Beresford claimed the online abuse was “getting too much”
The Good Morning Britain presenter Alex Beresford has quit social media after receiving “relentless racist abuse”, following his clash with Piers Morgan over the controversial comments the former host made about Meghan Markle.
After Morgan’s claim that he did not believe “a word” of what Meghan Markle said during her interview with Oprah Winfrey, Beresford defended the Duchess of Sussex’s struggle with her mental health during her time as a senior member of the Royal family.
Following the live spat, Beresford took to social media to say that “claims of racism” should not have to be examined in order to make us feel more at ease.
I wish I had the privilege to sit on the fence. In order for me to do that I would have to strip myself of my identity and that’s not something I can do. It’s not any of our places to pick apart claims of racism in order to make us to feel more comfortable. ❤️
— Alex Beresford (@alexberesfordTV) March 9, 2021
He said on Twitter: “I wish I had the privilege to sit on the fence. In order for me to do that I would have to strip myself of my identity and that’s not something I can do. It’s not any of our places to pick apart claims of racism in order to make us to feel more comfortable.”
In an article for the Telegraph, Beresford said that he was forced to quit social media after receiving an abundance of racist abuse on the online platforms.
He wrote: “Three weeks ago I took part in a television debate about the decision of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to publicly reveal the racism they claimed to have suffered as members of the Royal Family.”
“Since then I have been subjected to relentless racism myself on social media,” he continued.
Beresford said that he has not publicly announced his departure from social media, much like Thierry Henry, however he said he was “forced to step away from Twitter and Facebook”, because it was “getting too much.”
“I am a strong person, but I am not made of steel,” he wrote in his article for the Telegraph.
Beresford said that his experience of racist abuse is part of a much wider issue that exists in the UK.
Referring to the government-commissioned report on Race and Ethnic Disparities, Beresford said: “If we acknowledge there is racism in Britain – as the report does – then we have to acknowledge it will find its way into institutions.
“The report gives a false sense of hope that our work is done and will simultaneously give social media racists the comfort to push a little bit further as they hide in plain sight.
“The harsh reality, though, is that social media is just a reflection of a bigger problem in society,” Beresford said.
His article comes after the government published a report on Race and Ethnic Disparities which found that, while racism exists in the UK, the country is not “institutionally racist.”
