Jeremy Clarkson 'Lumps Of Excrement' Online Article About Meghan Markle That Sparked Anger

Jeremy Clarkson is a British television presenter renown for his sarcasm and jokes.

In the past, he has made countless of remarks, and personal opinions that some may find offensive. In fact, Clarkson is no stranger to this, and some others actually find him amusing.

And this time, the same Clarkson has made a scathing column about Prince Harry's wife, Meghan, that attracted a flood of complaints.

In an online article he wrote for the The Sun, he said that he hated Meghan Markle "on a cellular level," and that he dreamed of her being paraded naked through British towns "while the crowds chant 'Shame!' and throw lumps of excrement at her."

The UK's media watchdog, the Independent Press Standards Organization, said that it received more than 12,000 complaints about the column in the first day of the post being published.

This, is close to the total number of complaints it received in all of 2021.

The outcry online has social media users labelling it "vile," "horrific" and "abusive."

Clarkson's column was condemned by many public figures, including by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who called it "deeply misogynist and just downright awful and horrible."

While Clarkson is famous for speaking whatever he wants to say, many condemned the column, saying that even Clarkson cannot write things like that, and publish them unashamed.

More than 60 cross-party members of the UK parliament have written to The Sun’s editor, Victoria Newton, to demand an apology and “action taken” against Clarkson.

In their letter, they said Meghan had already received credible threats to her life, and that columns from Clarkson only entices “unacceptable climate of hatred and violence”.

They "condemn in the strongest possible terms the violent misogynist language […] This sort of language has no place in our country and it is unacceptable it was allowed to be published in a mainstream newspaper."

"We cannot allow this type of behaviour to go unchecked any longer. We welcome the Sun’s retraction of the article and we now demand action is taken against Mr Clarkson and an unreserved apology to Ms Markle immediately."

The letter, coordinated by the Conservative chair of the women and equalities select committee, Caroline Nokes, was signed by Tory, Labour, Lib Dem, Green and SNP MPs, including the Conservative chair of the Treasury select committee, Harriett Baldwin, Labour’s Harriet Harman and Caroline Lucas of the Green party.

But still, Clarkson has lots of fans and followers.

And that includes his daughter, Emily Clarkson, who posted on Instagram that "I stand against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle and I remain standing in support of those that are targeted with online hatred."

UK's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that "for everyone in public life, language matters," adding that "I absolutely don't believe that Britain is a racist country."

Clarkson's column followed the release of a six-part Netflix documentary about Harry and Meghan's acrimonious split from the British royal family.

The couple quit royal duties and moved to California in 2020, citing a lack of support from the palace and racist treatment of Meghan, who is biracial.

Clarkson's name is still synonymous with the BBC car show "Top Gear," which made him a world-famous motoring journalist, even after moving to Amazon's "The Grand Tour".

But because Clarkson is to blame, and that his op-ed was removed from The Sun's website, Clarkson had some explanation to do.

He said the public shaming image was "a clumsy reference" to a scene in "Game of Thrones."

"Oh dear. I've rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people," he said in a tweet. "I'm horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future."

It's worth noting though, that whilst Clarkson frequently states his controversial views on various topics in his columns and in public appearances, his public persona does not necessarily represent his personal views.

Clarkson acknowledged this whilst interviewing Alastair Campbell, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman, back in his days at Top Gear, saying that "I don't believe what I write, any more than you [Campbell] believe what you say".

But that doesn't mean that people won't get offended.

Nokes responded to Clarkson's apology by saying that it was "not an apology." Nokes tweeted the letter, and said that: "I welcome Jeremy Clarkson’s acknowledgment that he has caused hurt […] but an editorial process allowed his column to be printed unchallenged."

To make things clear, the newspaper also apologized, saying in a website post that "The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry."