Lichfield and Burntwood’s MP has hit out at “Twitter trolls” after criticism of him in the wake of an offensive post featuring Sadiq Khan.
Michael Fabricant came under fire after he posted a message – which he later deleted – depicting the London Mayor’s head on an inflatable pig engaged in a sex act with another inflatable pig in front of an image of Donald Trump.
He was then criticised after an image showing an apartheid-era flag was pictured in his office.
The Lichfield MP has since posted on social media to admit that his post about Mr Khan was “unintended and vile” but accused those attacking him of double standards.
“What gets me, and others, about the twitter trolls is that, in their obvious delight in accusing me of racism, Islamophobia and of using foul language, they display all the bitter unthinking prejudice of the very thing they seek to accuse me of,” he said.
What gets me, and others, about the twitter trolls, is that, in their obvious delight in accusing me of racism, Islamophobia, and in using foul language, they display all the bitter unthinking prejudice of the very thing they seek to accuse me of.
My tweet was unintended & vile.
— Michael Fabricant 🇬🇧🇮🇱🇺🇦 (@Mike_Fabricant) July 15, 2018
Mr Fabricant has since apologised for the post about the London Mayor, insisting he had not seen that he was included in the image. He has also sought to clarify the flags in his office by saying they were linked to his previous career in broadcasting.
It’s not the first time the Conservative MP has faced criticism for his social media posts.
In May, he came under fire for branding a teenage Burntwood resident “a complete twat”, later saying he had not realised the offensive nature of the term.
And in 2014 he apologised after suggesting he would end up punching a female journalist in the throat if he appeared on TV with her – a comment the Conservatives said was “completely unacceptable”.
