Homophobic Sports Personality Tyson Fury is Protested At Belfast Ceremony
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| Tyson Fury |
Protesters picketing the Sports Personality of the Year 2015 ceremony in Belfast have said they are there to represent the 140,000 people who wanted the BBC to drop world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury from the shortlist.
One of the organisers of a demonstration comprised of gay and feminist groups angered by Fury’s homophobic and sexist remarks accused the corporation of hypocrisy by keeping Fury on the list.
John O’Doherty told the Guardian the BBC should have given Fury the same treatment as when former Manchester United manager and TV pundit Ron Atkinson was sacked by ITV in 2004 over racist remarks he made about the former Chelsea and France defender Marcel Desailly.
Atkinson’s remarks, made during post-match analysis of the Monaco v Chelsea Champions League semi-final first leg match, were broadcast in several places in the Middle East, including Dubai and Egypt.
O’Doherty said Fury’s comments about gay people and women were as offensive as Atkinson’s remarks were back then.
Speaking outside the SSE Arena on Sunday evening O’Doherty, from the Rainbow Project gay rights group in Northern Ireland, said: “If Tyson Fury had made overtly racist remarks the BBC would have quite rightly dropped him from the show tonight. Yet it seems he can make homophobic and sexist comments and the BBC has no problem having him as one of the nominees.
“Ron Atkinson was correctly sacked from ITV after making racist comments and the BBC should have taken exactly the same position over Fury’s remarks.”
O’Doherty said he and his fellow protesters were there to “represent the 140,000-plus people who signed a Facebook petition calling for Fury to be taken off the nomination list. The BBC ignored what these people were saying so we are here tonight to give them a voice.”
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Fury had said: “There are only three things that need to be accomplished before the devil comes home. One of them is homosexuality being legal in countries, one of them is abortion and the other is paedophilia.”
Fury also remarked that another athlete on this year’s Sports Personality of the Year shortlist, Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill “slaps up good”, before adding that “a woman’s best place is in the kitchen and on her back”.
O’Doherty denied that he and the other organisations picketing Sunday night’s live event – the Rainbow Project, Cara-Friend, HereNI and Fight4Equality – were trying to shut down Fury’s right to speak his mind.
“Broadcasters would not tolerate racist comments as was the case with Ron Atkinson and the BBC is a public service broadcaster and is financed by the public. So the BBC has a duty to protect its viewers and listeners from hate speech. Besides, if you are talking about free speech why did the BBC suspend one of its own journalists for openly criticising the decision to keep Tyson Fury on the nomination list?” O’Doherty said.
Courtney Robinson, from the gropup Fight4Equality, said: “In Tyson Fury’s neandarthal world view, women are merely objects designed to entertain and serve men. He thinks our bodies are simply vessels for reproduction and we shouldn’t be allowed to choose for ourselves whether or not we want to have children.
“It is disgraceful that the BBC has allowed him to be nominated for Sports Personality of the Year. His personality is obnoxious and he should not be feted as a role model for young people.”
Ruth McCarthy said: “I don’t think it is okay for a personality award to go to somebody who says things that are very damaging to gay people and to women. In this day and age, I just don’t think it is appropriate.
“It is coming up to Christmas and there are people who won’t be going home for Christmas because they are estranged from their families because homophobia has been perpetuated. The BBC should really be ashamed of themselves for this.”
BBC Northern Ireland suspended news presenter Andy West after he publicly criticised the corporation over Fury’s shortlisting. West said he was “ashamed” to work at the BBC over its decision to ignore a Facebook campaign calling for Fury to be taken off the list.
Security was tight around the SSE Arena on the river Lagan, with armed police patrols and road checks. The security operation has been put in place to counter any potential attack by dissident republicans. It is the first time ever that Sports Personality of the Year has been broadcast from Northern Ireland.
Henry McDonaldIreland
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