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Airline bans couple after racist row over reclined seat

Two travellers have been banned from Cathay Pacific flights after an argument over seat etiquette descended into racist insults. The incident occurred on a flight from Hong Kong to London, with a woman documenting her experience in a video posted on Xiaohongshu, China's version of Instagram. The woman, from mainland China, explained, "The lady sitting behind me asked me to put my seat up because it was blocking her husband's view of the TV. I politely declined, and she started stretching her feet onto my armrest, kicking my arm and cursing at me like crazy." A flight attendant stepped in to find a solution to the issue, but when the woman continued to refuse to put her chair up, the situation only escalated. "When (the female passenger) realised my Cantonese wasn't so great, she started throwing around some nasty comments, calling me a 'Mainland girl' and other derogatory stuff," the woman said, explaining how people from Hong Kong speak mainly Cantonese, whereas mainland Chinese mainly speak Mandarin. "Once I started recording, the husband behind me even shoved his hand on my armrest and started shaking it like crazy. I felt my personal space had been completely violated," added the woman, who said other passengers then intervened. In footage of the incident uploaded by the woman, a female voice can be heard saying in Mandarin: "You're old enough — why are you bullying a young girl?" And others can be heard shouting in Cantonese: "You're embarrassing us Hongkongers!" "After some passengers spoke up for me, the flight attendant finally said I could switch seats. I felt it was absurd—what if no one had backed me up? Would I have just been left to deal with it on my own?" the passenger said. "As a major airline, isn't Cathay supposed to know how to handle such disputes? Shouldn't treating passengers differently get some consequences? In a statement released Saturday, Cathay Pacific said it wanted to "sincerely apologise" for the "unpleasant experience," with the airline saying, "We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behaviour that violates aviation safety regulations or disrespects the rights of other customers." "We will deny future travel on any Cathay Group flights to the two customers involved in this incident." Image credits: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

"You're entitled to know": Piers Morgan reveals names of "royal racists"

Piers Morgan has revealed the names of the senior royal family members who allegedly made "racist" <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/books/new-royal-book-pulled-from-shelves-over-huge-legal-blunder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comments</a> about baby Archie's skin colour. Mystery has surrounded the new royal family exposé Endgame, written by Omid Scobie, after he claimed to know which royals allegedly made the comments when Meghan Markle was pregnant with her first child. Then, in a Dutch translation of the book being sold in The Netherlands, the names were <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/second-royal-racist-accidentally-named-in-new-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accidentally</a> printed in an "error", but kept out of the press for legal reason. But now, controversial British journalist Piers Morgan has revealed the names that feature in the translated book, which is quickly being cleared from shelves, saying people have the right to know. On Wednesday’s episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, the British broadcaster revealed the names of the two royals who allegedly had “concerns” about baby Archie's skin tone, although saying he doesn't believe any such comments were made. He explained to his viewers that he doesn’t “believe any racist comments were ever made by any of the royal family,” he felt that his fellow citizens had a right to know information that only a handful of readers from another country were inadvertently privy to. “Frankly, if Dutch people wandering into a bookshop can pick it up and see these names, then you — the British people here, who actually pay for the British royal family — you’re entitled to know, too.” According to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/royals/piers-morgan-reveals-names-of-royals-exposed-in-bombshell-book-questioning-archies-skin-colour/news-story/7b499c1baa1a40116cbc07c7b26069d6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a> and <a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/11/29/royal-family/piers-morgan-reveals-names-of-royals-exposed-in-book-for-commenting-on-archies-skin-color/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page Six</a>, Morgan said the names are King Charles III and Princess Kate Middleton. Despite Morgan's claims, Page Six has been unable to verify which names were accidentally revealed. Given the controversy surrounding the book, Xander Publishers announced that it received a request from the United States to abruptly halt sales of the book. “I can’t talk about the details,” a spokesperson for the publishing house said in a statement. “We have, however, received a request to put the title on hold, and that is what we have done. We are awaiting further instructions. I do not know how long this will be.” Image credits: Piers Morgan Uncensored

