A racist rant too far? Police investigate Taki the playboy pundit

Independent ^ | 01 February 2003 | By Sholto Byrnes

[gd124]

A racist rant too far? Police investigate Taki the playboy pundit By Sholto Byrnes

01 February 2003

Taki Theodoracopoulos once served four months in Pentonville Prison for possession of cocaine. Now the prospect of a two-year stretch in jail looms for the Greek playboy and columnist.

Taki and The Spectator, for which he writes the "High Life" column, are being investigated by Scotland Yard over an article he wrote in the magazine's 11 January edition.

The investigation was triggered by a complaint from Peter Herbert, a lawyer and member of the Metropolitan Police Authority. The Yard's Diversity Directorate will assess whether the piece incites racial hatred and thereby breaks the Public Order Act, for which the maximum sentence is two years.

Even by Taki's standards the piece was extraordinarily offensive. Under the headline "Thoughts on Thuggery" he wrote: "Oh boy, was Enoch – God rest his soul – ever right! Now there's a man who was tough on the causes of crime long before the crime had been Blaired."

Referring to the New Year shootings of two black girls in Birmingham he continued: "Only a moron would not surmise that what politically-correct newspapers refer to as 'disaffected young people' are black thugs, sons of black thugs and grandsons of black thugs ... West Indians were allowed to immigrate after the war, multiply like flies, and then the great state apparatus took over the care of their multiplications. The "Rivers of Blood "speech by Enoch was prophetic as well as true, and look what the bullshitters of the time did to the great man."

The article has already caused considerable embarrassment to Boris Johnson, editor of The Spectator and a Tory MP. "It was a terrible thing," said Mr Johnson, who was on holiday the week the article appeared but takes full responsibility for its publication.

"It should never have gone in." Informed of the police investigation, Mr Johnson declined to comment until he heard from Scotland Yard.

Such casual racism is the stock-in-trade of Taki, who is known mainly by his first name. In 1997 he described Puerto Ricans in New York as "a bunch of semi-savages ... fat, squat, ugly, dusky, dirty." In 2001 he called himself a "soi-disant anti-Semite" and has also referred to Kenya as "bongo-bongo land".

Repulsive though such comments are, they are what pass for humour in the Eurotrash plutocratic circles in which Taki mixes. His world skis at Gstaad, goes to the Ascot races – a crowd of "society" figures who are slowly departing for the great gambling tables of the hereafter.

Married to Princess Alexandra Schoenburg, Taki inherited a fortune from his father John and divides his time between a $5m house in New York's Upper East Side and Gstaad, where he recently crashed his car.

His strict treatment at the hands of the local police is what prompted his musings on crime problems in Britain.

His friends and acquaintances are the characters that fill his friend Nigel Dempster's pages. The Daily Mail gossip columnist refers to Taki as the "Greek sportsman", a description he has earned through his past participation in the Davis Cup and captaining of the Greek karate team.

He was close to Gianni Agnelli. His friendship with the Fiat magnate lasted 45 years until his recent death. "K", the Aga Khan, was a friend and he boasts an on-off friendship with Mohamed al-Fayed, English aristocrats, obscure European royalty and any pretty girl who chances across his path.

He is famously libidinous and is happy to call himself a "playboy".

His interest in right-wing politics comes from his father, and he is proud of the fact that not much thought has gone into his views. "Why make up your own mind when someone else can make up your mind for you?" he has asked.

Along with the Duke of Devonshire and the Earl of Portsmouth he was one of the backers of Neil Hamilton's failed libel bid against Mr Fayed, although he was not best pleased when he later found himself being pursued for Mr Fayed's costs.

Taki is happy to admit, as readers of his Spectator column know, to taking a line so right-wing it borders on the fascist. When building a new house he declared that he would name it "Palazzo Pinochet", after the Chilean dictator. General Franco is another of his heroes.

When Mr Johnson took over the editorship of The Spectator there was speculation that Taki would go, being considered a relic of the magazine's past.

Taki even wrote a column announcing that he had been sacked. Unfortunately for his critics – and he has many even among the Telegraph group, of which The Spectator is a part – he was joking, leading Max Hastings, then editor of the Evening Standard, to remark: "You always know where you are with Taki. Like the Prussians, he is either at your knees or your throat."

One senior Telegraph executive said Taki had no privileged position and that any decision on his future will be "down to Boris".

But Taki has had at least one run-in with Conrad Black, owner of The Spectator. His anti-semite claim so incensed Mr Black that the owner of The Daily Telegraph wrote a two-page letter to his own magazine, condemning Taki.

If the Scotland Yard investigation does find against Taki, Mr Johnson will be expected to sack him. Taki once described himself as "worthless". The question is now whether his editor agrees with him.

The sayings of Taki Theodoracopoulos

Taki on New York's Puerto Ricans

"A bunch of semi-savages ... fat, squat, ugly, dusky, dirty and unbelievably loud. They turned Manhattan into Palermo faster than you can say 'spic'."

Taki on Africa

"Democracy is as likely to come to bongo-bongo land as I am to send a Concorde ticket to my children."

Taki on Britain's Black Population

"What politically correct newspapers refer to as 'disaffected young people' are black thugs, sons of black thugs and grandsons of black thugs ... West Indians were allowed to immigrate after the war [and] multiply like flies."

