever the perpetrators and whoever the victims. I am sorry if this message was misunderstood, that was not my intention.’
Her apology followed widespread outrage on X, where she faced accusations of making a racially insensitive statement.
In the now-deleted tweet, Riley wrote: ‘For 6 months now, people have been out on our streets proudly calling for the ‘Intifada Revolution. If you want to know what ‘Globalised Intifada’ looks like, see the Sydney Mall. 5 victims stabbed to death and 8 transferred to hospital, including a baby, due to one man and a knife.
‘In the second intifada over 1,000 Israelis were murdered in restaurants, on buses and in the streets by suicide bombings, stabbings, stoning, lynching, shooting rockets. The youngest victim was just 9 hours old. Sydney Mall, multiple times over is what they’ve been proudly calling for.’
Her tweet sparked mass outrage on social media, with @TocquevilleJnr among those who called her comments racist and demanded Channel 4, take action.
They wrote: ‘Dear Alex Mahon, CEO of publicly owned @Channel4. Is it right that a regular contributor to your station (Ms Rachel Riley) is IMO so outrageously divisive, hateful & racist? Based on a complete falsehood. ‘This person should not be a role model on our MSM @krishgm.’
Another person added: ‘Where’s your apology @RachelRileyRR? Islamophobic to its core. @Channel4- you need to consider whether Rachel Riley represents your values.’
And Professor Ahmed Hankir wrote on X: ‘I cannot, in good conscience, remain silent. We must not remain silent. When we see such bigotry, Islamophobia, racism & hatred we must call it out. Rachel Riley must be held accountable for these vile & divisive comments.’
A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: ‘We have reminded Rachel of her obligations as a contributor to Channel 4 programming.’
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