Coleen Nolan’s controversial Islamic State (IS) comment will not be investigated by TV watchdog, Ofcom.
The Loose Women star caused a storm when she appeared to compare the fight for gay rights with Islamic State as the hosts of the ITV show were discussing the case in which the Christian owners of a bakery – Daniel and Amy McArthur – were found to have discriminated against a gay man when they refused to make a cake carrying a slogan that promoted same-sex marriage.
Daniel and Amy McArthur of Ashers Baking Company (Stephen Kilkenny/PA)
Coleen provoked controversy when she said: “If you went in somewhere and they said two days later, ‘we don’t want to make your cake because of our beliefs’ you’d just never go back to that shop and tell all your friends to boycott it.
“What if somebody walked in and said ‘I want a cake with Islamic State on it and how I support it and how I support them killing our people’ and because it’s a business would they have to make that?”
Some viewers called for her to be sacked.
Coleen Nolan is so stupid & ignorant comparing gay rights to ISIS. She should be sacked
— Lilly (@LillyRo13414960) May 19, 2015
@loosewomen Coleen Nolan needs to apologize for the comment about 'gay rights is like ISIS' or I'm going to find something else to watch!!
— #LoveWins (@AmyNicolaShears) May 28, 2015
But a spokesman for Ofcom, which received 140 complaints, said: “We assessed a number of complaints that it was offensive for a panellist to compare same sex marriage to the terrorist group Isis (Islamic State), but won’t be taking the matter forward for investigation.
“In our view, these unscripted comments during a live programme were unlikely to exceed the expectations of the audience and were justified by the context.”