Legal

Second “royal racist” accidentally named in new book

A second member of the royal family has been accused of being "racist", after the bombshell royal exposé implied them in the scandal over baby Archie's skin colour. In Omid Scobie's new book Endgame, he discusses the comments that members of the royal family made to Meghan Markle when she was pregnant with baby Archie. Markle first shared the bombshell allegations in her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, but she refused to name the royal family member who made the comments, saying, “I think that would be very damaging to them.” On Wednesday, reports emerged that copies of the book were being <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/books/new-royal-book-pulled-from-shelves-over-huge-legal-blunder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pulled from shelves</a> as the Dutch translation of the book accidentally named the person involved in the scandal. Omid Scobie admitted he does know who made the comments, but UK libel laws prevented him from naming them in the book. Now, as copies of the tell-all book have been flying off shelves, it seems another member of the royal family has been implicated in the book, which is now said to be frantically being pulled from shelves. It comes after Mr Scobie denied responsibility for the Dutch translation of his new book “accidentally naming” a member of the Royal Family. Publishers Xander Uitgevers yesterday said they were seeking to remove Mr Scobie’s work from bookshelves saying there had been an “error”. Speaking to Dutch TV on Wednesday night, Mr Scobie defended his book, saying, “The book is in several languages, and unfortunately I do not speak Dutch”. “But if there are translation errors, I’m sure the publishers will have it under control." “I wrote and edited the English version. There’s never been no version that I’ve produced that has names in it.” In the English version, Mr Scobie writes, “In the pages of these private letters [given to Oprah by Markle], two identities were revealed. UK laws prevent me from reporting who they were”. But the Dutch version reads, “In those private letters, an identity was revealed and confirmed” — before going on to name a senior royal. Dutch royal reporter Rick Evers says he was one of only two journalists to be given a manuscript of Endgame last Wednesday. Mr Evers said, “I was shocked that no one else in the world mentioned the fact that a member of the royals was named in the book as the racist”. “That was the main accusation in the book that I noticed and what I put in my (review) article, which was published with a photo of that royal." “I began to question if it was only my manuscript that had the name in it. I went to get the book from a store and it was exactly the same,” Mr Evers said. “A woman called from the publisher saying there was a legal problem and my article had to be removed.” It is unclear how the error occurred, but Mr Scobie confirmed that the first royal family member named in the book is not the one stated in the letters from Meghan Markle. Image credits: Getty Images

Legal

“I’m being racist to eggs”: Wellness influencer slammed for innocent comment

An Australian influencer has been forced to address a "racist" comment she made about her son's lunch. Health and fitness influencer Sarah Stevenson, who is known by her millions of followers as Sarah's Day, was filming herself as she made lunch for her son. The 31-year-old stopped herself as she made her child a curried egg sandwich, saying he be dubbed “the smelly boy in the playground” if he took the meal to school. “Do you want to be ‘smelly curried egg boy’?” she asked him. While the seemingly innocent comment went unnoticed by many of her followers, one person sent her a message demanding an apology for her "borderline racist" comment. The entrepreneur and mum-of-two replied to the private message in a video response to her followers explaining that she meant the “egg smell” and didn't mean anything racist. “Didn’t everyone go to school with someone who brought eggs in their lunch and you’re like, ‘ew, you smell like rotten eggs’... not ‘you smell like curry!’,” she said in the video on her Instagram Stories. She said sarcastically, “I’m being racist to eggs.” Stevenson then doubled down on the follower’s outrage, following that with a cooking tutorial for “racist eggs”. The late night social media saga was re-shared by a popular account, where it was dubbed “egg gate” and plenty more people weighed in on the drama. “She should have apologised and taken it down instead she’s made it worse,” one commenter wrote. The general consensus from the public was that the original racism accusation “was a definite reach”, but she went too far with her explanation. “Honestly don’t think there was any malice in the original comment — she definitely scrambled (ha!), way too far in explaining herself afterwards though,” someone wrote. Image credits: Instagram

Food & Wine

Country music star's "racist" song divides audience

A popular country music star has been forced to defend his new song and accompanying music video, after many condemned the track for being racist. Jason Aldean's song, titled Try That in a Small Town, soared to number one on the country music charts in the US, before been pulled by Country Music Television after claims it promoted gun violence, vigilantism and lynching: a form of execution frequently committed against African-Americans. The singer, who is known for his conservative views, defended the song, saying it was about, “the feeling of community that I had growing up in where we took care of our neighbours, regardless of difference of background or beliefs”. He also slammed the furore against the song, saying saying the accusations against the track that it is “pro lynching” are “not only meritless but dangerous”. Singer Sheryl Crow called out Aldean posting on Twitter, “There’s nothing small town or American about promoting violence,” and called the song “lame” for its controversial themes. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> .<a href="https://twitter.com/Jason_Aldean?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jason_Aldean</a> I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence.There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame <a href="https://t.co/cuOtUO9xjr">https://t.co/cuOtUO9xjr</a> — Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SherylCrow/status/1681485292425867264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2023</a></blockquote> The music video for the song prompted a new wave of backlash, as it was filmed outside the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, which is a site that African American man was lynched. A writer for entertainment industry magazine <a title="variety.com" href="https://variety.com/2023/music/opinion/jason-aldean-try-that-in-a-small-town-worst-country-song-video-column-1235673177/">Variety</a> said it was “the most contemptible country song of the decade” which traded on the “implicit moral superiority of having a limited number of neighbours”. “For Aldean, it’s about how tiny burgs are under the imminent threat of attack from lawless urban marauders who will have to be kept at bay by any means necessary – meaning, pretty explicitly, vigilantism,” wrote its music critic Chris William. He went on to say the video was “dangerous” because it “conflates the act of protesting with violent crime”. In the wake of the criticism, Aldean hit back on his social media accounts, saying people had gone "too far" with their interpretation of the song. He wrote on Twitter, “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it – and there isn’t a single clip that isn’t real news footage – and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music – this one goes too far.” “My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from. And I know that a lot of us in this country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy, where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night, but the desire for it to – that’s what the song is about.” Image credits: Getty Images

