Controversial black people comments sees Gregory Campbell referred to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

Writing on social media Mr. Campbell said: “Just watched BBC TV Songs of Praise which this week was Gospel Singer of the year semi final.

“This I’m afraid was BBC at it’s BLM (Black Lives Matter) worst.

“There were five singers, all of them black. There were three judges all of them black and one presenter who incidentally was, yes black.

“The singers were all very good but can you imagine an all white line up with an all white jury and presented by a white person? No I can’t either.”

Sinn Fein MLA Dr. Caoimhe Archibald condemned the comments and confirmed she had reported Mr. Campbell to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

“Gregory Campbell’s disgraceful comments don’t reflect the views of vast majority of the constituents he’d purport to represent.

“Racism, systemic and explicit, needs to be challenged and called out at every opportunity. I have reported these comments to the Westminster Standards Commissioner.

“The DUP need to take action following these offensive comments,” she added.

DUP leader and First Minister, Arlene Foster, tolds MLAs in Stormont earlier that Mr. Campbell would be issuing a statement later today.

Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long described Mr. Campbell’s comments as both “reprehensible and racist”.

“I think they were not only reprehensible and racist, but I think that they were also quite bizarre,” she said.

“Anyone who has any understanding of the history of gospel music will be aware that it comes from the trials and tribulations of those who were often sent to the US as slaves, and therefore it is a tradition of singing, a tradition of music that has grown up from that background, and to suggest that there was anything at all to do with BLM or any other kind of positive discrimination in the fact that the best singers were through to the competition, and those most experienced were judging it, I think is a mistake.”

Justice Minister Long added: “The test will really be how parties individually deal with those issues within their own ranks.

“We have a job of work to do in terms of showing leadership within our own organisation, within our own ranks, in terms of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable.

“Of course people have the right to freedom of speech, but it doesn’t come free of responsibility and indeed consequences.”

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