Laurence Fox temporarily suspended from Twitter after posting LGBTQ+ swastika
Laurence Fox attends the 65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Laurence Fox was temporarily suspended from Twitter after creating a swastika from the LGBTQ+ Progress Pride flag.
The former actor and failed London mayoral candidate had his account locked on Monday morning (27 June) after replacing his profile image with a picture of the Progress Pride flag tiled so that its chevron resembled a swastika.
His account was later unblocked after he replaced the image with what appears to be a Pride figurine.
He then tweeted a screenshot of the lock notification, saying: “You can openly call the [Union Jack] a symbol of fa[s]cism and totalitarianism on Tw**ter. You cannot criticise the holy flags.”
You can openly call the ?? a symbol of facism and totalitarianism on Twatter. You cannot criticise the holy flags ?️??️⚧️. pic.twitter.com/goKvFHV7x2
— Laurence Fox (@LozzaFox) June 27, 2022
Many have criticised his decision to change his profile picture to the swastika imitation just days after a shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Oslo, Norway that saw two people killed and 21 injured.
“The Tweets tonight from Laurence Fox are truly disgusting,” trans journalist India Willoughby said in a tweet. “More so coming 48 hours after the killings at an Oslo gay bar, in Pride month too. In some countries, he’d go to jail for displaying a swastika.”
The Tweets tonight from Laurence Fox are truly disgusting. More so coming 48 hours after the killings at an Oslo gay bar. In Pride month too. In some countries he’d go to jail for displaying a swastika. I hope @Twitter issue a permanent ban, and the @metpoliceuk prosecute pic.twitter.com/9N9z3hB2bk
— India Willoughby (@IndiaWilloughby) June 26, 2022
The Oslo shooting took place at 1:14 am local time on Saturday (25 June). Witnesses in the area say gunfire was heard in three locations, including queer nightclub London Pub, the Herr Nilsen jazz club and a takeaway.
“On the weekend of the Oslo attack, Laurence Fox’s flag stunt on his bio feels like an epiphany for me,” tweeted The Chase’s Paul Sinha. “I haven’t got time in my life to be friends with anyone who enables this s**t. You know who you are.”
On the weekend of the Oslo attack, Laurence Fox’s flag stunt on his bio feels like an epiphany for me. I haven’t got time in my life to be friends with anyone who enables this shit. You know who you are.
— Paul Sinha (@paulsinha) June 26, 2022
Since then, Fox has shared a tweet by Martin Daubney, deputy leader of his Reclaim Party who posted a similarly modified Union Jack made to look like the fascist symbol.
Daubney asked “is this worthy of a ban?” which Fox quote tweeted, saying “waiting for the wokies to have a meltdown about this.”
In response, several people asked “why are you so obsessed with swastikas?”
Another said: “Don’t try and turn this into an attack on free speech.
“You weren’t banned for tweeting it, were you? But what Fox did was beyond the pale. Twitter was right in making him remove it.”
Don’t try and turn this into an attack on free speech, if you have it as your profile picture, yes!
You weren’t banned for tweeting it, we’re you?But what Fox did was beyond the pale. Twitter was right in making him remove it.— Linda?????????#Notmybrexshit #JohnsonOut (@lindaarella) June 27, 2022
PinkNews contacted Laurence Fox for comment.
