Photo: Screenshot
It’s no secret that upon a visit to Calais, Lily Allen apologised to a refugee on behalf of her country. God, can you imagine that… Lily Allen… Having an opinion. Being so shocked by her surroundings that she felt the need to apologise on behalf of the country that has put those people in that situation.
Katie Hopkins, of course, waded in, with her usually over-the-top diatribe of abuse. But the excitement around Allen’s apology is even more worrying by the fact that people are jumping on her because of her money, or her house. When a well-off person makes a comment such as that, it doesn’t mean any less because of what they own, or because of what they do.
Do not apologise for this country Allen, you cretin. This great country prefers to look after its own. Get over it. https://t.co/hpy1atrsOf
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) October 12, 2016
Regardless, the same people who are angered by the apology are the very people who were in favour of bombing Syria, and landing those very people in that very situation. It’s bizarre that because a wealthy person has gone over there and echoed the sentiment of the other side of the electorate, they've been attacked in such a way.
So when she called in to LBC to explain what was actually happening in terms of the amount of abuse she was receiving and how she felt, it was no surprise that everyone felt bad for her. But what was even more astonishing is that people don’t expect musicians of any creed to use their platform for something more progressive.
Where was the uproar when Bono decided to make a point? Or when Bob Geldof held Live Aid for no reason other than wanting to help starving children? Admittedly, neither of those apologised on behalf of our country, but they raised money for a problem, that in truth holds no real relevance to our country and indeed the West as a whole.
Yet both Geldoff and Bono recognised the problem as a humanitarian one. Not just one for the people on that side of the earth should deal with, but instead one that we should all help with. It would appear that is something that Allen has rightfully recognised about the current situation in Calais.
So as Lily Allen in all her guilt felt compelled to apologise on behalf of her country, she had almost every right to do so. Better yet, most of the country did not want the bombings to occur. Neither did any of us get a say in the matter – as the people that we elected voted on it in the House of Commons on our behalf.
Lily Allen didn’t have a say either. It’s more the case that she has gone over to raise awareness to try and make enough public pressure to prevent it. Yet when Allen decides to use that thing we’re all entitled to - you know, free speech - she gets shot down and a wave of abuse.
Musicians, believe it or not, are humans too. They aren’t separated from the rest of us because of fame. So when one of those musicians feel so upset that they are compelled to apologise for the harm that our country has caused, surely we should all have a think about why that has happened.
You can watch Lily Allen's film about Calais, below:
