GB News, a right-leaning British news channel that launched with a promise to “champion robust, balanced debate and a range of perspectives,” found itself the target of online mockery and criticism for their response to one of their own hosts taking a knee live on the air in solidarity with the UK soccer team.
Similar to NFL players kneeling to show solidarity with criminal justice reform and racial justice movements, British soccer players have been a part of this debate in their own country. Racial issues cast a shadow over England’s appearance at the Euro 2020 final, with several Black players on the English team being the target of racist attacks after they missed penalty kicks and Italy won the game.
The current controversy concerns Guto Harri, a GB News host who was previously a journalist with the BBC after a stint as a spokesman for then-London Mayor Boris Johnson (the current Prime Minister).
“But having seen over the last few days, just how close to the surface, just how deep-rooted, just how hideously ugly racism among some English football fans is,” said Harri during an on-air segment on Tuesday with his co-host Mercy Muroki, “I totally get it why this squad throughout thought, we have to say, day in, day out, every time we get on the field, that racism is not on.”
“I actually now get it…We should all take the knee.
“For them to do that as footballers on the field, makes sense,” he continued, “because they’re saying it’s just not right and racism has no place in football and no place in modern Britain.”
Harri’s comments were swiftly condemned by many GB News viewers, slamming what they saw as a betrayal of network chairman Andrew Neil’s promise of “anti-woke journalism.”
Harri posted a defense on Twitter himself, saying that GB News was “about free speech” and “having the debates others won’t,” and reiterating his support for the soccer players who were “making a clear statement about rejecting racism (not endorsing the narrow divisive aims of BLM).”
The controversy ratcheted up a few levels when GB News’ official Twitter account decided to weigh in.
GB News “do[es] not have a company line on taking the knee,” they tweeted, noting their opposition “against racism in all its forms.” However, they continued, while some guests supported taking the knee, and some opposed it, the network did have “editorial standards that all GB News journalists uphold.”
“On Tuesday a contributing presenter took the knee live
About an hour later, a third and final tweet was added to the thread, saying that they had “let both sides of the argument down by oversimplifying a very complex issue.”
It was not immediately clear, tweeted Jim Waterson, media editor for The Guardian, whether Harri would keep his job.
Watch the videos above, via GB News.