Priti hits out over police race-hatred investigation into Starkey interviewer
PRITI PATEL last night threw her support behind a pro-Brexit campaigner facing a police probe over ‘damn blacks’ comments made by historian David Starkey.
There was fury from MPs and free-speech campaigners yesterday after Darren Grimes revealed he was being investigated for stirring up racial hatred over his online interview with Dr Starkey.
Supporters urged police to drop the case and said the 27-year-old commentator should not be held accountable for Dr Starkey’s remarks that ‘slavery was not genocide, otherwise there wouldn’t be
‘We don’t do things like this in a free society’
so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain, would there?’
In an extraordinary intervention, the Home Secretary tweeted: ‘Decisions of the police to investigate particular cases are clearly an operational matter for them which I can’t comment on, but as a general principle, it’s important the law protects freedom of speech.’
Sources told The Mail on Sunday that the alarming case was ‘the final straw for the Government’ amid fears of creeping ‘police activism’. One Minister said: ‘This is an obvious attempt at a political prosecution. It’s so damaging to the reputation of the police. They’ve been saying for years they can’t investigate burglaries and other crimes because of cuts, but they have time for this.’
Mr Grimes said the allegations were a Left-wing ‘vendetta’ as it emerged the Crown Prosecution Service had sanctioned the police probe. Former Home Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted: ‘The idea that it’s appropriate to go after journalists for the remarks of their interviewees is plainly absurd.’
Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: ‘Grimes is not responsible for Starkey’s appalling comments. In a free society, we surely don’t do things like this.’ Tory MP Matt Vickers described the decision as ‘a bloody waste of police time and taxpayers’ money’. Another Tory
MP, Ben Bradley, said: ‘Darren’s “crime” according to accusers is not predicting that his interviewee would say something offensive’.
Dr Starkey’s controversial comments on Mr Grimes’s Reasoned UK YouTube channel on June 30 – at the peak of the Black Lives Matter protests – provoked fury. The historian resigned from his fellowship at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and had two book deals axed by HarperCollins. Dr Starkey, who was not returning calls yesterday, has said his remark was a ‘bad mistake’, adding: ‘I am very sorry for it and I apologise unreservedly.’ Mr Grimes issued an apology in July, saying he should have ‘robustly questioned’ his interviewee about the comments.
Police launched a probe into Dr
Starkey on July 4, but Mr Grimes has now discovered that he too is under investigation. He has been asked to attend a police interview under caution to respond to accusations of stirring up racial hatred. The crime carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Last night, a police spokesman said: ‘On July 4, the Metropolitan Police was passed an allegation from Durham Police of a public order offence relating to a social media video posted online on June 30. The matter is being investigated. No arrests have been made.’