Music

"The audacity": Mum spots man sending vile texts about her and her son midflight

A Qantas passenger has been left stunned after seeing a man writing “racist” texts about her and her son after claiming the toddler kicked the back of his chair. The woman and her one-year-old had been aboard Qantas flight QF158 from Auckland to Melbourne when she saw the disgruntled passenger describe her as a “fat Islander woman” and her son as a “black kid kicking me”. She took to Facebook to share her story, saying the ordeal brought her to tears and had her questioning if she could ever fly without her husband again. The mother said the tension between her and the man seated in front of her son began when he turned around and shook his head at the one-year-old. She asked the man if anything was wrong, whom she claims responded, “I just hope he doesn't kick my seat the whole way”. She said she felt confused because, from her son’s position, his legs could barely dangle off his chair, let alone kick the seat in front. The mother told the passenger in front that her son’s legs were too short to do so and added that if he was so concerned about sitting in front of a child, then he should have flown business class. Mid-air, the mother spotted the man venting his anger to a friend via text, referring to her as a “fat Islander woman” and her son as a “black kid”. “I feel as though the whole interaction had nothing to do with my son 'kicking' his chair but merely something to do of how we looked with his racial comments or simply because I had a child who was sitting right behind him,” she wrote. The woman claimed when she confronted the man about the nasty texts, he appeared “shocked” and immediately started to delete the message. At this point, the mother said that she and her son were both “tired, frustrated and mad”. The mother eventually moved to the back of the plane after a flight attendant was made aware of the ordeal. In her Facebook post, she thanked a man and his teenage son who volunteered to sit in their original seats behind the disgruntled man. “I'm not one to share anything or write statuses but this one I was prompted to in the hopes that if you see anything like that I hope you are not a bystander like the many people on that flight who didn't bother to help or do anything.” Despite the incident, she and her son are doing well, but she will “definitely” not be travelling without her husband ever again. Facebook users flocked to the comments and were quick to sympathise with the woman. “Your so brave, even in tears you still the bigger person who stood up for yourself against such bullying and racism,” one comment read. “Traveling with a toddler is hard and that punk made it worst for you!” another said. “I'm so sorry you had to go through that sis, my gosh the audacity this man has,” a third wrote. Image credit: Facebook

Travel Trouble

Bridesmaid "horrifies" viewers with "cringe" wedding speech

A "horrifying" wedding speech has gone viral online, as a bridesmaid delivered an "awkward" toast to her friend and her new husband. The video, which was originally posted on TikTok, has racked up hundreds of thousands of views, shows a bridesmaid named Shannon standing in front of the congregation to toast the newlyweds. In what should have been an emotional, wholesome speech, it instead got off to a bad start when she appeared to forget how long she's known the bride for. “Hi, I’m Shannon, I’ve known Tracy for...oh god...” she started, before a voice off-camera suggests it’s been nine years. “I don’t quite know Anthony that well,” the woman continued, alluding to the groom. “But Tracy talks about you non-stop. She’d be like ‘Oh, Anthony this, Anthony that’, and I’m like, ‘I don’t care’.” Shannon's fake eye-roll didn't get a laugh from the crowd, as she insisted, "Just kidding!" <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> What…the hell…did I just watch? <a href="https://t.co/smfqexmcsz">pic.twitter.com/smfqexmcsz</a> — chris evans (@notcapnamerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/notcapnamerica/status/1585151254464196608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2022</a></blockquote> She continued, “You guys are so cute together.” After telling the groom he’d “better take care of my girl”, Shannon turned to the crowd and said, “I’m not gonna be racist, guys, I’m just saying.” “You guys are outstepping the stereotype and I love it." “You guys, I swear, I love Black people. You guys. Are. The. Best.” Shannon went on to say, “My own daughter’s great-aunt is like, the best woman” before concluding, “You guys are amazing, I love you.” As the video made the rounds online, viewers couldn't believe what they were watching. “What…the hell…did I just watch?” one person asked. “I actually gasped out loud! What in the actual hell??” another weighed in. <div> “Wtaf?! I thought you were just sharing a cringy public speaking clip and that was bad enough, but...then...it took a turn,” another wrote. Image credits: TikTok </div>

