This is, as the journalist says, one of the most astonishing things you’ll see on television.
‘Guardian’ writer Owen Jones, himself a gay man, walked out of a live Sky News segment on Sunday night after a heated debate with presenters Julia Hartley-Brewer and Mark Longhurst.
Jones grew more and more exasperated throughout the interview as the panel discussed the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, in which Omar Mateen shot dead more than 50 people at the gay venue.
With Jones insisting that Mateen’s act was a hate crime against gay people, Longhurst interrupted and said the crime had been carried out against “human beings” who were “ trying to enjoy themselves, whatever their sexuality”.
“I’m sorry, I just find this the most astonishing thing I’ve ever been involved in on television,” Jones said. “If [Mateen had] walked into a synagogue and massacred dozens of Jewish people, you wouldn’t be saying what you’re saying now.
“You would be talking about it as an anti-semitic attack. This was a deliberate attack on LGBT people.”
After Hartley-Brewer suggested that Mateen could equally have carried out his actions against her, “a gobby woman,” Jones was unable to speak further and a couple of minutes later walked off the set.
Watch the entire build up to Jones walking off here.
A lot of people are applauding Jones for what he did.
https://twitter.com/CornflakeDaddy/status/742114304611258372
Two straight people telling a gay man that homophobia is not the main issue concerning an attack on a LGBT venue https://t.co/gYdHcIviGZ
— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) June 12, 2016
Astounding behaviour towards @OwenJones84 on Sky News. I still don't know how it took so long for him to walk off.https://t.co/CK3dLJDc2c
— Adam Sweeney (@AdamWSweeney) June 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/superlukee_/status/742250001301164032
https://twitter.com/laurasnapes/status/742249209127182336
Watched Sky News w growing incredulity. @OwenJones84 right -homophobic nature of attack on LGBTIQ people suppressed https://t.co/h073J2bYs2
— Caroline Russell (@CarolineRussell) June 13, 2016
The stupidity of Sky News paper review exposed by @OwenJones84 https://t.co/DOB1dbu6h3
— Randeep Ramesh (@tianran) June 13, 2016
Unbelievable Sky news paper review last night agree with @OwenJones84 #Orlando a homophobic attack – it's obvious isn't it?
— Angela Eagle DBE (@angelaeagle) June 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/Elizigan/status/742245163846750208
Word to the presenter of Sky News paper review: if even the Telegraph says it was an attack on gays, chances are it was an attack on gays…
— Anya Palmer (@anyabike) June 13, 2016
