Following the outburst that has now gone viral showing Piers Morgan storming off the set of GMB, and subsequently resigning from his co-hosting position, a petition with more than 50,000 signatures to have Morgan back on the show has gained massive traction.
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Storming off in the name of free speech
Morgan walked out in the middle of the show after a heated argument with fellow presenter Alex Beresford culminated into being called out for 'diabolical racist behaviour' in response to Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah earlier this week.
Upon resigning from his duties on GMB, the controversial celeb wrote in a post on Twitter:
I had one goal when I joined GMB - beat BBC Breakfast in the ratings. On my last day, we did it. That was down to the hard work & dedication of the whole team. They don't all agree with me, some don't even like me, but we were a team..and we won. Thanks guys. I'll miss you.
Markle's interview received worldwide attention with many celebrities showing support. Social media users were quick to scrutinize the Royal Family by saying that their institution was founded on racism and praising Markle for starting a revolution to dismantle an oppressive and antiquated Monarchy.
Support in response to his departure
But to the dismay of the abundance of support in the fight against media-induced racism, more than 50,000 people have signed a petition to get Piers Morgan back on GMB in under 12 hours. The overwhelming support to reinstate him back has lead many to believe that ITV is advocating hate speech on national television.
However, some are saying that Morgan was simply exercising freedom of speech and the backlash he is getting is unjustified. In particular, his GMB co-host, Kate Garraway, said:
That's the thing about Piers, isn't he, he is very passionate, he does fly kites and have debates but it always comes from a place of authenticity, he always believes in what he says, and he's left. He's decided to quit, and as he put it himself, fall on his sword for free speech.
And added:
I've known him a long time before starting this programme, our friendship will go on, our personal friendship, and he's been very supportive of me personally.
