New Delhi: Former English cricketer Geoffrey Boycott has been drawing a lot of criticism after the decision on his knighthood was announced, but the star player “couldn’t give a toss”.
Several women’s charities and opposition parties have called upon Prime Minister Boris Johnson to withdraw the honour citing Boycott’s domestic violence conviction. In 1998, Boycott was convicted of physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Margaret Moore in a French Riviera Hotel.
The subsequent trial revealed that Boycott punched Moore 20 times in the face after pinning her down. He then checked out of the hotel and left her to pay the bill.
A French court gave him a three-month suspended sentence and slapped a fine of £ 5,000.
Boycott was included in outgoing PM Theresa May’s resignation honours list, which allows the prime minister leaving office to award knighthoods.
Boycott denies the charges
Adina Claire, the co-acting chief of Women’s Aid, an organisation that works with domestic violence victims, said in a BBC interview, “With increasing awareness of domestic abuse, and a domestic abuse bill ready to be taken forward by government, it is extremely disappointing that a knighthood has been recommended for Geoffrey Boycott, who is a convicted perpetrator of domestic abuse.”
Incidentally, it was May who introduced the landmark Domestic Abuse Bill.
“Celebrating a man who was convicted for assaulting his partner sends a dangerous message that domestic abuse is not taken seriously as a crime,” Claire added.
Responding to Claire’s comments, Boycott said, “I don’t give a toss about her, love. It was 25 years ago so you can take your political nature and do whatever you want with it.”
He further said that it was difficult to prove one’s innocence in a different country. “Most people in England don’t believe it. I didn’t do it. Move on. It’s a cross I have to bear, right or wrong, good or bad, I have to live with it. And I do, because I’m clear in my mind and I think most people in England are that it’s not true.”
The Woman’s Trust charity said the knighthood implied that one is willing to believe the perpetrator and not the survivor and were among the many organisations that condemned the move.
Exactly this: if you knight someone convicted of #domesticabuse you're basically saying a) he's famous, so it doesn't matter or b) you believe him when he says he didn't do it, rather than the survivor (and despite his conviction in the courts). #BoycottBoycott https://t.co/ckkI7sSzZQ
— Woman's Trust (@womanstrust) September 10, 2019
“Theresa May’s decision to give the honour to this man is shocking. She wanted a domestic abuse bill as her legacy and wore a ‘this is what a feminist looks like’ t-shirt. It is rank hypocrisy.” – @JennSelby on #Boycott @BBCRadioLondon
— Women's Equality Party (@WEP_UK) September 11, 2019
Dawn Butler, the Shadow Minister of Women and Equalities, said this move is “an insult to victims and survivors of domestic violence”.
Boris Johnson should rescind Geoffrey Boycott's knighthood immediately.
Celebrating a man convicted of assaulting his partner by giving him a knighthood is an insult to victims and survivors of domestic violence and shows how out of touch and nepotistic the honours list is. https://t.co/uZPR8Rta7C
— Dawn Butler MP✊🏾 (@DawnButlerBrent) September 10, 2019
Also read: These stats on gender inequality will surprise you
Boycott’s courted controversy in 2017 over knighthood remark
In 2017, Boycott had come under fire after he said he would be more likely to be given a knighthood if he “blacked up”.
During a question-answer session following a Test match between England and the West Indies at Edgbaston, the former cricketer had said, “Mine’s been turned down twice. I’d better black me face.”
He said knighthoods were given to cricketers from West Indies “like confetti”.
Boycott had later apologised “unreservedly” for his remark.
A highly arrogant and selfish cricketer who only played for runs and centuries and not for his country.