Back on Twitter for the first time since his suspension from Newstalk, George Hook said his cyclist Nazis comments were misunderstood. But he has now deleted his account.
George Hook deletes Twitter account after cyclist Nazis comment
Controversial broadcaster George Hook, who was suspended from Newstalk, has deleted his Twitter account after comparing cyclists to Nazis.
Hook had not tweeted for two months, since being suspended and ultimately losing his afternoon show over remarks about a rape case in the UK.
However, on Thursday he Tweeted for the first time since the controversy; trying to defend himself over his comments about cycling.
But it appears such was the backlash against him that he has deactivated his account.
The veteran broadcaster was on the Nolan Live show on BBC NI on Wednesday evening for a discussion about cyclists.
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“Cyclists want the road, the cycle lane and the pavement,” he said. “Yet they make no contribution whatsoever to their benefit.”
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He added: “I'm now in constant terror that a cyclist will come whizzing along a footpath and knock me down.”
George Hook further stated: "In every urban area in Ireland, cyclists are travelling at twice the speed of a motor car.”
Malachi O’Doherty, an author and broadcaster, was on the show and spoke for cyclists. He said some people assumed cyclists were a “uniformed cult”.
In response Hook said cyclists “used to wear brown shirts, sing the Horst Wessel song and have a sign,” before making a hand gesture interpreted as a Nazi salute.
The discussion on the show followed a report by the Sustrans bike group. It outlined strong support for more cycle lanes in the North.
Hook took to Twitter on Thursday to say his contentious comment was “made in response to hate speech against a member of the audience”.
He added that point “was totally lost in a four minute segment”. However, he has since deactivated his Twitter account.
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