Countdown star Rachel Riley accused of Islamophobia after comparing Sydney mall attack to ‘globalised intifada’ in now-deleted X post
Countdown star Rachel Riley has issued a scathing apology after being accused of Islamophobia following her tweet about the Sydney shopping mall massacre.
The 38-year-old presenter faced a huge backlash after she mistakenly compared Saturday’s terror attack in Australia to a pro-Palestinian uprising.
The bloody rampage was carried out by English teacher Joel Cauchi, 40, from Queensland, who police said suffered from mental health problems.
In his now-deleted tweet, Riley appeared to compare the mall attack, in which six people were killed before Cauchi was shot dead by police, to the ‘globalized Infitada’ movement.
The presenter has since released a statement on X saying she was ‘sorry’ if her message had been ‘misunderstood’ – after it led to her facing calls to be sacked by Channel 4.
Countdown star Rachel Riley has apologized after being accused of Islamophobia following her tweet about the Sydney mall massacre
The 38-year-old presenter faced a major backlash after she falsely claimed Saturday’s horrific attack in Australia was the result of pro-Palestinian insurgency (pictured: knifeman Joel Cauchi, who carried out the deadly attack)
Riley was criticized for this tweet, which she has since deleted, claiming the attack was part of the ‘globalized Infitada’
“Just to clarify, my intent with this tweet was not to say that this attack was caused by any idea or to associate it with Islamic extremism,” Riley wrote.
The former Strictly Come Dancing star continued: ‘At the time we didn’t know who the attacker was and as such I didn’t mention anything.
“My aim was to highlight the weekly calls for ‘intifada’ to be tolerated in London and around the world, which in reality means violence on our streets.
‘For 6 months now I have avoided taking the tube or walking with my children anywhere near the marches every Saturday and every week we watch the extremist chants proudly with little outcry.
‘Unfortunately, the type of attack seen in Sydney yesterday is exactly the kind of violence that the previous intifada involved and I hope to avoid in the future, but in my view ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
‘Attacks on Jews have recently been repackaged as ‘resistance’ in some circles and we should with one voice condemn all acts of violence, regardless of the perpetrators and whoever the victims are.
‘I apologize if this message was misunderstood, that was not my intention.’
Her apology came after she sparked mass outrage at X and was accused of writing a racist statement about the Sydney stabbing.
Riley’s apology came after she sparked mass outrage at X and was accused of writing a racist statement about the Sydney stabbing (she’s pictured on Countdown)
The bloody rampage in Sydney was carried out by English teacher Joel Cauchi (pictured), from Queensland, who police say suffered from mental health problems
In the now-deleted tweet, Riley wrote: ‘For 6 months now people have been out on our streets proudly calling for the ‘Intifada revolution’.
“If you want to know what ‘Globalised Intifada’ looks like, see the Sydney Mall.
‘5 victims stabbed to death and 8 transferred to hospital, including a baby, because of a man and a knife.
‘In the second intifada, over 1,000 Israelis were murdered in restaurants, buses and in the streets by suicide bombs, stabbings, stonings, lynchings, rocket fire. The youngest victim was only 9 hours old.
“Sydney mall, several times is what the proud have called for.”
The tweet sparked mass outrage on social media, with @TocquevilleJnr among those calling her comments racist and demanding action from her employer, Channel 4.
They wrote: ‘Dear Alex Mahon, CEO of publicly owned @Channel4. Is it true that a regular contributor to your station (Ms Rachel Riley) is IMO so outrageously divisive, hateful and racist? Based on a complete lie.
‘This person should NOT be a role model on our MSM @krishgm.’
Another person added: ‘Where’s your apology @RachelRileyRR? Islamophobic to the core. @Channel4- you need to consider whether Rachel Riley represents your values.’
Riley was condemned online after her tweet on Saturday, in which some accused her of Islamophobia
In her apology, Riley said her message had been ‘misunderstood’ and that this was ‘not my intention’
And Professor Ahmed Hankir wrote that X: ‘I cannot, in good conscience, remain silent. We must not be silent. When we see such bigotry, Islamophobia, racism and hatred, we must call it out. Rachel Riley must be held accountable for these vile and divisive comments.’
A Channel 4 spokesman said: ‘We have reminded Rachel of her obligations as a contributor to Channel 4 programming.’
Cauchi was shot dead by police inspector Amy Scott, who confronted him alone during his deadly rampage at the Westfield shopping center at Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east.
Six people died in the chaos, while 12 others – including a nine-month-old baby girl – were injured.
Victims pictured L-R top row: Yixuan Cheng, 27, Ashlee Good, 38, and Pikria Darchia, 55. Pictured L-R bottom row: Jade Young, 47, Dawn Singleton, 25, and Faraz Tahir, 30.
In a statement released by Queensland Police, the Cauchi family said: ‘We are completely devastated by the traumatic events that took place in Sydney yesterday.
‘Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims and those still undergoing treatment at this time.
“Joel’s actions were truly horrific and we are still trying to understand what happened.
‘He has struggled with mental health issues since he was a teenager.’
They added: ‘We are in contact with both the New South Wales Police Force and the Queensland Police Service and have no problem with the police officer who shot our son as she was only doing her job to protect others and we hope she is OK well .’