Richard Madeley criticised after comparing climate activists to paedophiles on GMB

‘Note to Richard Madeley – if you do not have anything sensible to say please don’t say anything,’ one commenter wrote

Richard Madeley has been widely criticised after comparing climate protesters to paedophiles on Good Morning Britain.

During Tuesday (28 March) morning’s episode of the ITV show, Madeley and co-host Susanna Reid discussed recent news that a group of Britain’s top lawyers have stated that they will refuse to prosecute climate activists.

Madeley suggested that there would be a “complete collapse” of the criminal justice system if “barristers and lawyers” are not prosecuting activists.

“It doesn’t work, because they have to be completely impartial,” he said.

“If these people, these barristers and lawyers, have announced they will not prosecute – they simply won’t even get started in a court of law – someone who has glued themselves to the road as part of a Just Stop Oil protest, are they still happy to defend, say, a paedophile?” Madeley asked.

The clip was shared on social media, with one viewer comparing it a dose of “Tuesday cringe”.

“Note to Richard Madeley – if you do not have anything sensible to say please don’t say anything,” one commenter wrote.

“Madeley is almost always wrong about everything,” one tweet read, while another viewer wrote: “I looked up the word ignoramus in the dictionary and funny enough Richard Madeley’s picture was there.”

Another commenter questioned: “Why do we put up with this idiot opining on TV on a daily basis?”

“How is he in a job?  This is shockingly awful,” another viewer tweeted.

The Independent has contacted ITV for comment.

Last week, it was reported that around 120 of Britain’s most prominent lawyers are set to sign a “Declaration of Conscience”, stating they will not prosecute climate protestors from groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil brought before the courts.

In February, a judge praised activists from Just Stop Oil as “good people with admirable aims” while convicting them.