On Sunday 24 May an article by journalist, Rod Liddle was published in the Sunday Times that may encourage members of the public to engage in activity which jeopardises the safety of others. Our External Affairs Executive Director, Steve Brooks, respond to the comments that were made.
Steve Brooks, Executive Director of External Affairs said:
鈥淕TV视频 remains deeply disappointed and concerned by the Sunday Times article written by Rod Liddle, published on the听24th听May 2020. 听
鈥淚n the article, Liddle writes that it is 鈥渙h so tempting鈥 to cause physical bodily harm to cyclists. 听
鈥淲e therefore share the view of many people that the comments included in the article may encourage members of the public to engage in activity which jeopardises the safety of others. 听
鈥淭here have already been a number of reports of such dangerous and illegal activity, and where incidents do occur we urge people to contact the police.
鈥淲hilst the publication has responded by claiming the journalist鈥檚 comments were satirical,听we do not feel that this is a sufficient response to the issue at hand.
鈥淲e therefore urge the Sunday Times to further reflect on the seriousness of this matter and to take a more responsible editorial approach in the future by recognising the implications of the language that听is used in their publication. 听听
鈥淲e will continue to monitor the Sunday Times鈥 response to both the article and听subsequent complaints,听and听thank all of our volunteers, supporters and the general public who have voiced their concerns to us.鈥
