Radio presenter Shelagh Fogarty says she is taking a sabbatical from Twitter after contrasting “ugly scenes” from the Scottish independence referendum with the death of Labour MP Jo Cox.
The LBC presenter faced an online backlash after telling listeners that there had been some unfortunate incidents during the Scotland campaign but Jo Cox’s death was “on a different scale”.
She said: “Everything we say has to be given the health warning of, these are details which are emerging but just generally speaking, in the middle of an election campaign, you look at the Scottish referendum and we know there were some unfortunate ugly incidents and pleas by the SNP leaders for better behaviour from some of their members but this is on a different scale.”
Read more: Jo Cox killing - Scot held over MP's death had a history of mental health issues
Ms Fogarty defended her comments as several SNP supporters seized on them to claim the radio presenter had “accused SNP members of acting in the same way” as Jo Cox’s attacker.
For any @theSNP supporters who still insist I equated them to Jo Cox attacker. pic.twitter.com/nS3IOzbM0e
— Shelagh Fogarty (@ShelaghFogarty) June 16, 2016
Simon Hayter, an SNP activist and branch manager, has now said that he intends to lodge a formal complaint about the comment.
Read more: Jo Cox killing - Two-minute silence in memory of MP to be held during by-election count
He tweeted: “Disgusted that LBC presenter Shelagh Fogarty has just accused SNP members of acting in same way during the independence referendum as the man who shot Labour MP.”
Disgusted that @LBC presenter @ShelaghFogarty has just accused SNP members of acting in same way during #indyref as the man who shot Lab MP.
— Simon Hayter (@SimonGHayter) June 16, 2016
However, Ms Fogarty insisted that she did not equate SNP supporters with Jo Cox attacker, tweeting “For any SNP supporters who still insist I equated them to Jo Cox attacker” with a transcript of her comment.
She confirmed last night that she is temporarily quitting Twitter after being trolled following her comment.
Read more: Jo Cox was a rising star committed to public service
She tweeted: “I’m leaving Twitter for a while after a day full of this.”
I'm leaving Twitter for a while after a day full of this.... https://t.co/0JQ8pNqfnS
— Shelagh Fogarty (@ShelaghFogarty) June 16, 2016
However, the radio presenter’s decision was met with a mixed reaction online, with many social media users telling her she had ‘done nothing wrong’ and urging her to ignore the trolls.
@ShelaghFogarty Ignore the trolls. You are awesome and I hope you're back on here soon xxx
— Helen Leach (@Helen_J_Leach) June 16, 2016
@ShelaghFogarty Don't you dare! You can't let the morons win. Some of us love you on (and off) Twitter. 😘
— Christopher Golds (@chrisgolds) June 16, 2016
I'm leaving Twitter for a while after a day full of this.... https://t.co/0JQ8pNqfnS
— Shelagh Fogarty (@ShelaghFogarty) June 16, 2016
.@ShelaghFogarty Pity you lacked the grace to apologise for your deeply offensive comment before sloping off with your tail between legs?
— Andy Ellis (@ndls61) June 17, 2016
@ShelaghFogarty To even mention @theSNP campaign in this context is ridiculous. I would expect you to retract and apologise.
— George S Gordon (@VoteYesSept) June 16, 2016
@ShelaghFogarty Don't be bullied by fools just block them or better still mute them so they spill their bile into the ether.
— Linda Mitchell (@Missymazda) June 16, 2016
Ms Cox died after being shot and stabbed in the street outside her constituency surgery in Birstall, near Leeds.
The mother-of-two was attacked at lunchtime on Thursday by a man who reportedly shouted ‘Britain First’.
A 52-year-old man has been detained in connection with the death of the Labour MP.
Ms Cox was elected to the seat of Batley and Spen at the last general election in 2015.
Her husband Brendan Cox is a former Downing Street adviser who worked for Gordon Brown.
Mr Cox and the couple’s children are understood to have spent yesterday at Westminster as part of the pro-Remain EU flotilla on the Thames.
Before entering parliament Mrs Cox was a former head of policy at Oxfam and advised Sarah Brown on her campaign to cut the number of mothers dying in childbirth in the developing world.
She was also one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate Jeremy Corbyn as a candidate in the 2015 Labour leadership election.
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