Richard Madeley faces calls to be ‘removed’ from Good Morning Britain after ‘insensitive and ridiculous’ question
RICHARD Madeley is facing calls to be sacked for asking a grieving man a “disgusting” question about his dead family members.
Ahmed Alnaouq – who is from Gaza and currently living in the UK after studying journalism – lost 21 family members after his home was bombed.
He appeared on Good Morning Britain this morning, where he was asked by presenter Richard “how close” he was to his family.
It led to massive backlash just weeks after he was forced to apologise for asking a British-Palestinian MP if she knew about the terror attack on Israel BEFORE it happened.
Ahmed’s father Nasri, three sisters, two brothers, a cousin, and 14 young nieces and nephews were killed in the air strike.
Richard asked: “How close were you to your brothers? Were they older or younger than you?
“And a big feature of your life?”
Ahmed looked stunned by the question as he replied: “Of course. We grew up together. We lived all of our life together.
“I lived in Gaza all of my life until I came to the UK, so we were very close.”
Furious viewers claim Richard is “removed” over the “insensitive” interview.
“Can Richard Madeley just be removed from this show now,” vented one viewer.
“Ahmed explaining he lost 21 of his family members in Gaza and Richard asks ‘how close were you to your brothers’.
“Which part of that question is acceptable?”
Another claimed: “Richard Madeley and his insensitive and ridiculous questions, yet again. Embarrassing!”
Someone else commented: “You worry when Richard Madeley starts asking questions. He asks the poor man who had lost 21 family members, where you close to them? Hmm
A viewer added: “Mind boggling stuff once again from Madeley.”
“Dear ITV. Please get Richard Madeley off GMB”, another demanded.
“I cannot believe what he’s asking this poor guy that’s lost 21 members of his family.
“How f**ing dare he ask him ‘were you close to your butchered brothers and sisters’. The man is a disgrace.”
Another asked: “Not Richard Madeley asking a man who has lost 21 members of his family in Gaza ‘how close were you to your family?’
“What the heck has that got to do with it?”
“I don’t understand what he wanted from that question. Madeley is a clown,” added a viewer.
Ahmed moved to the UK four years ago to study for a master’s degree at the University of Leeds after getting a scholarship.
He now runs the organisation We Are Not Numbers, pairing Palestinian writers with mentors in Britain.
Like Ahmed, Lib Dem MP Layla Moran was surprised by the TV presenter‘s line of questioning last month.
Hundreds were killed and dozens taken hostage when Hamas terrorists burst across the border on paragliders and motorbikes on October 7, armed with guns, grenades and knives killed entire families in their beds.
Richard asked Layla, MP for Oxford West & Abingdon: “With your family connections in Gaza, did you have any indication of what was going to happen ten days ago, two weeks ago?
“Was there any word on the street?”
The stunned MP replied: “Not this, not this.
“Everyone, everyone has been surprised first of all by the timing and sophistication and they way that it’s happened.”
After viewers demanded Richard ‘pulled off air’, a Good Morning Britain spokesman said Richard’s intentions were to “understand the mood and atmosphere” in Gaza – not to cause upset.
A statement read: “Richard is sorry that he has upset viewers with his question to Layla Moran.
“His intention was to understand the mood and atmosphere amongst the civilian population of Gaza immediately before the attacks.
“He asked Layla about her family in Gaza City because she had discussed speaking to them earlier in the interview.
“He did not mean to imply that she or her family might have had any prior knowledge of the attacks.”