In response to a comment she made on the broadcast about Stanley Johnson, BBC Question Time host Fiona Bruce has resigned from her position as an ambassador for the domestic abuse organization Refuge.
Bruce has been accused of “minimizing” and trivializing abuse during last week’s show discussion of Johnson.
Bruce stated in a statement that she will be leaving her position “with much grief.”
She noted that her statements were “misrepresented” in a “social media maelstrom.”
During Thursday’s broadcast of Question Time, Johnson, the father of former Prime Minister Boris, was referred to as a “wife-beater” and the host was criticized for intervening.
Bruce interjected, explaining to the audience:
“Just so everyone is aware of the context, Stanley Johnson’s ex-wife told a journalist, Tom Bower, that he fractured her nose and she ended up in the hospital as a result.
“Stanley Johnson has not publicly commented on this. According to his friends, the incident was a one-off.”
The charity Women’s Aid criticized her remarks, calling them “unnecessary and reckless.”
“At Women’s Aid, we know that domestic violence is almost never a ‘one-off,’ with the vast majority of cases including a pattern of behavior,” said Women’s Aid chief executive Farah Nazeer.
Even if the abuse is a one-time occurrence, it is still domestic abuse, and this should never be minimized.
The late artist Charlotte Wahl, Stanley Johnson’s ex-wife, earlier told Boris Johnson’s biographer Bower that her ex-husband “struck me repeatedly over many years.” BBC News has requested a comment from Johnson’s team.
“The proper action to take”
Bruce announced her decision on Monday, saying, “Last week on Question Time, I was compelled to contextualize a question about Stanley Johnson from a legal standpoint.
“These remarks have been misconstrued as a reflection of my ideas, which they are not, and as a downplaying of domestic violence, which I would never do.
She stated,
“I have been a fervent supporter and activist for all survivors of domestic abuse, using my privileged position as a woman in the public eye to bring this issue to the forefront, most notably through my 25 years of work with Refuge.”
“But, as a result of last week’s events, I have been subjected to a social media storm, the majority of which misrepresented what I said and took the form of personal hatred directed at me.
“The only individuals that matter are the survivors; they are my top focus.” The last thing in the world I would want is for this situation to detract in any way from Refuge’s essential work on their behalf, thus I believe it is appropriate for me to step down from my role with Refuge.”
Bruce noted that it was “a difficult decision for me because I feel so strongly about promoting their work and raising awareness of this issue” and that she “will remain an active supporter, although from the sidelines for the time being.”
Reduced the severity of domestic violence. Monday, Refuge issued its own statement announcing that it has “accepted Fiona’s request” to step down.
It stated,
“During the weekend, we listened to and heard survivors of domestic violence describe how painful this has been for them.” “Even though we know the words were not Fiona’s and that she was required by law to read them, this does not diminish their impact, and we cannot lose sight of that.”
These statements minimized the severity of domestic violence, which has retraumatized survivors.
The letter went on to commend the journalist for her “significant contribution to Refuge and the wider domestic abuse issue over many years.”
The BBC defended Bruce last week, stating that she was not expressing a view but rather explaining the circumstances of the purported incident.
“After remarks about a Question Time exchange addressing domestic violence, the BBC issued a statement stating that domestic violence is reprehensible and that it would never seek to imply otherwise.”
“When serious claims are made on air against people or organizations, it is the responsibility of BBC presenters to ensure that the context of those allegations – and any opportunity of reply from the person or organization – are provided to the viewers,” the statement continued.
She had no personal opinion regarding the situation. One social media user commented,
“Tone and words are essential; she didn’t need to claim ‘it was an isolated incident’ and she should apologize.”
Someone else wrote,
“That’s not what happened; if that were the case, she would have simply stated that Johnson has not been convicted of a crime and that these are merely claims. She acknowledged the occurrence but played it down.”
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