Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she feels “pity” for men like Jeremy Clarkson and warned that “words have consequences”.
It comes after his comments about Meghan Markle in a column for The Sun newspaper. He said he hated the Duchess of Sussex “not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West”.
The SNP leader told BBC Scotland: “I can’t imagine what it must be like to be so consumed and distorted by hate of other people, and in his case it appears women in particular, that you end up writing that toxic, vile abuse.
“Freedom of speech is really important and one of the values all of us cherish.
“But all of us, as we exercise those important rights, have to behave with a degree of responsibility.
“The kind of abuse he was hurling at Meghan Markle, that has consequences.”
The column by Clarkson has attracted more than 6,000 complaints to Ipso, the independent press standards organisation.
In a tweet on Monday, the TV presenter said he was “horrified” after “causing so much hurt”.
