A BBC reporter has said racist and homophobic abuse was directed at him and his family after actor Laurence Fox tweeted about his Twitter account.
Ben Hunte, who reports on LGBT affairs for the corporation, said while he and his relatives are fine he “will let the police take over”.
He asked for anyone who has an issue with his job or the BBC needed to use the corporation’s complaints process and not contact his family.
My family and I have been sent racist and homophobic abuse following the below screenshot of me being posted. I am fine – but I will let the police take over. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/Bw8GMfeMOH
— Ben Hunte (@BenInLDN) November 26, 2020
“I am doing my job to the best of my abilities,” Hunte said.
“I am proud of being a journalist and so grateful to those who share their experiences with me.”
Actor Laurence Fox has built a reputation on his involvement in the idea of “culture wars”, previously describing suggestions of “racism” as being behind Meghan Markle’s treatment by some as “boring”.
He has launched a political party, Reclaim, which he said was being backed by “those wishing to add their voices to this reclamation of our values”.
He has been a vocal critic of the BBC, repeatedly calling for its defunding and recently attacking it for censoring The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York.
The BBC News press team said it “won’t tolerate abuse and threats aimed at our journalists”.
Yahoo News UK has contacted Laurence Fox for comment.
We won’t tolerate abuse and threats aimed at our journalists. They all stick to the BBC’s editorial standards – meaning they need to include a wide variety of viewpoints and voices in their reporting. This should never lead to personal abuse. (1/2)
— BBC News Press Team (@BBCNewsPR) November 26, 2020
Watch: The new tier system explained
