“The reason Trayvon Martin died is because he looked a certain way, and it wasn’t based on skin color,” Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said on Friday, sparking massive outrage online.
O’Reilly returned to the topic of the Trayvon Martin shooting last night during a sit-down with former Representative Allen West. The Fox News pundit has said before that he believes 17-year-old Martin was targeted by George Zimmerman not because he was African American, but because he looked like a “thug.”
“If Trayvon Martin had been wearing a jacket like you are and a tie, Mr. West, this evening, I don’t think George Zimmerman would’ve had any problem. But he was wearing a hoodie, and he looked a certain way, and that way is how gangstas look. And therefore he got attention,” O’Reilly continued.
“You’re absolutely right,” West agreed.
“There is that gangsta culture out there that is being promoted, and promulgated, and what we have to understand is, Trayvon Martin was up there to be with his father because he had been suspended and kicked out of school when he was living with his mother.”
The exchange was quickly circulated among liberal media-watch blogs and publications, including Raw Story and Media Matters . Commenters on each site didn’t mince words.
“Fox News has already crossed the line with their extremely hateful and racist bigotry. This is moving beyond something the First Amendment can support, and Fox News should be held liable….at least in a sane world, they would be,” wrote one observer.
Watch the video below, and let us know what you think. Is Bill O’Reilly ignoring a clear case of racism?
[Image: Shutterstock ]
