'Is Hamas a terror group or not?': UK leader Jeremy Corbyn gets grilled by Piers Morgan
Corbyn was grilled by Morgan for 18 minutes about his views on the Palestinian militant organisation and his decision to join a pro-Palestine march in London last Saturday.
- Nov 14, 2023,
- Updated Nov 14, 2023 4:30 PM IST
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn refused to call Hamas a terror group during a heated exchange with British journalist Piers Morgan. Corbyn was grilled by Morgan for 18 minutes about his views on the Palestinian militant organisation and his decision to join a pro-Palestine march in London last Saturday.
During the interview, Morgan condemned the killing of more than 1,400 people on October 7 and asked Corbyn if Hamas should stay in power in Gaza. Corbyn, who served as Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020, refused to answer whether the militant group should control Gaza but called the attack on Israel 'abominable' and 'appalling'.
Morgan shot back at Corbyn and asked: "And you think Israel can do peace with people who did that?" The UK leader looked agitated and refused to respond with yes or no. The interview then took a different turn when the former Good Morning Britain host asked Corbyn if he agreed that Hamas was a terrorist group. Corbyn said he did not approve, support, or welcome Hamas but he refused to answer whether the militant organisation was a terror group.
Stunned at Corbyn's response, Morgan said it "is very telling...and you wonder why people think you had a problem with Jewish people".
Later, Morgan in a tweet said he repeatedly asked Corbyn if he thought Hamas was a terrorist group and whether they should stay in power in Gaza. "He repeatedly refused to answer either question. Staggering."
In another tweet, Morgan said he did not think anyone who declined to call Hamas a terror group, or who won't say if they should be removed from power, will be on the right side of history.
Corbyn was on the show with Len McCluskey, former general secretary of Unite the Union. When Morgan put the same question to McCluskey whether Hamas was a terror group, the latter was quick to respond and said 'yes'.
A clip of the fiery exchange between the two was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Piers Morgan Uncensored. The video garnered 4.6 million views within hours.
Damian Reilly, a journalist, said that this was the most astonishing interview by Morgan he had ever seen. "He completely exposed Jeremy Corbyn for his refusal to call Hamas a terrorist group. Incredible tv."
Majid Freeman, however, disagreed and accused Morgan of bullying the guest and not letting him speak. "What was the point of @jeremycorbyn even going on to @PiersUncensored show if he’s not going to let him speak without interrupting him? All @piersmorgan did was show us what a bully he is & took advantage of JC's kindness to try get the soundbites he was desperately after."
As the exchange went viral, UK's newly-appointed Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "I can confirm that Hamas are a terror group." Interestingly, Cleverly replaces Suella Braverman, who was fired for criticising the police for adopting "double standards" in its treatment of pro-Palestinian rallies.
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn refused to call Hamas a terror group during a heated exchange with British journalist Piers Morgan. Corbyn was grilled by Morgan for 18 minutes about his views on the Palestinian militant organisation and his decision to join a pro-Palestine march in London last Saturday.
During the interview, Morgan condemned the killing of more than 1,400 people on October 7 and asked Corbyn if Hamas should stay in power in Gaza. Corbyn, who served as Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020, refused to answer whether the militant group should control Gaza but called the attack on Israel 'abominable' and 'appalling'.
Morgan shot back at Corbyn and asked: "And you think Israel can do peace with people who did that?" The UK leader looked agitated and refused to respond with yes or no. The interview then took a different turn when the former Good Morning Britain host asked Corbyn if he agreed that Hamas was a terrorist group. Corbyn said he did not approve, support, or welcome Hamas but he refused to answer whether the militant organisation was a terror group.
Stunned at Corbyn's response, Morgan said it "is very telling...and you wonder why people think you had a problem with Jewish people".
Later, Morgan in a tweet said he repeatedly asked Corbyn if he thought Hamas was a terrorist group and whether they should stay in power in Gaza. "He repeatedly refused to answer either question. Staggering."
In another tweet, Morgan said he did not think anyone who declined to call Hamas a terror group, or who won't say if they should be removed from power, will be on the right side of history.
Corbyn was on the show with Len McCluskey, former general secretary of Unite the Union. When Morgan put the same question to McCluskey whether Hamas was a terror group, the latter was quick to respond and said 'yes'.
A clip of the fiery exchange between the two was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Piers Morgan Uncensored. The video garnered 4.6 million views within hours.
Damian Reilly, a journalist, said that this was the most astonishing interview by Morgan he had ever seen. "He completely exposed Jeremy Corbyn for his refusal to call Hamas a terrorist group. Incredible tv."
Majid Freeman, however, disagreed and accused Morgan of bullying the guest and not letting him speak. "What was the point of @jeremycorbyn even going on to @PiersUncensored show if he’s not going to let him speak without interrupting him? All @piersmorgan did was show us what a bully he is & took advantage of JC's kindness to try get the soundbites he was desperately after."
As the exchange went viral, UK's newly-appointed Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "I can confirm that Hamas are a terror group." Interestingly, Cleverly replaces Suella Braverman, who was fired for criticising the police for adopting "double standards" in its treatment of pro-Palestinian rallies.