'BBC Breakfast' host Naga Munchetty: I have been told as woman of colour to 'go home'
BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has shared her experience of racial abuse following President Trump’s recent comments about four congresswomen.
On Sunday, Trump made reference to Representatives Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, suggesting they should “go back” to the countries they “originally came from” to fix their respective governments and crime issues.
Reflecting on his words, Munchetty’s co-host Dan Walker said: “It’s the president. That was the most telling quote for me last night. I can’t remember who said it but she said ‘I’ve been told to go home many times, to go back to where I’ve come from many times in my life but I’ve never been told by the man who’s sitting in the Oval Office.’”
Munchetty then opened up about her own experience of being told to ‘go home’, stating that the phrase is steeped in racism.
"I've been told as a woman of colour to 'go home'..."@BBCNaga shares her experience as we discuss the reaction to comments made by President Trump. pic.twitter.com/u0HL5tEdgt
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) July 17, 2019
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“Every time I have been told, as a woman of colour, to go back to where I came from that was embedded in racism,” she said.
“Now, I’m not accusing anyone of anything here but you know what certain phrases mean.”
“Are you still told that?” Walker asked. “Do you hear that quite regularly?”
To which she replied: “Yeah, not regularly but I’ve been told it.”
Asked how it makes her feel to hear the President of the United States of America tell someone to ‘go home’, Munchetty said: “Furious. Absolutely furious.
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“And I imagine a lot of people in this country will be feeling absolutely furious that a man in that position feels it’s okay to skirt the lines with using language like that.”
Walker then asked if Trumps’ words were legitimising racism and hatred amongst his follower, adding: “It feels like a thought-out strategy to strengthen his position.”
“It’s not enough to do it just to get attention. He’s in a responsible position,” Munchetty concluded.