Relationships

Kirstie Alley slammed over deleted Ukraine tweet

Ballroom dancing champion and former Dancing With the Stars contestant Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who’s been posting live updates from inside war-torn Ukraine, has called out Kirstie Alley for tweeting that she doesn’t know what’s “real” and “fake” about Russia invading his home country. Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who’s been posting live updates from Ukraine has called out Kirstie Alley for tweeting she doesn’t know what’s “real” and “fake” about Russia invading his home country. “I don’t know what’s real or what is fake in this war. So I won’t be commenting. I’ll pray instead,” Alley wrote in a since-deleted tweet. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/New-Project-3.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="503" /> Chmerkovskiy then posted a screenshot of the tweet, writing, “Dear Kirstie, We haven’t spoken in a while, but I clearly remember being right next to you while you were organising trucks of aid during hurricane Sandy and I remember all that you were saying to me about situations where innocent are suffering.” “That same energy is needed right now.” He added, “No one needs your prayer if you don’t know what’s real or fake.” The US Dancing With the Stars alum has been in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, as Russia’s attacks on the country continue. <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #323338; font-family: Roboto, Arial; background-color: #ffffff; outline: none !important;">“I’m safe,” he assured fans on Friday. “We haven’t been told to move, and I’m just following instructions. That’s all I can say.” He also shared that citizens are “being mobilised” and “the whole country is being called to go to war.” <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #323338; font-family: Roboto, Arial; background-color: #ffffff; outline: none !important;">It’s unclear if he was including himself in that, but it’s unlikely as he became a US citizen in 2019. The pro dancer’s wife Peta Murgatroyd who’s also a DWTS alum pleaded on social media for his safe return. <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #323338; font-family: Roboto, Arial; background-color: #ffffff; outline: none !important;">Meanwhile, Alley took down the tweet and posted instead, “I’m sorry that I’m not an expert on APPARENTLY EVERYTHING. like some of you jack wagons. It’s OK to admit you don’t know things.” <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #323338; font-family: Roboto, Arial; background-color: #ffffff; outline: none !important;">She added, “OMG people are obsessed with hatred. they wait to pounce like rabid dogs no matter what is said. They will TWIST any words to fit their hateful agendas. I think these type of people are the saddest people on Earth.” <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #323338; font-family: Roboto, Arial; background-color: #ffffff; outline: none !important;">However, it only took a few days before she was posting links to her 1.5 million followers of places they can donate to help Ukraine. <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #323338; font-family: Roboto, Arial; background-color: #ffffff; outline: none !important;"> <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #323338; font-family: Roboto, Arial; background-color: #ffffff; outline: none !important;">Images: Twitter & Getty

News

US banker fired and charged after a racist tirade over a smoothie

A wealthy US banker has been fired from his job and charged with a hate crime after a video of him berating young staff in a smoothie shop has gone viral. James Iannazzo, 48, threw a smoothie at a teenage employee before calling her a "f**king immigrant", all while other staff filmed his racist rant. The bizarre encounter erupted after a visibly irate Mr Iannazzo returned to the store in Connecticut after an hour earlier ordering a smoothie that contained peanuts, which caused his highly allergic son to have a reaction and require hospitalisation, according to authorities. According to a police report, Mr Iannazzo ordered the drink without peanut butter, but did not mention his son's allergy to the workers. The video captured by an employee shows Mr Iannazzo demanding to know who made the original drink, before lashing out and calling the staffers “f**king stupid, f**king ignorant high school kids”. He then allegedly called one of the workers a "f**king b***h" before hurling the drink at her, striking her shoulder. Mr Iannazzo continued his expletive-ridden tirade before calling the employee he hit with the drink a "f**king immigrant". The video was originally posted to TikTok and Twitter where it has amassed over 16 million views, and thousands of comments blasting the man's behaviour. A spokesman for the man's employer Merrill Lynch told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/01/24/merrill-lynch-financial-adviser-fired-after-racist-tirade/">New York Post</a> that Mr Iannazzo was fired from the wealth management firm as a direct result of the incident. “Our company does not tolerate behaviour of this kind. We immediately investigated and have taken action. This individual is no longer employed at our firm,” a statement said. After initially fleeing the store before police arrived at the call of an employee, Mr Iannazzo later turned himself in. He told a local news station that he freaked out after his son's reaction to the drink, causing him to return to the store. “My son lost the capacity to breathe properly; his lips and face swelled up, and he required an EpiPen shot, but it did not offer him relief,” Mr Iannazzo told <a href="https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/fairfield/man-arrested-for-altercation-at-robeks-goes-viral-on-tiktok/">WTNH</a>. “I called 911. My son then went to the bathroom, threw up and fell unconscious to the floor. He threw up again. My wife gave him another EpiPen while I called 911 again. Thank God, he is doing okay.” “I was out of my mind with fear for him when I returned to Robeks, and I wish I had not done so,” Mr Iannazzo said. “I also wish they had been more careful preparing my son’s beverage. I will be extending my apologies personally to the Robeks organization, particularly the staff that was working there that night.” “My actions at Robeks were wrong, and I deeply regret them. They do not reflect my values or my character. I feel terrible that I lost my composure so completely,” he said. Mr Iannazzo has since been charged with intimidation based on bigotry or bias, breach of peace and criminal trespass. Image credits: TikTok / Fairfield Police Department

