Lily Allen has sparked outrage after suggesting the victims of grooming gangs would have been ‘raped or abused by somebody else at some point’.
The controversial singer has found herself in the midst of yet another social media storm after claiming there was a ‘strong possibility’ rape victims would have been assaulted regardless of whether grooming gangs existed.
But she was forced to apologise to victims of the Rochdale grooming gangs after the inflammatory remark prompted a furious backlash.
Lily Allen tweeted: ‘Actually, there’s a strong possibility they would have been raped and abused by somebody else at some point. That’s kind of the issue’
She later apologised to victims of the Rochdale grooming gangs after the inflammatory remark prompted a furious backlash
Allen’s comments came after a follower quizzed her about grooming gangs made up of British South-Asian Muslim men, asking if the victims would have been raped ‘if the attackers had not been allowed into the UK’.
She tweeted last night: ‘Actually, there’s a strong possibility they would have been raped and abused by somebody else at some point. That’s kind of the issue.’
She later issued an apology to anyone offended by the exchange.
She wrote: ‘If there are any victims of abuse and particularly any girls or women from Rochdale who saw my tweet and were negatively impacted, I apologize, of course.
‘Being able to accept responsibility and apologize is a strength, not a weakness.’
The exchange sparked confusion among followers, with Allen quick to respond and clarify her remarks
This comes after the singer sparked a heated debate after tweeting that football should be banned to protect children from sexual abuse
The tweet angered many people as they questioned whether music, religion and television should also be banned
This comes after the singer sparked a heated debate after tweeting that football should be banned to protect children from sexual abuse.
She tweeted the claim during a discussion with her six million followers about rape being a more widespread problem than one confined to Muslim men.
Allen, 32, said last week: ‘To be honest I think it’s time we talked about banning sports in this country.
‘It’s clearly putting our young men and boys at risk of abuse. #banfootball.’
But Allen, from West London, then insisted she was being sarcastic to prove a point, adding that the problem of sexual abuse ‘reaches further than Muslim rape gangs’.