Miss Swimsuit UK is stripped of title over ‘All Lives Matter’ row
‘Riots were an excuse to let loose’
A BeAuTy queen has been stripped of her title after posting ‘All Lives Matter’ online and questioning the innocence of George Floyd whose killing by uS police sparked riots, it was reported yesterday.
Model Jasmine Archer-Jones, 23, was crowned Miss Swimsuit uK last year, but the pageant has removed all trace of her from its website after the controversial Facebook comments.
The former waitress is alleged to have written that Black Lives Matter protesters were using Mr Floyd’s death as an ‘excuse to let loose’ after lockdown.
In her post last month, Miss ArcherJones also claimed she had ‘yet to see hard evidence’ that Mr Floyd, 46, was ‘innocent’ when he died while being arrested in May.
Her American boyfriend Todd Markey shared an image captioned: ‘White privilege is a leftist lie.’ She later deleted her comments, but not before falling foul of Miss Swimsuit uK bosses.
A pageant source told The Sun: ‘Jasmine has tried to sweep it under the carpet and continue on as if nothing has happened, but organisers acted quickly to airbrush her from their history. They have posted in support of the Black Lives Matter protest and could not afford to be associated with her.’ Mr Floyd’s death in Minneapolis sparked violent rioting and turned the Black Lives Matter movement into a global phenomenon. however, it has sparked a backlash with critics, such as Miss Archer- Jones, responding with ‘All Lives Matter’. It is claimed the slogan deliberately belittles the discrimination experienced by black people.
Her reported June 3 post was headed ‘personal opinion’ and ‘If you don’t wanna know, don’t read’.
She insisted: ‘All Lives Matter’, adding that while Mr Floyd’s killing was ‘wrong and unforgivable’ similar acts are committed against ‘ people of different races’ yet are not followed by protests and looting.
Miss Archer- Jones, originally from Chester but now living in Texas, claimed the riots were driven by people ‘using this tragic event as an excuse to let loose after being stuck inside quarantining for months’. She also suggested officers had been entitled to use ‘ whatever means necessary’ to restrain Mr Floyd and pointed out that he had a criminal record.
Her Facebook page still features a meme she shared the same day as the post asking if the ‘ corona season’ had been replaced by the ‘riot season’ and ‘if I need a mask or a rifle’.
houston-based Mr Markey, who works for a talent agency, has also written posts critical of the Black Lives Matter movement, claiming its supporters ‘perpetrate hate’.
He posted a photo of white BLM protesters captioned ‘White guilt is real, white privilege is a leftist lie’ and added the comment: ‘Couldn’t have said it better myself.’ According to the now- deleted article on the Miss Swimsuit uK page, Miss Archer- Jones took part in an ‘ international modelling shoot’ after winning her title.
She was quoted as saying after she won: ‘your mind goes blank from the adrenaline pumping through your body. you become swarmed by everyone congratulating you and each time I have to admit I cried.’ her father Philip is a director of several companies including Stoke music venue The Sugarmill and previously launched a lapdancing club in Chester. he lives with his wife hazel, 56, in a £500,000 house in Wales. Miss Archer- Jones and organisers of Miss Swimsuit uK were last night unavailable for comment.