Getty Don Lemon
CNN host Don Lemon suggested in an interview that the British Royal Family should pay reparations for colonialism, calling the issue “legitimate concerns.”
The video is going viral on Twitter. The comments came as the English people gathered to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen’s net worth was put at $500 million by Fortune, but the Royal Family’s at $28 billion.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lemon Asked a Series of Questions About Reparations
CNN’s @DonLemon tells royal commentator Hilary Fordwich the royal family should pay reparations — immediately regrets it
The video has had more than 2 million views on Twitter. In it, Lemon said:
All of this wealth — and you hear about it comes as England is facing rising cost of living, a living crisis, austerity budget cuts and so on, and then you have those who are asking for reparations for colonialism, and they’re wondering you know $100 billion, $24 billion here and there, $500 million there, some people want to be paid back, and members of the public are asking, ‘Why are we suffering when you have all of this vast wealth?’ Those are legitimate concerns.’
His guest, Hilary Fordwich, a commentator on the Royal Family, responded,
Well, I think you’re right about reparations… If the people want it though…you always need to go back to the beginning of the supply chain. Where was the beginning of the supply chain? That was in Africa.. Which was the first nation in the world that abolished slavery…was the British. In Great Britain they abolished slavery. 2,000 Naval men died on the high seas trying to stop slavery. Why? Because the African kings were rounding up their own people. They had them on cages waiting on the beaches…if reparations need to be paid, we need to go right back to the beginning of that supply chain, and say, who was rounding up their own people?…That’s where they should start… The descendants of those families who died in the high seas trying to stop the slavery, those families should receive something too at the same time.
“It’s an interesting discussion,” Lemon responded.
Views of Lemon’s Remarks Varied
GettyCNN host Don Lemon.
Responses raged to Lemon’s comment on the Twitter feed where the video was shared. The views were mixed. Some of those comments:
“Oops ..he wasn’t expecting THAT answer …good for her..besides who decides who gets any money and how much…”
“Yeah I’m against reparations – I am against slavery and have never owned a slave, obviously, why must I pay?”
“You pay for a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with you. So what.”
“I also would like to talk about the Native Americans.”
“So by her specious, simplistic, self-protecting argument, no one is culpable for deaths born of the street-level dealing of heroin – not the government that turns a blind eye, the cartel, the smuggler, the dealer – only the farmer in hills who grows the poppy. She’s ridiculous.”
“The guy politely asked a question, got an answer and politely acknowledged it. Is there some context to this i’m missing for so many people to label it as some sort of mega-own?”
“Yes, you missed the context. Lemon tried to bait her into an awkward and/or incriminating response, but she flipped the script with facts and put it back on him… and having no counter argument, he abruptly ended the discussion. That’s what happened. Watch again.”
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