Rachel Riley apologises for controversial tweet 'promoting Islamophobia'

Rachel Riley, the host of Countdown, has apologised after her controversial tweet regarding the Sydney mall stabbings, which led to calls for Channel 4 to dismiss her. Riley was accused of promoting Islamophobia when she incorrectly suggested the attack was a Palestinian uprising.

The attack in Sydney, which resulted in six fatalities on Saturday, was carried out by Joel Cauchi (40), who had mental health issues. Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke confirmed that the attacker was fatally shot by a police officer.

Just to clarify, my intention with this tweet was not to say this attack was caused by any ideation or to link it to Islamic extremism.

At the time we did not know who the attacker was, and as such I made no reference.

My aim was to highlight the weekly calls for ‘intifada’… https://t.co/RMLNNh9bqg

— Rachel Riley MBE ? (@RachelRileyRR) April 14, 2024

Riley referred to her initial tweet, which claimed the assault was due to a globalised Intifada and has since been deleted. In her apology, Riley expressed regret if her comments were misunderstood and clarified that her intention was not to link the attack to Islamic extremism.

Her statement emphasised the importance of condemning violence, regardless of the perpetrators or victims. She restricted comments on her post to those she follows or mentioned in the tweet.

I’ve thought about this all day and deleted the original tweet, so just one more post on the matter.

I’m sorry to those I offended. My post was ambiguous and although it was genuinely designed to call out calls for violence, it wasn’t the right place or time which made it easier… https://t.co/Ygawc9mrma

— Rachel Riley MBE ? (@RachelRileyRR) April 14, 2024

Riley is known for her advocacy against antisemitism, and she was awarded an MBE in 2023 for her work in Holocaust education.

The attack in Sydney shocked the world, as the assailant stabbed shoppers at random, including a nine-month-old baby. The incident took place at the Westfield Bondi Junction centre around 3:30 pm. Assistant Commissioner Cooke mentioned that detectives haven't ruled out terrorism as a motive but have not found any evidence of an ideology driving the attack.