Laurence Fox has unrepentantly returned to Twitter after he was banned for posting a swastika made of LGBT flags, lashing out at actress Kathy Burke and other critics.
Mr Fox, a 44-year-old actor turned campaigner, posted the photo of a swastika made of four LGBT pride flags, saying the image reflected his belief that the LGBT pride month is “enforced with a sense of hectoring authoritarianism.” .
The tweet sparked a sharp backlash, with Twitter temporarily freezing his account for violating their “hateful images” policy, and a member of the London Assembly calling on the Met Police to investigate Mr Fox.
Actress and comedian Kathy Burke wrote in a tweet: “Lawrence’s existence [sic] Fox is another reason to be pro-abortion.”
Mr. Fox responded to Ms. Burke’s barbed comment, writing, “You used to be funny.”
Caroline Russell, who is a member of the Police and Crime Committee in the Greater London Authority, also wrote on Twitter: “I hope the Met Police will investigate Laurence Fox using pride flags to create Nazi images and the images on a public place the platform. †
“This is a hate crime,” Ms Russell wrote.
Laurence Fox, 44, an actor turned campaigner, was banned from Twitter last weekend for posting a photo of a swastika made of four LGBT pride flags
The tweet showed four LGBT pride flags positioned to make a swastika, captioned: ‘Oh blessed and most holy month’
A member of the London Assembly called for Mr Fox to be investigated by the Met Police following his tweet
Mr. Fox accused Ms. Russell of using tactics reminiscent of those of the Communist Chinese Party
Actress Kathy Burke also waded into the social media splash
Andrew Doyle, a playwright and journalist, earned a re-tweet from Mr Fox after he posted something that resonated with his mindset
However, Fox reacted to the London Assembly member’s intervention, accusing her of using tactics reminiscent of those of the Chinese Communist Party.
He wrote: ‘This is the UK, not China. Good to know that you would like to see your political opponents prosecuted for “hate”, imprisoned and probably worse.
“So thanks for making my point,” Mr. Fox said.
In another tweet, Mr Fox shared a link to a satirical article titled “Scientists Discover Remote Island Untouched By Pride Month.”
Fox captioned the tweet with the words, “Don’t dig into the crowd. Smile instead.’
Access to Mr Fox’s Twitter account was restored this morning, at which point he showed further disregard for Twitter rules when he retweeted Caroline Russell’s tweet, which showed the same image Mr Fox had been banned from – meaning the banned image was now back on his timeline.
From then on, Mr. Fox continued to retweet messages negative to the LGBTQ flag. Perhaps as a way to get around the Twitter rules, as he doesn’t directly compose the tweets himself.
The polemicist and founder of The Reclaim Party told his 310,500 followers that the LGBT pride flag has become a “sacred flag” that “cannot be criticized.”
The campaign against anti-Semitism lashed out at Mr Fox for his “offensive” post.
Mr Fox retweeted Caroline Russell, who had shared the original banned image, and posted the swastika made of four LGBTQ pride flags back to his timeline. He continued to retweet posts from other people expressing negative views about LGBTQ
Mr Fox shared a satirical article about LGBT Pride Month from the Babylon Bee website
Mr Fox’s tweet was strongly condemned by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust on Twitter
And the Anti-Semitism Campaign Criticized Mr Fox .’s ‘Offensive’ Tweet
In a tweet, the campaign group wrote: “Displaying swastika pride flags is not the edgy statement you think it is.
“It is possible to express an opinion without the hatred, and without insulting those killed by the Nazis, including Jews and LGBTs.”
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust added: “We are shocked to see Laurence Fox’s despicable tweet this morning showing abhorrent use of the swastika.
“Gay men have endured untold suffering under the Nazis, including murder, castration and medical experimentation.”
Twitter said Mr Fox’s account was locked down Sunday night for violating the site’s rules, specifically their “offensive profile information” and “hateful images.” After removing the banned image, Mr Fox continued to retweet other people who had already shared his image
!['You cannot criticize the sacred' [LGBT pride] flags' claimed Mr Fox in a tweet after access to his account was restored. His political colleague Martin Daubney, deputy leader of the Reclaim Party, supported him by posting his own image of a swastika, this time made from Union Jack flags (pictured)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/06/27/12/59573597-10956787-image-a-70_1656328378966.jpg)
‘You cannot criticize the sacred’ [LGBT pride] flags’ claimed Mr Fox in a tweet after access to his account was restored. His political colleague Martin Daubney, deputy leader of the Reclaim Party, supported him by posting his own image of a swastika, this time made from Union Jack flags (pictured)
Mr Fox continued to retweet negative content from the LGBTQ flag – showing further disregard for the Twitter rules
Fox’s political colleague Martin Daubney, deputy leader of the Reclaim Party, rushed to support him on the social media site, posting his own photo of a swastika – this time composed of Union Jack flags.
“Is this worth a ban?” asked Mr Daubney, a former Brexit Party MEP, in a tweet from his red-white-blue swastika.
Taking advantage of Mr Daubney’s now-deleted tweet, Mr Fox wrote: ‘You can call openly’ [the Union Jack] a symbol of fascism and totalitarianism [on this site]†
‘You cannot criticize the sacred’ [LGBT pride] flags.’
Mr Fox told MailOnline: “While I’m glad my account has been reinstated, this temporary ban only served to amplify Twitter’s hypocrisy.
Over the anniversary weekend, I lost count of the number of posts comparing the prominence of Union Jack flags across the country to Nazi Germany.
However, the prominence of the various pride flags and symbols throughout the month of June is not only beyond question, but their acceptance and celebration is enforced with a sense of authoritarian authority.
“My post was clearly meant to emphasize this double standard – and the temporary ban that resulted effectively proved my point.”
This isn’t the first time Mr Fox has faced a Twitter suspension – last year the actor was banned for a controversial post on Manchester City Star Benjamin Mendy.