Liberal CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour suffered an epic meltdown on Thursday night as it became clear that Britain was asserting its national sovereignty and voting to leave the European Union. The sneering Amanpour repeatedly derided it as an example of “xenophobia” and “white identity” politics.
Early in the evening, with the result still in doubt, Amanpour told Anderson Cooper: “A lot of the Leave movements are led by the hard-right, very, very xenophobic, anti-immigrant, very populist, nationalist, white identity politics.” Later, as reality set in, the journalist referenced the current issue of The Economist and raged, “This marks a victory for the kind of economic nationalism, to quote this article here, for the kind of xenophobia, that will imperil the liberal world order that has guaranteed western prosperity and stability since World War II."
Continuing to get worked up, Amanpour again bashed the result as racism. She warned that “anti-establishment, populist, nationalist, and in many cases xenophobic parties will also get a huge wind from this, and try to spin off as well. That is a worst case scenario that people are incredibly afraid of at this point.”
In case one missed the point, she underlined, “And it has also said this victory, for which Nigel Farage, the anti-immigrant, xenophobic leader of the UK Independence Party.”
When Amanpour wasn’t calling the majority of British voters racist, she was mocking them as stupid:
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, this is a moment of destiny that many, many people, the overwhelming, the overwhelming preponderance of experts and independent analysts and allies of the UK and the scientists, and the academics and the economists and the business and even the he sports people, the overwhelming majority said, "Stay in the EU." The people wanted to do something different.
Of course, this was the same woman who compared then-French Prime Minister Nicholas Sarkozy’s insulting of rioters to attacking Obama:
"The black people in France are very proud and very hopeful for their future. They also live, many of them, in poor situations. And you know, you've had your own riots here and protests and disturbances in the Banlieue - in the city. At one point, when we were covering those riots, when you were Interior Minister, you called the rioters 'scum.' And I'm wondering whether you feel, today, when you stand next to someone you clearly admire so much, and who has broken so many barriers, that you regret that term or that you wish you hadn't said it?"
- CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour to French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a July 25, 2008 press conference with Barack Obama shown live on CNN.
She also had a meltdown when Benjamin Netanyahu ran for reelection, insisting that the Likud party had a “sort of racist policy.”
A transcript of Thursday’s meltdown is below:
CNN live coverage
6/23/169:42pm ET
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: If Britain leaves, then all these other countries others might, because there are significant minorities in a lot of the countries that want to leave in terms of numbers. Minority of numbers which want to leave. And the unfortunate thing, Anderson, and this is where it gets really tricky and really ugly, a lot of the Leave movements are led by the hard-right, very, very xenophobic, anti-immigrant, very populist, nationalist, white identity politics.
6/24/16
12:06am ETRICHARD QUEST: I am going to show the map of the United Kingdom. To put it into perspective. You have this vast swaths of England, where the majority of people live that voted to leave. You have Scotland, which is just about — it is all blue. I punch up London, you have mostly blue in London. Christiane Amanpour at Westminster, the national picture shows that U.K. is absolutely, completely divided.
AMANPOUR: Well, that is an absolute truism and that is what is going to make it very difficult going forward. It is about 5:00 out here. The sun has risen on a completely different U.K., and completely different EU. And there is concerns that what will happen next, is a destiny shift that perhaps many in this country are not quite aware of. If you look at the latest cover of the Economist, and of course another one will be coming out tomorrow, but the Economist, which is one of the preeminent economic and political magazines in the world, has written “divided we fall.” This is just before this vote. And it has also said this victory, for which Nigel Farage, the anti-immigrant, xenophobic leader of the UK Independence Party, who forced this referendum on Prime Minister Cameron, he is now the spokesman and the face of this victory. Where is Boris Johnson?
Where is Michael Gove? Where are the people who are the official Leave campaigners? Because it wasn't Nigel Farage, but he is there. And what we are hearing, certainly from people worried who are worried precisely about this, is that they feel that that this marks a victory for the kind of economic nationalism, to quote this article here, for the kind of xenophobia, that will imperil the liberal world order that has guaranteed western prosperity and stability since World War two. And this is a huge, huge issue now that this country and the continent and the world is going to have to face. They add that Brexit has been pedaled on an illusion. This is The Economist now. And when reality when reality interfaces with Brexit, it is going to make Britain, certainly in the short term, poorer, less innovative, less strong, going as some saying, going from Great Britain to little England. So, this is a moment of destiny that many, many people, the overwhelming, the overwhelming preponderance of experts and independent analysts and allies of the UK and the scientists, and the academics and the economists and the business and even the he sports people, the overwhelming majority said, “Stay in the EU.” The people wanted to do something different. And so, Europe is concerned that this will be a run on their bank, so to speak, in terms of politically, and that their anti-establishment, populist, nationalist, and in many cases xenophobic parties will also get a huge wind from this, and try to spin off as well. That is a worst case scenario that people are incredibly afraid of at this point.
