'Guardian' writer Owen Jones walks off Sky News during Orlando discussion
The mass shooting in Orlando on Sunday claimed the lives of over 50 people at the Pulse Gay Night Club, and many members of the LGBT community are speaking out against this crime.
Owen Jones, Guardian writer and well-known representative of the LGBT community, appeared on Sky News in the U.K. to discuss the shooting.
During the discussion, Jones repeatedly tried to explain how the shooting was a deliberate attack of terrorism targeted at LGBT people, becoming increasingly aggravated with host Mark Longhurst and fellow guest Julia Hartley-Brewer, who seemed to deflect or dismiss his points.
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"[The shooter] had no religious, strong religious, convictions whatsoever," Owen said, adding later, "it was an intentional attack against LGBT people."
Hartley-Brewer continually called the shooter, Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, a "lunatic." Jones felt the word was dismissive of his point about, specifically, homophobic terrorism.
Mateen's father told the news that his son was angered by seeing two men kissing, which served as a motivation for his attack.
However, Longhurst deflected Jones' points that the attack was specifically against LGBT people, and expressed that it was a general attack "on the freedom of all people to try and enjoy themselves."
Hartley-Brewer added, "my guess is, this man probably would be just as horrified by me, as a gobby woman."
Jones responded, "At the end of the day this was a homophobic hate crime, as well as terrorism, and it has to be called out, as, I have to say, on Sky News and lots of news channels there’s not been many LGBT voices that I’ve heard."
The discussion became continuously more heated as Jones grew more infuriated by his fellow commentators ignoring the issue of homophobia.
Jones also assessed that if Mateen has targeted a synagogue, for example, the media would be acknowledging the attack as anti-Semitic.
He eventually walked off the set, saying "I’ve had enough of this." Jones commented on Twitter later, thanking people for sending supportive messages and reiterating his point on the attack.
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Topics LGBTQ
Andrea Romano -- comedy writer, craft enthusiast, lady -- was a Watercooler Reporter. She worked as an intern at Mashable beginning in January 2014. Andrea recently completed her Masters degree in Media Studies and Film from The New School and writes sketch comedy at Upright Citizens Brigade and The People's Improv Theatre. She once watched three Paul Rudd movies in a row on a bicoastal flight and didn't realize it until she landed. She does things like that a lot. Twitter: @theandrearomano
