A British news channel, GB News, is facing criticism for refusing to apologize after a guest made disturbing comments about disabled people. Lewis Schaffer, a right-wing comedian, suggested starving or shooting disabled individuals to reduce benefit claims during a show hosted by Patrick Christys.
Christys had complained about welfare spending and asked Schaffer how to get people off benefits. Schaffer’s response, “Just starve them… What else can you do? Shoot them?” was met with Christys’ comment, “Yeah, it’s just not allowed these days.” GB News claims the comments were meant to be comedic and sees no need to apologize.
However, disabled activists and journalists have strongly condemned the remarks. Dr. Natasha Hirst from the National Union of Journalists called them “appalling and unacceptable,” warning they could encourage hate speech and abuse. Ben Scott, a disabled activist, described the comments as “astronomically shocking” and likened them to Nazi propaganda.
Critics argue that such remarks are part of a long pattern of hateful messages about disabled people in the mainstream media, often linked to government attempts to cut disability benefits. GB News has refused to apologize, despite calls from Ofcom to take the complaints seriously and consider the harm caused to disabled people who already face discrimination and abuse.
