Tell Fox News: Fire Tucker Carlson
Fox News host Tucker Carlson is at it again: spouting racist rhetoric on his talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight and encouraging violence against Black people who are demanding justice for the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, David McAtee, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor and all who have been murdered by police and white supremacists in the United States.
This time, Carlson claimed that the uprising against police violence “is definitely not about Black lives”. He then told viewers to “remember that when they come for you, and at this rate, they will.”1
This is just the latest example of how Carlson uses his airtime to stoke violence against Black people — and it echoes Trump’s call for violence against protesters.
This isn’t Carlson’s first offense. In fact, he has a long history of making revolting comments about Black people and other communities of color on his show. He’s claimed that white supremacy is a “hoax” and “actually not a real problem in America” and has said “the problem is there aren’t that many hate crimes occurring in the country.”2
White supremacy is a huge problem in the United States. And it’s a problem that’s killing people. Comments like Tucker Carlson’s are part of what fuels it.
Carlson’s words have real implications: Last week, as many as 100 white men armed with baseball bats and hammers assaulted protesters and journalists in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia — all while being protected by the police.3
Carlson and other white supremacists may have a right to freedom of speech, but they are not guaranteed the privilege of a national platform. Demand that Fox News fire Tucker Carlson today.
1. “Tucker Carlson Says Protests Are ‘Definitely Not About Black Lives,’ Prompting Backlash,” The Washington Post, June 9, 2020
2. “Fox News Is Racist. Period,” Free Press, Nov. 25, 2019
3. “Philly Police Stood by as Men with Baseball Bats ‘Protected’ Fishtown. Some Residents Were Assaulted and Threatened,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 2, 2020