Lord of the Rings and X-Men star Ian McKellen on Wednesday asserted that Islamic terrorists have a “legitimate complaint” about the west. Appearing on Larry King Now, the actor discussed the “dreadful” murder of 130 people in Paris. McKellen equivocated, “I’m sure the legitimate complaint that your country and my country have meddled in their affairs is a fair one.”
He quickly added, “But it doesn’t justify this.” On the subject of letting Syrian refugees into the United States and other countries, he cheered, “These are brave, brave people and I think they should be looked after and cared for until such time that they can go back home, which is what I think most of them want to do, I think.”
A transcript of the comments can be found below:
Larry King Now
12/16/15
9:08[On the Paris attacks.]
LARRY KING: They’re [terrorists] very chicken, terrorists. Killers of people.
IAN MCKELLEN: I know. Dreadful. And so extreme in their views. And you know--- I’m sure the legitimate complaint that your country and my country have meddled in their affairs is a fair one. But it doesn’t justify this.
...
KING: What do you make of — there’s now a great movement in the west to not let refugees in because there might be a few among them that are terrorists.
MCKELLEN: Well, that’s a risk you take and we have MI-5 to check that those people are looked after. But most of the people don’t want to come to the west. They want to live in their own country, but they can’t because there’s a terrible civil war going on, if you’re talking about Syria. But there are other countries too — these are brave, brave people and I think they should be looked after and cared for until such time that they can go back home, which is what I think most of them want to do, I think.
