Richard Dawkins infuriates Twitter users after 'patronising' rant about UK voters ahead of the General Election
The evolutionary biologist criticised the Conservative Party's referendum on staying in the EU
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Richard Dawkins is no stranger to infuriating people with his strident views on religion, but he's now managed to irritate a proportion of the British electorate.
The biologist and avowed atheist stated that the British public was not qualified to decide on whether the UK should stay in the EU.
Criticising the Conservative Party's manifesto pledge of a referendum on Europe, in which everybody would have a vote, he said that ordinary people didn't understand the ramifications of an exit.
It's one of the key promises to entice people to vote Tory, but it didn't work on Dawkins, who has in the past supported Labour and the Liberal Democrats. He believes that MPs should make the decision for their constituents.
However, the very idea that not all of the electorate is knowledgeable enough to make an informed decision on the issue sparked outrage.
Dawkins may have inspired the ire of his followers, but he's not the only one to have spoken out against the proposal. Tesco chair John Allan has also criticised it, calling it "a particularly heavy kind of pebble to put in the scales".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments