Evening Standard/London
Katie Hopkins is facing an online backlash after she said migrants should be deterred from travelling to Britain by naval gunships.
Writing in the Sun, the controversial columnist called migrants “cockroaches” and said she did not care about their wellbeing because she feels more sympathy for “British truckers and taxpayers”.
She wrote: “No, I don’t care. Show me pictures of coffins, show me bodies floating in the water, play violins and show me skinny people looking sad. I still don’t care.”
The former Apprentice star - who tomorrow will host her first radio show on LBC - called for Britain to “get Australian” in its approach to migrant boats.
She said: “They threaten them with violence until they bugger off, throwing cans of Castlemaine in an Aussie version of Sharia stoning.
“And their approach is working. Migrant boats have halved in number since Australian prime minister Tony Abbott got tough.”
Arguing that rescue projects encourage more migrants to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, she adds: “What we need are gunships sending these boats back to their own country.
“You want to make a better life for yourself? Then you had better get creative in Northern Africa.”
Her column sparked anger in the Twittersphere, with users including celebrities and politicians tweeting their responses.
Nearly 10,000 migrants have been rescued trying cross to Europe from Africa in recent days, with Italy calling for help from the European Union to handle the crisis.
Since the beginning of 2015, more than 500 people are believed to have died making the dangerous crossing.
Katie Hopkins
