Historian David Starkey has been relieved of his duties at Canterbury Christ Church University after he said slavery was not genocide because there are “so many damn blacks” still around.
Speaking in an online interview with conservative commentator and Brexit campaigner Darren Grimes on YouTube, Starkey said:
“Slavery was not genocide otherwise there wouldn’t be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain, would there?
“An awful lot of them survived and again there’s no point in arguing against globalisation or western civilisation. They are all products of it, we are all products of it.
“The honest teaching of the British Empire is to say quite simply, it is the first key stage of our globalisation.
“It is probably the most important moment in human history and it is still with us.”
The 75-year-old has been stripped of his visiting professor post at Canterbury Christ Church University and has resigned from his Honorary Fellowship at Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge University.
He has received widespread criticism over his comments, including from former chancellor Sajid Javid.
“We are the most successful multi-racial democracy in the world and have much to be proud of,” Mr Javid said.
“But David Starkey’s racist comments (‘so many damn blacks’) are a reminder of the appalling views that still exist.”
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