Madeley's comment was labelled 'insensitive', with many calling for him to be sacked
Richard Madeley has sparked outrage after asking "how is rape a weapon of war?'' following reports that Russian soldiers have been sexually assaulting Ukrainian women during an invasion now being branded a
genocide.
Madeley and co-host Kate Garraway were discussing the
latest atrocities reported in Ukraine on
Good Morning Britain on Monday with Chip Chapman, a former senior British advisor to US central command when viewers were left stunned by the question.
The UK's ambassador to Ukraine said on Sunday that she was aware of reports of women and girls being raped in front of their families, describing it as a "deliberate act of subjugation".
https://twitter.com/cjsbella/status/1510869489012858880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1510869489012858880%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D327442action%3Dedit
"Chip, we've said something that was widely reported this morning that rape was used as a weapon of war. How exactly is rape a weapon of war?", asked Madeley.
Chapman explained: "It's trying to impose some sort of will on the enemy as I mentioned in Second World War times", adding, "it is absolutely horrific and if you've got compromised morality and unchecked... with those with weapons you have a lethal combination of the future."
https://twitter.com/ArgyleLoz/status/1510875286988111875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1510875286988111875%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D327442action%3Dedit
The former inter-governmental advisor went on to note that the Russian unit reportedly responsible for such war crimes was the "64 Motor Rifle Regiment Brigade", which
pulled out of the city of Bucha on Sunday, but went on to warn that this may not be an isolated incident.
Regardless, for many, this was yet another comment worthy of an Ofcom complaint, with the 65-year-old journalist and presenter having
sparked outrage for numerous other remarks during his time on the show.
https://twitter.com/DharricRolyat/status/1510878338608422912?s=20&t=y9Fhd_Iq0Fj1WKYS3AamCw
https://twitter.com/KerridgeTony/status/1510854584968912900?s=20&t=ox_X-6uUro1zZiuC3zV-MA
https://twitter.com/SloaneFragment/status/1510904941992366088?s=20&t=ox_X-6uUro1zZiuC3zV-MA
Madeley has previously caused controversy for calling female guests "darling" and "sweetheart", asking women whether they were
cautious enough prior to being spiked, and even bringing up the subject of the
Hitler Youth when discussing Shamima Begum - just to name a few.
Among certain sub-sections calling for Madeley to be sacked, some took the time to highlight resources explaining exactly why sexual violence is and has been used as a weapon of war for centuries.
https://twitter.com/tanita_tikaram/status/1510886092018487297?s=20&t=my235mqFSFHxeMvFp0Q-Cg
The uproar comes after Charity Human Rights Watch said it had uncovered evidence of "unspeakable, deliberate cruelty and violence" against Ukrainian civilians, declaring that these acts must be investigated as war crimes.
https://twitter.com/BirgitMSchwarz/status/1510884610615435265
Neither Madeley nor
GMB are yet to issue a response regarding the comments.
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