Legal

Vince Sorrenti slammed for on-air racist Māori joke

Comedian and former TV host Vince Sorrenti has come under fire after making a racist joke towards Māori live on the radio. Appearing as a guest on the 2GB radio show hosted by Rob Duckworth, Vince began innocently parodying the lyrics of the Dean Martin classic That's Amore. It started off tamely, as he sung the words, "When you swim near the sand and an eel bites your hand, that's a moray." "When you mix up some tuna and cheese and some cream that's a mornay." However, the joke soon turned racist as he took a swing at Māori people. "When you're hit by a thug in a tough Kiwi pub that's a Māori. But I digress," he said before he and the others on air laughed. Host Rob Duckworth then said, "There ya go! Vince Sorrenti is on fire already." The comments have struck a nerve with Māori living in Australia, with one Māori warned living in Sydney telling the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10306391/Australian-comedian-Vince-Sorrentis-Amore-2GB-radio-singalong-sparks-Maori-row.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a> that the comments were "definitely not acceptable". "He needs to reconsider his material in the future. Maybe in his day it was acceptable. Back in the dark ages maybe it would have been fine, but nowadays you have to consider things other than people's ethnicity." "It's not acceptable. It never has been, but it's really not acceptable now." Vince Sorrenti has apologised for his "joke", saying through a spokesperson that he admits times have changed. "Those Kiwis are right," Sorrenti's spokesman said. "That humour is outdated and unacceptable." The spokesman said that Sorrenti was "embarrassed and very remorseful". "It's a very silly and meaningless ditty and was never intended to hurt or offend. He is going to apologise on air this weekend." "When he was introduced on-air the other night, they played the That's Amore music and he sang along without thinking. It was wrong and he is sorry. I'm surprised he even remembered the words. "Believe it or not he even sang that parody on TV in New Zealand all those years ago. It's a reminder of how much times have changed." Image credits: Facebook - Vince Sorrenti

News

Sacked journalist hits back over "racist" royal tweet

A columnist who was fired from The Telegraph over a “racist” tweet about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s baby has released a follow-up essay blaming “snowflake sociopaths” and “cancel culture” for her firing. Julie Burchill lost her job after mocking the name of the Sussexes’ daughter Lillibet Diana on Twitter. “What a missed opportunity,” she wrote. “They could have called it Georgina Floydina!” The journalist took to Facebook to announce she had been sacked after working for The Telegraph for five years, claiming she had been complaining about the paper rejecting her “edgy column ideas” recently. Burchill reiterated that she wasn’t “upset in the least” about losing her column in a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9686037/JULIE-BURCHILL-reveals-wont-silenced.html">new essay</a> published in The Daily Mail. “Newspapers with no original voices will decline even more rapidly than they would anyway in the digital age. It’s ironic that a conservative newspaper which castigates cancel culture cancelled me for castigating wokery.” Burchill insisted her tweet was “sober, wry and entirely without racist intent”, and that she could not “stress enough how much I deplore the murder of George Floyd”. “What I was mocking was the type of people who - like H&M - live in gated communities while espousing BLM’s politics of social upheaval, without giving any thought to the damage that pro-BLM riots do to poor and black Americans.” This goes against research conducted by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/16/this-summers-black-lives-matter-protesters-were-overwhelming-peaceful-our-research-finds/">The Washington Post</a> last year which found the Black Lives Matter protests involved very little violence and property damage from protesters. Instead, most of the violence reportedly came from police or counterprotesters directed at BLM protesters. She has attributed the backlash to a “sexist and misogynist element” within “wokeness”. “We live in an age of cultural insanity, a topsy-turvy land where men are women, harassment is justice and the Left are jostling to tug their forelocks and call for those of us who criticise royalty to be punished,” she said. Burchill also touted her new publication on Substack - an online platform that allows writers to create and send email newsletters to paying subscribers. “In the autumn, I’ll be back with my book, Welcome To The Woke Trials,” she wrote. “And thanks to Twitter, The Telegraph and a pair of hypocritical fibbers whose fantasy land is so fragile brilliant journalists (me) must be silenced in order to maintain the illusion - it will have a whole new ending.” Image: Daily Mail

Legal

‘Racist’ tweets take aim at Harry and Meghan’s baby

A ‘racist’ tweet about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s baby has seen a UK lawyer suspended from her job. Joanna Toch of Family Law Cafe had responded to a tweet from UK columnist Julie Burchill, who wrote, “What a missed opportunity. They could have called it Georgina Floydina!” This was seen as a callout of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who had both spoken out about racism and the Black Lives Matter movement in the past. In response, Toch commented, “No Doria? Don’t black names matter?” in a reference to Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JulieBurchill?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JulieBurchill</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JoannaToch?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JoannaToch</a>'s Twitter accounts have now been deactivated. Well done Twitter 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾❤️ <a href="https://t.co/hbf18KLQgo">pic.twitter.com/hbf18KLQgo</a> — Cromwell (@Cromwell606) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cromwell606/status/1401940093917614086?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2021</a></blockquote> After deleting and apologising for the tweet, Toch was suspended from her role. “I am very sorry for the comment and what I saw as a joke. I’ve fought during my professional life against racism which is abhorrent. I’m not a judge and I have children of colour and I apologise unreservedly,” she wrote. In a statement, the directors of the law firm said, “FLC considers her comments as offensive, unacceptable and highly contradictory to the inclusive manner in which FLC has always and will continue to work with members of all communities in managing the challenges of matrimonial and family disputes.” Burchill also lost her job at The Telegraph due to the offending tweet, with many followers taking issue with her referring to the baby as “it”. In an initial attempt to defend the tweet, she responded with: “I called the baby IT as a nod to non-binary bollocks … Have a good time with your pearl-clutching life-wasting woo-woo, ya clowns!” Burchill’s social media activity has caused her trouble in the past, having been found to have defamed journalist and activist Ash Sarkar in a series of tweets and Facebook posts in December 2020. Burchill and Toch have since deleted their Twitter accounts. Image: 9honey

