GMB’s Charlotte Hawkins forced to cut interview short after Chris Packham blunder

On Good Morning Britain on Monday, Charlotte Hawkins had to interrupt an interview to correct Chris Packham after he repeatedly confused her with her colleague Susanna Reid. The Springwatch host was on the show via video link to discuss the recent Just Stop Oil protests when he said: “I’m not happy at all, no, Susanna, simply because they’re unduly punitive. We see people committing violent crimes, we see people committing sexual offences, getting less time than these protesters.”

“They are the canaries in the coal mine and I ask you to consider that while they have caused disruption and they have upset people, in terms of the damage they are doing to the environment and to people’s lives, it is nothing compared to what has been done by our fossil fuel giants who continue to fill the sphere with carbon dioxide and radically change the global climate.”

“So I think we just have to keep things in perspective, and another thing I have to be very clear about is that the laws that are punishing these protesters are not specific to climate activism.”

He added: “They could be implemented at any time to persecute and prosecute people who want to complain about gender rights, transgender rights, the right to strike, etc. So we are more concerned about how the justice system operates and how these laws are applied.”

TV presenter Richard Madeley stressed that the issue goes beyond freedom of speech and the right to protest, saying: “We all accept that these are very important values ​​that we want to preserve in this country and around the world,” the Express reports.

“Those are the tactics that were used and, as the judge pointed out, you know, you had ambulances that couldn’t get to any units, you had people who were seeking extremely important cancer treatment and couldn’t make an appointment and had to reschedule their appointment.”

“I mean, it wasn’t just about standing somewhere with a megaphone and delivering a message.

The wildlife presenter responded by pointing out that the recent computer outage that caused chaos around the world was “much more serious than that”. He went on to acknowledge the problems on the M25: “The M25 is practically a car park at the moment, so people are going to miss appointments and so on.

“We do, however, express our sympathy for those who have been inconvenienced. But let’s think of something else. A few weeks ago, two other Just Stop Oil protesters threw cornstarch on Stonehenge. It made headlines.”

He pointed out the difference in media attention: “Everyone focused on this and condemned this protest because it is a national monument, which we love and cherish.”

Finally, Chris expressed his frustration at a major event that was ignored by the press: “The following Saturday, I and others gathered 100,000 people on the streets of London in the biggest march before our election to highlight our concerns about biodiversity loss. No media reported on it.

“If you fail to get the message across and you focus only on the means of protest, then of course the protesters will have to escalate their protest, and that is to ensure that the direct and peaceful protest is properly covered by the media.”

Chris’ comment seemed to irritate Charlotte, who waited a moment before responding. She retorted: “I just want to say that you know, we do a lot here to talk about climate change.

“Laura, our weather girl, has talked about the fact that we are in a climate emergency today. She has a clock that is ticking and she is counting down on her desk right now, showing that very visibly to people. You know, we cover those topics as well. But I think in this particular case…”

“Susanna, that’s right,” Chris interjected, to which Charlotte quickly corrected, “It’s Charlotte, by the way.”

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.