Rufus Hound faces backlash for suggesting Theresa May was responsible for Manchester terrorist attack
Comic Rufus Hound has faced immense backlash after taking to his popular Twitter page to suggest that the Manchester terrorist attack on Monday night was actually an inside job from Prime Minister Theresa May.
Rufus, whose Twitter profile has over one million followers, seemingly compared May to Adolf Hitler, saying that he believes the government is capable of “great evil, especially during an election”.
It all started when Rufus retweeted a now-deleted tweet that read: “Given that the attacker was known to MI5, the timing seems fortunate for May that an attack ‘slips through’ as Labour are making progress…”.
Adding his own message to the tweet, the 38-year-old star wrote: “Apologies for mild tinhattedness, but I’ve been thinking the same. Especially as she was Home Secretary for so long.”
He followed up with the hashtag “#ReichstagFire”, referencing the 1933 arson attack on the German Parliament building that gave Hitler political justification to crack down on his opponents.
It wasn’t long before Rufus’ followers criticised him for using his huge platform to peddle such conspiracy theories, writing:
Shaking with rage at those Rufus Hound tweets. What a deeply disgusting, sad, confused man
— The Market (@jackrjthompson) May 24, 2017
In surprising news, Rufus Hound is a moron.
— Tom Davidson (@DPTomDavidson) May 25, 2017
Rufus Hound actually thinks Theresa May organised the manchester bomb to win the #GE2017. And he tweeted that thought. Unfknblvble.
— alastairw (@alastairwriter) May 25, 2017
Rufus Hound compares the Manchester attack with the Reichstag Fire. The idiocy of the glitterati knows no bounds https://t.co/0aKal7hpO8
— Thomas Haworth (@Adver_Tom) May 25, 2017
Rufus then issued a half-hearted apology, telling his critics: “Okay, okay. Look, I’m probably [far] too cynical, but I struggle believing our establishment is incapable of great evil. If you’re not, sorry.
“I guess, I’m not really alleging it as true, more that I don’t believe our establishment is incapable of such evil. Especially during an election.”
When his fans continued to chastise his comments, Rufus followed up with: “Oh, man. This thing has gone mental. I can only apologise to anyone who thinks I meant that tweet lightly. I genuinely didn’t.
“But we’re being governed by people who start wars and bomb innocents and whose austerity is killing our brothers and sisters.
“But I’m sorry. I really am. I guess the whole #hypernormalistaion of bizzare and inhuman acts has made me awful. So, I’m just sorry. Sorry.”
He later added: “Please understand, I have kids the same age that would have been at that concert and my fear of the forces that will harm them is deeply politicised. It just is.
“On no level do I devalue the loss suffered. If you feel I did, then I completely and utterly apologise.”
Monday night’s terrorist attack saw 22 people lose their lives and countless others being hospitalised with serious injuries after suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a homemade nail bomb as Ariana Grande concert-goers left Manchester Arena following her sold-out performance.
The star has since cancelled a string of her remaining tour dates, jetting home to the US in “hysterics” after tweeting that she has been left “broken” by the attack on her fans.
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