Giles Coren’s home is daubed with ‘Dawn Foster Forever’ after he was accused of mocking her death in tweets

The Times faced calls to sack Mr Coren over his Twitter outburst

Joe Middleton
Friday 23 July 2021 02:52 BST
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Giles Coren has come under fire after controversial tweets purportedly about Dawn Foster, who died last week
Giles Coren has come under fire after controversial tweets purportedly about Dawn Foster, who died last week (Ben Graville)

Giles Coren’s north London home has been daubed with graffiti and smeared with dog poo after a controversial tweet reportedly mocking the death of a journalist.

The Times food critic prompted outrage after tweeting “f**k off on to hell” just days after 34-year-old Dawn Foster, who previously wrote a column for The Guardian, passed away on Thursday last week.

Mr Coren, 51, tweeted: “When someone dies who has trolled you on Twitter, saying vile and hurtful things about you and your family, is it okay to be like, “I’m sorry for the people who loved you, and any human death diminishes me, but can you f*** off on to hell now where you belong”?”

A number of Twitter users suspected the tweet was about Ms Foster after she previously accused Mr Coren of only being able to get a job at The Times because of his famous father, Alan.

This first tweet was deleted and then a slightly different version appeared on Mr Coren’s account that was also then rapidly deleted after a ferocious backlash that included calls for The Times to fire him.

Pictures have since emerged online showing “Dawn Foster Forever” followed by a small red heart outside Mr Coren’s house.

There are also flowers at his north London property and someone has reportedly left some dog poo.

Ms Foster was a staff writer at left-wing magazine Jacobin and regularly wrote for The Guardian among many other publications on topics such as housing and welfare.

The 34-year-old was found dead at her home after failing to respond to messages from friends.

James Butler, co-editor at left-wing website Novara Media, said on Twitter last week: “We are immensely saddened to announce that our dear friend @DawnHFoster died suddenly at home this week, related to her long-term illness. I, and I know many of you, loved her deeply, and it is a terrible loss.

“Dawn never wavered in her belief in a better world, and was never shy about fighting for it. She did not modulate her beliefs in pursuit of professional advancement. The world did not always treat her kindly, but I never saw a trace of self-pity in her. I admired that greatly.”

Mr Coren, who is an avid social media user, has not posted anything on his Twitter or Instagram account addressing the furore.

News UK declined to comment when approached by The Independent. Giles Coren’s representatives have been approached for comment.

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