Columnist apologises to journalist, saying social media posts included ‘racist and misogynist’ comments
The columnist Julie Burchill has apologised to the activist and journalist Ash Sarkar, and agreed to pay her “substantial damages”, after a series of social media posts in which she accused Sarkar of being an Islamist, a hypocrite and worshipping a paedophile.
In Twitter and Facebook posts and a statement published on Tuesday morning after the libel and harassment case was settled, Burchill said that her posts had “included racist and misogynist comments” and “played into Islamophobic tropes”. She wrote: “although it was not my intention, I accept that my statements were defamatory of Ms Sarkar and caused her very substantial distress”.
