Chris Packham telling woke climate change protesters it is okay to break the law is akin to IRA and ISIS terrorists justifying violence, a furious Richard Madeley has suggested today.
The Good Morning Britain presenter gave the environmentalist a dressing down in a heated debate this morning.
The BBC Springwatch presenter earlier this month gave his backing to eco activists breaking the law and even suggested a ‘radical flank’ of the climate change movement could see oil refineries being ‘blown up’.
An infuriated Madeley sat alongside co-host Susanna Reid and took aim at the ‘respectable broadcaster’ and said his endorsement could end up with somebody being killed.
‘What gives you the right to make that call?’, Madeley said. ‘For example, there will be those who draw the parallel to what you are saying and what one of the political elements of the wing of the IRA or of ISIS would say to justify violence in support of the cause they believed in passionately with all of their heart and soul and were prepared to risk an army bullet for the sake of the cause.
Chris Packham appearing on Good Morning Britain to discuss his Channel 4 documentary, ‘Chris Packham: Is It Time To Break The Law?’
Richard Madeley suggested the BBC Springwatch presenter endorsing climate change activists to break the law was akin to ISIS terrorists justifying violence
‘What gives you the right to say that you have the overview… what gives you the authority to say you can do this, you have my support, break the law?’
Packham pointed to the fact ‘the world is being flooded and is on fire’ with millions of people’s lives at risk, and ominously threatened those protesting will ‘make a louder noise’ if their voices were not heard.
‘I have no right or overview and nor do I profess to say I have it [they should break the law], I merely ask the question is this the right time for us to break the law?,’ he said.
‘Now as you’ve already pointed out climate protesters are already breaking the law. They’ve [the government] changed the law so rapidly in this country to impact upon protests you can’t even stand in the street with a t-shirt on without being dragged away.
‘Now is that the country you want to live in is that the degrees of freedom we want taken away from us? At the core of our democracy is our human right to protest.’
Home Secretary Suella Braverman appeared on the ITV show later on and said she totally disagreed with Packham’s view that protests could be taken much further.
Madeley said some people have also suggested Packham is endorsing the violence by not condemning it.
Ms Braverman replied: ‘That’s incredibly irresponsible and reckless. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the last ten years when it comes to the environment.’
The naturalist was appearing on the breakfast show to discuss his new documentary which airs tonight on Channel 4, ‘Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law?’.
Packham told the Radio Times earlier this month: ‘The Suffragettes set fire to things, smashed a lot of glass, attacked people on the street.
‘And in apartheid, they were blowing up trains, blowing up factories. What the climate movement is grudgingly having to accept is that maybe that radical flank will develop.
Chris Packham, pictured, has appeared at the latest march by Just Stop Oil eco-zealots in London today. He is understood to be filming a documentary about ‘non-violent’ protests
Just Stop Oil protesters are pictured on Friday holding up traffic in central London during their latest protest in the capital
‘At the moment, no one is blowing up an oil refinery, but a lot of people think that is very likely to happen.’
It comes amid Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reportedly being poised to water down some of the Government’s key net zero pledges.
The Prime Minister is expected to use a speech this week to set out a change of approach on climate action.
According to the BBC, this could include pushing back the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by five years to 2035.
There could also be a weakening of the promise to phase out the installation of new gas boilers by 2035.
It was reported tonight that the Government could instead state it wants only 80 per cent of new gas boilers to be phased out by that year.
Packham said today politicians are still making the wrong decisions over climate change.
The eco-warrior was blasted by the Countryside Alliance in May for standing alongside Just Stop Oil in its ‘daft’ slow-march in London and was warned he risked sparking a fresh BBC impartiality row.
He was photographed near the Strand as part of filming for his documentary on nonviolent protests appeared to chat to the activists and was overheard claiming: ‘If it isn’t a disruptive protest it doesn’t get news.’
Speaking to the MailOnline, Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, suggested Packham’s actions could spark an impartiality row at the BBC.
He said: ‘Groups like Just Stop Oil and Animal Rising are simply alienating the public with their daft stunts and selfish behaviour.
‘Chris Packham should be very careful aligning himself with groups that cause so much misery to hardworking people, not least because of the reputational damage to the RSPCA and the BBC who he is closely associated with.’
Even Packham himself previously said the current protests ‘infuriate and bore people’, reported The Telegraph.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12539197/BBC-Springwatch-presenter-Chris-Packham-says-ethically-responsible-climate-change-protesters-break-law-warns-oil-refinery-blown-soon.html
