Labour MP Kate Osborne has defended comments she made following the Berlin Pride attack, rejecting claims that she blamed GB News for the incident and accusing some critics of misrepresenting her original statement.
In a follow-up post on Facebook, Mrs Osborne addressed the criticism she received after her earlier comments prompted a backlash from politicians and media figures.
She wrote:
"Did I post blaming GB News for the Berlin attack instead of the perpetrator? No."
Mrs Osborne said her original statement had been misunderstood and insisted that it was intended to highlight what she described as a wider increase in hostility towards LGBT people across Europe.
She wrote:
"Of course the statement didn't blame GB News for the attack – that is clear for all to see."
However, Mrs Osborne went on to criticise the broadcaster, arguing that it had "legitimised hatred" by allowing what she described as slurs against LGBT people during debate.
Referring to criticism from GB News presenter Alex Armstrong, she said:
"The very same Alex Armstrong who is so outraged by my statement had to apologise for on-air comments about the LGBT community on his show just last week."
Mrs Osborne also said that coverage of her original post had resulted in abusive messages being directed towards her.
She wrote that she had received abuse from "individuals" as well as what she described as "Reform bots", although she did not provide evidence for that characterisation.
The Labour MP said she remains concerned about what she believes is an increase in anti-LGBT hostility across Europe, citing her role as the Council of Europe's Rapporteur for LGBTI People.
She wrote:
"Across Europe we are seeing a rising tide of hate against the LGBT community and I will call it out whether or not it is from radical Islamists or on GB News."
Mrs Osborne also noted that, since her original statement, reports indicated that more people had been injured in the Berlin attack and that the suspect, identified by authorities as Abdul Ballout, had been shot and killed by police.
She concluded:
"My thoughts remain with my LGBT community and all those impacted by the awful attack in Berlin."
Mrs Osborne's latest statement follows criticism of her original social media post from several public figures, including Conservative MP Lee Anderson, Conservative frontbencher Robert Jenrick, and GB News presenter Alex Armstrong, who argued that her comments implied a connection between political debate in the UK and the attack in Berlin.
Mrs Osborne has now rejected that interpretation, saying her original post was intended to highlight broader concerns about anti-LGBT rhetoric and violence rather than attribute responsibility for the attack to any UK broadcaster.