BBC backs Clarkson following his ‘shoot strikers’ rant

THE BBC was last night standing by Jeremy Clarkson following his remarks about wanting to execute strikers.

Unison trade union called for the BBC to sack Clarkson after he said public sector workers on strike should be shot in front of their families.

The Unison union said it was taking legal advice after the presenter of the Top Gear motoring show — a worldwide hit — made the comments on a chat show after more than a million workers went on strike on Wednesday.

The BBC said it had received around 4,700 complaints about Clarkson’s comments on The One Show, despite the broadcaster issuing anon-air apology.

The broadcaster’s comments also sparked hundreds of angry comments on Twitter.

When asked what he thought of the mass strike in protest at changes to public sector pensions, Clarkson said, to laughter from the studio audience: “I would have them all shot.”

The presenters grimaced as he went on: “I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families. How dare they go on strike when they’ve got these gilt-edged pensions while the rest of us have to work for a living?”

Karen Jennings, Unison’s assistant general secretary, said Clarkson had spoken “almost like (late Libyan leader Muammar) Gaddafi would have spoken about demonstrators”.

“It’s an incitement to hatred and we are seeking legal advice,” she added.

Prime Minister David Cameron, a personal friend of Clarkson, dismissed his comments as “silly”.

“It was obviously a silly thing to say and I am sure he didn’t mean that,” Cameron said.

Last night Clarkson said: “I didn’t for a moment intend these remarks to be taken seriously — as I believe is clear if they’re seen in context.

“If the BBC and I have caused any offence, I’m quite happy to apologise for it alongside them.”

Clarkson previously caused outrage when he described former prime minister Gordon Brown, who lost his sight in one eye in an accident suffered while playing rugby as a teenager, as a “one-eyed Scottish idiot”.

In February, the BBC apologised to the Mexican ambassador to London after the Top Gear presenters described Mexicans as “lazy“, “feckless” and “flatulent“, but insisted their comments were an attempt at humour.

The BBC said his latest comments were a misguided attempt at humour.

Complaints over his behaviour go back more than a decade.

In 1998, car manufacturer Hyundai complained about Clarkson’s “bigoted and racist” comments after he said the designer of the Hyundai XG, a Korean, had probably eaten a spaniel for lunch.

However, the presenter is not without his supporters, and in August 2009 almost 50,000 people signed a petition on the Number 10 website calling for Clarkson to be made prime minister.