A spokesperson for Meghan Markle is speaking out about a “deeply misogynist” article that media personality Jeremy Clarkson wrote about the Duchess of Sussex for The Sun.
Published on Friday, December 16, the article was taken down the following Monday after receiving intense backlash to Clarkson’s message of hating the Duchess “on a cellular level,” for which the outlet said they were “sincerely sorry.”
In a statement provided to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Meghan Markle blasts the outlet’s apology: “The fact that the Sun has not contacted The Duchess of Sussex to apologize shows their intent. This is nothing more than a PR stunt.”
“While the public absolutely deserves the publication’s regrets for their dangerous comments, we wouldn’t be in this situation if The Sun did not continue to profit off of and exploit hate, violence and misogyny,” they continue. “A true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all. Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath.”
Along with expressing his hatred for Markle, Clarkson referenced a famous scene from Game of Thrones. “At night, I’m unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her,” he wrote.
Clarkson has since apologized for the graphic sentiment, acknowledging that it “has gone down badly with a great many people” on Twitter. “I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future,” he added.
The Sun issued their statement to the article on Friday: “Columnists’ opinions are their own, but as a publisher, we realize that with free expression comes responsibility. We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry.”
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, took to Twitter to condemn the article. “As Jeremy Clarkson should well know – words have consequences. The words in his piece are no joke – they’re dangerous and inexcusable,” the mayor tweeted. “We are in an epidemic of violence against women and girls and men with powerful voices must do better than this.”
Brits immediately put the article under fire after it was published as well, with 6,000 complaints being made to press regulator IPSO about the piece, according to the BBC. (People)