Everton: The Sun Suspend Kelvin MacKenzie Over ‘Racist And Prehistoric’ Ross Barkley Hatchet Job

Chris Wright

14th, April 2017

7 Comments

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The Sun have suspended former editor Kelvin MacKenzie over a truly despicable, unprovoked column in which, among other things, Ross Barkley was described as “thick” and “the missing link.”

As you’re probably aware, McKenzie is utterly loathed on Merseyside for his reprehensible, unrepentant conduct during The Sun’s coverage of the Hillsborough disaster and the subsequent 27-year legal battle for justice fought by the victims’ families thereafter.

Published on Friday, the very day before the Hillsborough anniversary, McKenzie this time went after an Evertonian, penning an entirely unnecessary and nasty hatchet job about Barkley in which he referred to the Toffees midfielder as one of England’s “dimmest” footballers, likening his “lack of reflection” to that of “a gorilla in a zoo.”

He also threw in a few tired anti-Liverpool slurs for good measure, just to ice the dog turd in fitting style…

Just to compound matters, The Sun also published (and latterly removed) a picture of a gorilla alongside an image of the player, with the caption “Could Everton’s Ross Barkley represent the missing link between man and beast?”

Yep. It really was that blatant.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson duly confirmed that he had reported the article to the police as a racial slur, on the basis that Barkley’s father is Nigerian – the connotation being abundantly clear.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Anderson said:

Not only is it racist in a sense that he is of mixed-race descent, equally it’s a racial stereotype of Liverpool.

It is racist and prehistoric.

Mayor Anderson later tweeted to confirm that he had given a statement to Merseyside Police and had also reported the article to the Independent Press Standards Organisation.

Meanwhile, The Sun released a statement to announce that MacKenzie – who is reportedly paid £300,000 per annum to spew this kind of muck – had been suspended with immediate effect:

The views expressed by Kelvin Mackenzie about the people of Liverpool were wrong, unfunny and are not the view of the paper.

The Sun apologises for the offence caused.

The paper was unaware of Ross Barkley’s heritage and there was never any slur intended.

Mr Mackenzie is currently on holiday and the matter will be fully investigated on his return.

Yes, MacKenzie was responsible for writing that tripe, but getting it subbed, edited and published on the paper’s website was hardly a one-man job.

It really is appalling, from top to bottom.

Posted in Everton, Liverpool, Media

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7 Comments

  1. Fnarf says:

    Why, oh why, is this rancid bucket of suet still alive?

  2. rob says:

    I’m amazed at why anyone still reads the sun anyway, especially football fans.

  3. Jarren says:

    According to reports, it’s Barkley’s grandfather who is Nigerian (not his father).

  4. Lol says:

    Stupid cunt MSM doing anything to try to staunch relevant. Rats working for rats

  5. Si says:

    I very much doubt that Mackenzie actually intended anything remotely racist with the gorilla comment. Having to go back two generations in someone’s family heritage to pull the “that’s rascist!” card is, frankly, ridiculous and clutching at straws. He was just trying to say that Barkley is stupid and primitive, nothing more. Which is an idiotic comment in itself and wholly unprofessional.

    That said, Mackenzie *is* a reprehensible piece of shit and the wider comments that he made about the good people of Liverpool were disgusting and entirely inappropriate generally, let alone given the significance of this weekend in Liverpool. Alas, he will be suspended for a few weeks, make a trite apology and then be back at it.

    As long as people keep buying the newspaper, retweeting clickbait and generally making it worth while for The Sun to keep him on their books, in a Katie Hopkins-esque manner, the more secure his long-term position becomes. Unless someone burns him alive. Metaphorically, of course.

  6. dave robson says:

    As a Sunderland fan who has mates from Liverpool red and blue I’ve despised the Sun newspaper and refused to even look at it after what happened at Hillsborough,to find out the vermin who was involved in the blatant horrendous lies about the tragedy making an I’ll informed personal attack on another merseysider going over board shows this man’s total disregard or regret of his past. They say karma is a bitch I really hope it’s an evil bitch where the vermin who wrote them articles is concerned. My son is actually on his way to Liverpool right now to meet up with mates for a night out. Me and him both can’t speak highly enough about the vast majority of scourers unlike anyone connected to that vile newspaper.

    • Dave robson should have stayed in school says:

      “Me and him can’t speak highly enough…”

      Me can’t speak highly enough?
      Him can’t speak highly enough?

      You’re struggling to speak at all mate. It’s ‘he and I can’t speak…’

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