The RSPCA is feeling the heat from the charity watchdog after Chris Packham, its president, advised Barclays customers to set themselves on fire. The Telegraph has the story.
The BBC presenter gave a speech earlier this month in which he said that anyone who banked with Barclays should “stick your head in a bucket of fuel and set fire to it”.
Greg Smith, the Shadow Business Minister, reported the RSPCA, as well as the RSPB, of which Packham is Vice-President, to the Charity Commission. He wrote to the individual charities demanding that the groups “consider” his position.
He told the organisations that Packham’s words were a “deeply damaging contribution to the degradation of public discourse”, particularly in the context of recent riots and disorder.
Mr. Smith said that both charities should consider whether Packham is a “fit and proper person” to remain in the roles he holds.
Packham, 63, urged people not to bank with financial institutions that invest in “fossil fuels, weapons and poverty” at an Action for Wildlife Day in Derbyshire.
He said: “But, if anyone here is banking with Barclays, then, I suggest you stick your head in a bucket of fuel and set fire to it because you’re burning our planet down. And, it’s time to put this stuff behind us.”
Barclays is Europe’s biggest fossil-fuel backer, according to environmental campaigners, who say it has channelled £186 billion to the industry since 2016. …
David Bean, a spokesman for the Countryside Alliance, said: “Mr. Packham’s most recent comments are the latest in an escalating series of bizarre histrionics that he has shown no willingness to control.
“The charities that have closely associated with him ought to consider carefully how many lines they can stand by and watch him cross. If they want to avoid the public concluding that they approve of his behaviour, silence is untenable.”
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: BBC Two viewers have accused Chris Packham of spouting “bile” after the first episode in his Earth biography series was rebroadcast, according to the Express.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.