News

Prince William finally hits back: “We are not a racist family”

Prince William has spoken out in defence of the British royal family after his brother Prince Harry and her wife made bombshell revelations regarding The Firm. “We are very much not a racist family,” he said after a question from Sky News as he visited a school in east London with his wife. William went on to say: “I haven’t spoken to him yet but I will do.” The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were seen in public for the first time together since Harry and Meghan’s sensational tell-all interview with Oprah aired. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840253/haz-william-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9ca637350445497ca2bd4d5cfa8ff812" /> The pair visited a Stratford school during the rollout of a mental health program for children on Thursday. The couple donned face masks as they travelled in a Range Rover driven by protection officers to School21. William’s biting remarks come days after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview, in which the couple made a number of explosive claims about their family and The Firm. During the interview, they also mentioned that an unnamed royal made comments about what colour Archie’s skin might be before he was born. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840252/haz-william-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7da38f06422c4438916d6903c4a27544" /> Buckingham Palace said in a statement after the tell-all Oprah chat: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.” Prince Harry told Oprah that he was “part of the system” with the royals. However he went on to say that he believes Prince William and his father Prince Charles are “trapped”. “My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave,” Harry said. “And I have huge compassion for that. “My brother can’t leave that system, but I have.”

News

Six Dr Seuss books removed over racist imagery

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> Six Dr Seuss books will no longer be published as they contain racist and insensitive imagery. "These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong," Dr Seuss Enterprises, the business that preserves and protects the author's legacy, said on Tuesday. "Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr Seuss Enterprises' catalogue represents and supports all communities and families." The six books that will no longer be published are: <ul> <li>And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street</li> <li>If I Ran The Zoo</li> <li>McElligot's Pool</li> <li>On Beyond Zebra!</li> <li>Scrambled Eggs Super!</li> <li>The Cat's Quizzer</li> </ul> The decision to cease sales and publication of these books was made last year after months of discussion. "Dr Seuss Enterprises listened and took feedback from our audiences including teachers, academics and specialists in the field as part of our review process," it said. "We then worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review our catalogue of titles." Books by Dr Seuss are popular worldwide, as they've been translated into dozens of languages and are sold in more than 100 countries. Despite passing away in 1991, he earned an estimated 42.3 million before taxes in 2020. However, school districts across the US are moving away from Dr Suess as many believe that Suess' works are "steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures and harmful stereotypes". Dr Seuss Enterprises, however, said it was "committed to listening and learning and will continue to review our entire portfolio". </div> </div> </div>

Books

Greta Thunberg’s parting shot to Donald Trump

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> Teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg has farewelled former US President Donald Trump with a clever tweet. Thunberg used Trump's words against him as she wrote: "He seems like a very happy old man looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!" The remark was just one of many Trump made about Thunberg in the past. The quote came from Trump after Thunberg's address to the Davos summit in 2020, saying that she "seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future." Thunberg's tweet was a hit with fans, reaching over 690,000 likes on Twitter. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> He seems like a very happy old man looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see! <a href="https://t.co/G8gObLhsz9">pic.twitter.com/G8gObLhsz9</a> — Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1351890941087522820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> As many social media platforms banned Trump from using their services, he is unable to respond to Thunberg at this time. This isn't the first time the two have had a war of words, with Trump claiming that Thunberg's 2019 Time "Person of the Year" was "so ridiculous". "Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!" he tweeted at the time. Thunberg sat on his words until Trump prompted electoral officials to "STOP THE COUNT" during the Presidential election race. "So ridiculous. Donald must work on his Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Donald, Chill!" Thunberg tweeted. Thunberg and Trump never met during his presidential term, with Thunberg saying it would have been a "waste of time". "I don't think I would have said anything because obviously he's not listening to scientists and experts, so why would he listen to me?" she told BBC Radio 4. </div> </div> </div>

