ITV newsreader Charlene White has been verbally castigated after electing not to wear a poppy while presenting on-air.
After being subjected to a string of racist and sexist comments by many who disagreed with her stance, she was forced to address the issue publicly and declared that she preferred not to wear the remembrance poppy, a decision she had taken a few years back, so as to appear ‘neutral’ while on-air. She also added that she didn’t think it was fair to express greater allegiance to some charities and give them more ‘screen-time’ over others. Amidst the flock of vile remarks, White continued to defend herself by reminding people of the charities and causes she currently supports and has supported in the past.
Despite White’s father and uncle both serving in the Air Force and Navy, many still took to social media and online forums to hurl abuse at the presenter over her perceived disrespect. Even a 201o interview with the newsreader in Pride Magazine became a target for those offended by her ‘slight’. White opened up about the comments, saying she had been called a ‘black c***’, ‘fat s**g’ and told to ‘go back to where you came from’.
Wearing the remembrance poppy, has become something of a hot-button topic in recent weeks, with many debating whether or not it is a sign of disrespect to not wear one. In our opinion, we can’t understand the uproar over a decision that is very much a personal one. Charlene White is entitled to publicly or discreetly support any cause she so wishes -as is anyone else. In our opinion, reducing a gesture meant to commemorate and show respect for those lives lost in battle, to mere political point scoring and opportunity to spew hate, is far more disrespectful to the cause that not wearing a poppy could ever be.
