On Sunday 24 October, the Sunday Times published an article by Jeremy Clarkson titled ‘the police are too busy exposing themselves to one another to catch any criminals’, where the TV presenter spoke about calling the police on two Traveller men.
In the article Jeremy Clarkson states that the men asked to take a picture with the TV presenter, which is not out of the ordinary. However, Clarkson felt compelled to call the police because he “didn’t like the look of [them]”.
Despite a lack of evidence that the men had committed a crime, Clarkson called the police as there had been a number of burglaries in the area and he suspected the Traveller men were involved.
Jeremy Clarkson has previously been investigated by Ofcom following a complaint from the Traveller Movement for his use of a derogatory sign on Top Gear.
A spokesperson from Friends, Families and Travellers said:
“We condemn Jeremy Clarkson for calling the police on Traveller people, with no evidence that a crime had been committed, due to his prejudiced assumption that all Travellers are criminals.
Clarkson has repeatedly shown his discriminatory attitudes towards Gypsy and Traveller people, having previously been investigated by Ofcom for his use of the word ‘P****’.
There should be no room for hate in our national media and regulators must do more to stamp it out.”
Notes for Editor
About Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT)
Friends, Families and Travellers is a leading national charity that works to end racism and discrimination against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people and to protect the right to pursue a nomadic way of life.
Media Contact
Sami McLaren, Communications Officer
Tel: 01273 234 038 Email: sami@gypsy-traveller.org
Relevant Resources
‘Top Gear cleared over Jeremy Clarkson’s ‘P****’s Peak’ sign’. The Guardian. July 2015. View here.
