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Richard Madeley was heavily criticised online by Good Morning Britain viewers over a question he posed to a panel about the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict on Monday.
The 67-year-old broadcaster was presenting the ITV show with Susanna Reid, 52, when he referenced parallels made between the Middle Eastern conflict and Nazi Germany.
His controversial question arose while discussing potential solutions to the conflict that began after Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched attacks on Israel on October 7 – that has now led to a hostile situation that has claimed at least 2,100 lives on both sides.
Turning to an assembled panel of fellow journalists, the host was heard saying: ‘I read in many of the Sunday papers yesterday parallels with the second world war – not just the holocaust – but with what the Allies, the Americans, the British, the free French did when they invaded Europe in 1944 and defeated the Nazis by going into Germany.
For the latest updates on the Israel-Hamas war, check out our dedicated live blog.
‘In doing so, by going into Germany, quite apart from the bombing campaigns that the RAF and the American Air Force launched, a lot of German civilians were killed.
‘Nobody at the time made any excuses or apologies for that but they just saw it as a necessary evil – is that a fair parallel?’
Richard posed the question to a panel on the breakfast show (Picture: ITV)
Gaza has been hit repeatedly by Hamas strikes (Picture: REUTERS)
Susanna quickly interjected with: ‘I think we’ve moved on, haven’t we, from those times?’
Fans online were quick to condemn the presenter for equating the two scenarios and branded Richard’s comparison as ‘absurd’.
One typed on X: ‘The comparison is wrong and absurd in every way. Think it through before adding fuel to the fire.’
Another added: ‘The fact that this view is expressed on mainstream tv in England is chilling. This is where we are at.’
‘Someone should tell Richard Madeley that human beings are supposed to evolve in order to become better. Is it a fair parallel? No,’ an angry social media user wrote after hearing Richard’s question.
He was slammed by viewers for his parallel (Picture: ITV)
The area has been reduced to rubble (Picture: Getty Images)
More responses flooded in with a viewer exclaiming: ‘@itvnews i never want to see richard madeley on your station ever again.
‘Almost 1,000 palestinian children have been murdered by the hands of their occupier. invading the nazis is not an equivalent.’
An audience member further added: ‘Hey @GMB this is absolutely abhorrent & if you had any moral compass, or regulation, you’d apologise for these statements made & this man would be out of a Job.
More: Israel
‘Playing down historical War Crimes & justifying Genocide on National TV is Beyond disgusting.’
The star’s question came ahead of a scheduled address by Rishi Sunak who will, later on, speak with MPs about the escalating crisis in Israel and Gaza, as politicians return to Westminster amid the renewed conflict.
Palestinians in Gaza remain braced for an imminent Israeli invasion, a week after Hamas militants launched a deadly assault on the country.
The Prime Minister is expected to make a visit on Monday morning to re-iterate his Government’s support for the Jewish community, after a weekend that saw growing international efforts to stop the conflict from escalating further.
Metro.co.uk contacted ITV and Richard’s reps for comment.
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‘Is that a fair parallel?’