News

New video allegedly "proof" racist slur aimed at Indian star at SCG

Cricket chiefs and NSW police have launched an investigation into allegations of racial abuse towards the Indian team from parts of the crowd during the third Test, after six people were ejected and play halted for close to 10 minutes on Sunday. The International Cricket Council (ICC) probe followed Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah allegedly being targeted as they were on the field. Play was paused for the second time on Sunday when Siraj approached the umpire and pointed towards the crowd. The six men were immediately removed from the seats by police. “Siraj was referred to as ‘Brown Dog’ and ’Big Monkey’ both of which are racist slurs. The matter was immediately brought to the notice of on-field umpires. They were constantly abusing Bumrah too,” a BCCI source told the Press Trust of India. The Times of India newspaper said that the fans on Saturday had been drunk. “Bumrah and Siraj were called monkeys, w**ker and motherf**ker by the people almost throughout the time they were fielding,” it claimed. Footage showing the crowd chanting at Siraj has surfaced but it's unclear what was said. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Well this is some proof...... 🙄🙄🙄🙄<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvsAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvsAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/racism?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#racism</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvINDtest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvINDtest</a> <a href="https://t.co/NL47ztRfOZ">pic.twitter.com/NL47ztRfOZ</a> — Rithvik Shetty (@Shetty10Rithvik) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shetty10Rithvik/status/1348271718947717120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2021</a></blockquote> While you can mainly hear people chanting "Siraj", some people claim they can hear racial abuse faintly in the background. According to Cricket Australia (CA) multiple people from the crowd had been questioned before being thrown out by police. “While we await the outcome of the investigation by NSW Police, CA has launched its own inquiry into the matter,” said CA’s head of integrity and security Sean Carroll, calling the episode “regrettable”. India captain Virat Kohli, who is missing the last three Tests of the four-match series for the birth of his first child, tweeted that such racist behaviour was “pathetic”. “Having gone through many incidents of really pathetic things said on the boundary Iines, this is the absolute peak of rowdy behaviour,” Kohli tweeted. “It’s sad to see this happen on the field. “The incident needs to be looked at with absolute urgency and seriousness and strict action against the offenders should set things straight for once.”

News

Volkswagen forced to pull highly ‘racist’ ad for its new Golf

German car company Volkswagen has been forced to pull a social media advertisement and issue an apology after the campaign had alleged racist undertones. The 10-second ad posted on Twitter and Instagram shows a huge white hand pushing a black man away from a new yellow Volkswagen Gold parked on the street, then moving him to an open doorway and flicking him inside a French café. Viewers also noticed that as the German-language slogan “Der Neue Golf” – “The New Golf” – fades from view, the jumble of letters can be read as a racial slur for a brief moment. To make matters worse, the café is named Petit Colon, which means “Little Colonist” in French. Volkswagen said it “can understand the outrage and anger” over the video. "Without question: the video is inappropriate and tasteless," Volkswagen said. "We will clarify how something like this could happen, and there will be consequences." The Wolfsburg-based company established under the Nazis to create “the people’s car,” said that given its history it had always sought to “position itself against all forms of racism, xenophobia and discrimination.” "Many initiatives in the company and in our global workforce promote diversity, integration and unprejudiced cooperation," Volkswagen said. "That makes it all the more annoying that we made this mistake."

Can dogs be racist?

A story went viral in August, 2019, as it involved the Catholic church, a black woman and the priest’s German Shepherd dog known as Caesar. LaShundra Allen arrived with her co-worker Emily Weaver (who is white) for what was supposed to be her first day of cleaning Reverand Kowal’s rectory. Weaver was quitting and was showing Allen around as her replacement, when Allen was barred from entering the rectory by the church secretary. She explained that “Father Jacek’s dog is kinda racist”. Allen made a racial discrimination complaint to the Diocese of Memphis, and after several weeks, they responded that it wasn’t discrimination as it was done for her safety as the church believed the dog was specifically hostile towards black people. A question was asked by researchers: Is it possible that dogs can develop prejudice towards a specific racial group? Carlee Beth Hawkins of the Psychology Department at the University of Illinois, Springfield and her co-author Alexia Jo Vandiver set out to answer whether or not dogs could be racist. According to <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/canine-corner/201909/can-dogs-be-racist">Psychology Today</a>, the research involved two internet-based studies on the matter, which asked 2,349 dog owners who reported their races as White and 201 Black/African American dog owners how strongly they preferred white people over black people or vice versa. The basic hypothesis for the research was that dogs are not born with any innate predispositions to disliking any particular race, as the problem rests with their caregivers who have unconscious or conscious bias that the dogs respond to. The second measure was that they asked the dog owners how frequently their dogs showed positive or negative behaviours towards black or white people during the past six months. The findings showed that white people reported that their dogs showed more positive behaviours towards white people and more negative behaviours towards black people. The effects were stronger in people whose implicit behaviour and attitudes were negative towards black people. However, as the authors point out, part of this effect could be due to the fact that if a person has biases against a group of individuals, they will be less inclined to socialise with them. This means that the dog’s negative behaviour towards people of colour or vice versa could be to unfamiliarity on the dog’s behalf. It’s been well known that dogs are able to read emotions from their caregiver, but it also appears that dogs are modelling their behaviour after what they see in the actions of their owners. So yes, dogs are able to be racist, but they are only modelling the behaviour of their owners. Racist owner, racist dog.

