Tyson Fury apology: ‘I’m in no way a racist or bigot’
The heavyweight champion apologised for saying 'Zionist, Jewish people own all the banks, all the papers, all the TV stations'
World heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has apologised for comments he made in an hour-long video rant, saying he is “in no way a racist or bigot”.
Fury caused controversy after making homophobic, sexist and anti-Semitic remarks in the interview last week, which led to widespread calls for him to be banned from boxing.
“I apologise to anyone who may have taken offence at any of my comments,” Fury said in a statement. “I said some things, which may have hurt some people, which as a Christian man is not something I would ever want to do.
“Though it is not an excuse, sometimes the heightened media scrutiny has caused me to act out in public. I mean no harm or disrespect to anyone and I know more is expected of me as an ambassador of British boxing and I promise in future to hold myself up to the highest possible standard.
“Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am in no way a racist or bigot and I hope the public accept this apology.”
Fury has previously been accused of sexism and homophobia and also made controversial remarks about Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill.
In his latest outburst, he claimed “Zionist, Jewish people … own all the banks, all the papers, all the TV stations”.
He made personal attacks against Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in the run-up to their rematch fight in July and voiced views on bestiality, paedophilia and women during the 57-minute clip.
After becoming embroiled in the controversy, Fury became involved in a fresh row with former world champion Barry McGuigan.
McGuigan, a former world featherweight champion and who now works as a promoter, wrote in a column for the Daily Mirror that Fury was “like a child (who) has no filter, no off button” and described himself as “lucky” for having tried and failed to sign the 27-year-old, who faces Wladimir Klitschko on July 9 in a rematch for the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.
McGuigan added: “Kids have parents bringing them into line. No one says no to Fury. This is brazen attention-seeking, self-evidently offensive, insulting, abusive and wrong. If one of my fighters behaved like Fury he would be out the door.”
Fury tweeted in response to McGuigan’s comments: “u are a traitor to your home country, gave up your Irish title to fight for the British, & u backdoor people in biznuess,#C5”.
A number of social media users leapt to the defence of McGuigan, who is widely credited with helping to bring a degree of unity to Northern Ireland through his sporting exploits in the 1980s.
,
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
