James O'Brien is completely fascinated by desperation to deny racism
1 December 2022, 13:07 | Updated: 1 December 2022, 14:21
James is fascinated by the desperation to deny racism.
James O'Brien questions why people try to "pretend" that racism does not exist, drawing to accusations that Megan Markle lied about the racism she experienced at the Palace.
James O'Brien expressed his fascination with the desperation to defend and deny racism after Lady Susan Hussey repeatedly asked about Ngozi Fulani where she was "really from" at Buckingham Palace.
Lady Hussey asked where in Africa she came from, leaving Ms Fulani feeling insulted as she explained she is British.
Ms Fulani told LBC yesterday she felt "interrogated" about her racial identity by Prince William's godmother.
Looking to accusations that Megan Markle lied about the racism she experienced at the Palace, James said: "What she would have encountered would not have been seen as racism by the people she encountered it from.
"If you had explained to Susan Hussey yesterday that what she said was racist she would have struggled to believe you.
"Very very few people see themselves as racists, very few and the ones that do very rarely admit it in public."
Ngozi Fulani speaks to Queen Consort at palace event
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Lady Hussey, who was a member of the Buckingham Palace household, resigned and apologised over "unacceptable and regrettable comments" made at a reception held by the Queen Consort.
James continued to question whether the same people who are desperate to believe that Megan Markle was lying about the racism she experienced, will also be desperate to believe that Susan Hussey did nothing wrong.
He said: "And I don't know if there's a word other than racism to describe that behaviour."
He continued to say that he can't understand why people try to "pretend" that racism does not exist, asking listeners where that "desperation" comes from.
Referring to a conversation with an early caller who dubbed the interrogation "benign", he said: "Everybody must know that it's not benign.
"It's a million different things but benign ain't one."
'Denial of racism' is motivated by a 'deliberate ignorance of British history' says caller