Family & Pets

5 of the funniest tweets from actor Sam Neill

Actor and wine maker Sam Neill has taken to Twitter with ease, much to the delight of his fans and other celebrities. The Jurassic Park actor frequently documents life on his farm with his animals that have names of celebrities as an “insurance policy”. “It doesn’t always end well,” he told <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/07/sam-neill-farm-animals-interview.html">Vulture.</a> “Meryl Streep was killed by a ferret recently … Hugo Weaving was another unfortunate end, but he died happy. He was a ram. He was doing what rams do — he fell off the back of a female sheep.” He also shares videos of his grandson, as seen below. 1. Sam playing with his grandson <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> My grandson . Hilarious . Great kid . Don't worry ...picks himself up, laughs and back into it . <a href="https://t.co/cyuOOHfztO">pic.twitter.com/cyuOOHfztO</a> — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwoPaddocks/status/1121741516031057920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">26 April 2019</a></blockquote> This is a popular tweet by fans, but you have to watch until the end to really appreciate it. 2. Getting angry at James Corden for being a “murderer” Sam Neill played Mr McGreggor in the reboot of Peter Rabbit, who met an unfortunate end thanks to Peter, who is voiced by Corden. He let his anger be known in the tweet below, calling Corden a “murderer” and that he has “no idea why HE’S [Peter Rabbit] the hero & not old Mr.McG.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> Spent this morning listening to the excellent <a href="https://twitter.com/JKCorden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JKCorden</a> as Peter, voicing the Badger for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PeterRabbit2?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PeterRabbit2</a>. I couldn't be Old Mr. McGregor again because ...well...he died . Peter Rabbit's fault. No idea why HE's the hero & not old Mr.McG. Peter Rabbit MURDERER ! <a href="https://t.co/ubx5jV9U1A">pic.twitter.com/ubx5jV9U1A</a> — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwoPaddocks/status/1151684396534996995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">18 July 2019</a></blockquote> 3. This selfie with a “random fan” Neill makes a point for his twitter feed to be humorous and refreshing as he “enjoys Twitter”. He told <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2019/05/sam-neill-interview-about-twitter.html">The Cut</a> about how he got started on the platform. “They [co-workers in Two Paddocks office] told me that social media was important,” he said. “I’d never heard of it. I started Facebook, but I didn’t like it at all. It filled me with existential dread. “But I found I enjoyed Twitter. The economy of 140 characters was really appealing; every tweet was like a lame haiku”. Although he usually posts photos and videos of his farm animals, he made an exception for a selfie with a “random fan”. The fan just so happens to be Chris Hemsworth. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> Yours truly plus random fan .<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThorRagnarok?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThorRagnarok</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TaikaWaititi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TaikaWaititi</a> took this as best I remember. <a href="https://t.co/aU1nW1B8bI">pic.twitter.com/aU1nW1B8bI</a> — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwoPaddocks/status/917554962997035009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">10 October 2017</a></blockquote> 4. Singing with pigs As Neill lives on a farm in Otago, New Zealand, he has “so many free-range animals that they’re almost feral”. He shared with his Twitter followers a “duet” with his pig. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> Singing With Pigs. My old pig friend is always up for a duet . Its more his kind of song really . Took me years to learn Pigsong . It's paid off bigtime. <a href="https://t.co/a3mprZ6AMR">pic.twitter.com/a3mprZ6AMR</a> — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwoPaddocks/status/1088972409229664256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">26 January 2019</a></blockquote> 5. Getting mistaken for Hugo Weaving Although people might recognise Sam Neill from somewhere, it’s clear that not many know who he is. Neill documented an experience with a fan saying that he’s Hugo Weaving. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> LIFE IN THE CITY Coming out of my local with a coffee this morning , a bloke with a dog yells "Are you an Actor ?' "Yes' I say. "Who are you then ? " he says "Hugo Weaving" I reply "That's right..apparently you're good" "Not really" I mutter as I walk away <a href="https://t.co/00lt7jJBA2">pic.twitter.com/00lt7jJBA2</a> — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwoPaddocks/status/1145886981722820608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">2 July 2019</a></blockquote>

Technology

The palace bungles Princess Eugenie wedding tweet – can you spot the blunder?

The official Royal Family twitter account was forced to delete one tweet about Princess Eugenie’s upcoming wedding because of a glaring error. The Queen’s granddaughter is set to say “I do” to her fiancé later today in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle – the same location as Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding earlier this year. Although it is the second royal wedding of the year, the error in the tweet led fans to question whether less attention is being given to Eugenie’s nuptials. Can you spot the mistake in this tweet? <img style="width: 500px; height: 275.97402597402595px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7821307/2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a6f0971ae6f14875a778ebcfa720ace4" /> The tweet bungled the name of Eugenie’s partner, referring to him as Mr Jacksbrook rather than his correct surname, Mr Brooksbank. The account, which has 3.81 million followers, quickly received backlash for the typo. One person replied: “I believe “Bank Jacksbrook” is his super secret spy name.” Another said: “It’s Jack Brooksbank, or Jacksbrook to his rapper crew.” The tweet stayed on the account for 40 minutes until someone alerted the Royals to the error. The tweet was later reposted with the correct spelling. Eugenie, 28, will have a traditional church service which will be followed by the newlyweds embarking on a carriage ride through the streets of Windsor. Guests will then move to the Queen’s residence for an afternoon reception at Windsor Castle. In the evening, there will be a formal sit-down dinner at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, the residence of her parents Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. The following day, the newlyweds and their friends and family will be enjoying a festival-themed afternoon party. Princess Eugenie first met Jack when she was 20 years old while at a Swiss holiday resort in Verbier. Will you be tuning in to watch Princess Eugenie’s wedding tonight? Let us know in the comments.

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Can dogs be racist?

5 of the funniest tweets from actor Sam Neill

The palace bungles Princess Eugenie wedding tweet – can you spot the blunder?