Taki on Cherie Blair

"Not that I'm calling Cherie Blair a whore. She couldn't be one even if she wanted to; not good-looking enough."

Taki on Hillary Clinton

"She, too, could not make a living from the world's oldest profession because of ugly looks and terrible ankles."

Taki on Himself

"I'm a family man, a provider, I pay my taxes, I'm white (although always sun-tanned) ... I inherited from my old man ... I employ people, I own a yacht ... you name it, I'm guilty of it."

Taki on William And Jack Straw

"In Cool Britannia we don't send the son of a left-wing prick like Straw to jail for dealing [drugs]; we vote him president of the Oxford Union (sic) instead. (Apparently he is as much of a dictator as his father, and just as phony)."

Taki on Bill Clinton And Tony Blair

"[They] are, of course, the masters of the direct lie, able to look straight into the camera and tell incredible whoppers that would make Mother Teresa blush. The man [Tony Blair] is pathetic, almost on the level of Bill Clinton, except for the hair."

Taki on Ian Hislop

"Hislop deals in ruining people's lives through falsehoods, half-truths and gossip ... When that court high up in the sky gives the final verdict, the poisoned dwarf will come off second best."

[kms61]

"Better a straightforward Fascist than a Weasel Liberal."

Well, in the sense that with the former you at least know what you're dealing with up front, you may have a point.

If that's Taki's only good quality, it's faint praise indeed. I'm no fan of authoritarianism from either the Left or the Right.

[Oztrich Boy]

Unfortunately not. And it's headed by Commander Cressida Dick.

Now come on. You made that up.

I have to believe that. If what you said was true, then this BBC Story would be true too. And that's just too depressing

[Cacique]

So, what's the deal with this? Calling on the UK expert opinion.

[xm177e2]

If he's not actually a fascist he's skating awfully close to it.

Pinochet and Franco especially are the real deal when it comes to "fascism." That having been said, I too think it's a shame the state would take legal action against him for writing that crap.

[ArcLight]

The only thing worse than Taki is the idea that his idiot comments could be considered a criminal offense in a supposedly civilized country. You don't outlaw stupidity, including bigoted stupidity. The leaders of the Orwellian-sounding "Diversity Directorate" should be just as ashamed of themselves as the shameless dope fiend Taki.

[MadIvan]

Taki is well known for saying outrageous things and being outrageous. Cocaine possession busted him before - this is the first time he is being prosecuted for saying something outrageous. As the article shows, that's his stock in trade. I hope really that someone says, "Look, he has a right to say what he likes - he's outrageous, who cares"

It's not like the people who read the Spectator are going to create a riot anyway.

Regards, Ivan

[general_re]

Okay, I'll say it. He has a right to say what he likes - he's outrageous, who cares. He's still an a**hole.

But, as much as it pains me to do so, I'll hold my nose and defend the little sh*tbag's right to speak...

[dighton]

Agreed. He's an a**hole whose motto (like Julie Burchill's) is "Look at me!", but that shouldn't land him in prison.

[oldironsides]

This writer is outrageous. I find the British police sending unarmed officers on an Islamic terrorist raid mind boggling. They had some killed and injured because the Islamic terrorists were armed. The people ought to more offended by the stupidity of their police.

[general_re]

Plus, if one is really hard up to see him behind bars, it's really only a matter of time before he does something to really deserve prison time, whether it's drunkenly mowing down the flora, or attempting to waltz through Customs with a pocketful of blow. The man's got a self-destructive streak a mile wide - why rush things? ;)

[aculeus]

Taki, who many years ago was either a National Review or American Spectator regular, is sort of an "upper class" Archie Bunker.

He can be amusing but like Archie doesn't know when to cool it.

His current association with the anti-Bush Buke and Margolis doesn't thrill me.

[Rodney King]

Bump for Taki!

[Stingray51]

First of all, criminalizing opinions, however odious, published as such in a newspaper, is a blatant attack on the most fundamental of the rights of man. The only thing criminal I see is the investigation itself.

My next question, which the article ignores, is whether what he said was true. Were the perpetrators black people of West Indian descent? If not, then I guess he was wrong and the article's critics can attack him on that basis. But if yes, is truth a defense in modern day England?

[A. Pole]

He loathes Israel, is soft on Saddam, and has as much brainpower as PJB.He deserves all he gets.

Hmm, this is a solution. Execute all those who critices Sharon policy or who like PJB. Jailing will not do, it will make them martyrs like Mumia.

And why not to delegalise Democratic party? We could abolish the Republican party primaries and reserve power for the well born (from a few carefully selected families). The elections could remain, but with only one candidate to chose. Way to go if you want to defend freedom!

[AliciaMoore]

You have no idea what you are talking about. I am so sick of people who do not live in Gstaad and are not friends with us going around using terms like 'Eurotrash' because honestly out of Taki's group and yours I'm guessing that the word trash would be applied more fittingly to yours. However, while I can't stand that word being used to describe wealthy Europeans (as it simply does not make sense) I do not expect anyone to hold back on it, because everyone has the right to express an opinion.

Which brings me to my next point, Taki is a journalist, he should be able to write and say whatever he wants. I cannot stand this wave of PC thugs. It is so shallow, fake and ridiculous. People are just posturing and dancing around the truth like a bunch of fools, all to worried to say anything and needing to check that their sentences are not offending anyone before they speak.

As well as that, Taki is right in everything that he says. I might not say it outloud, but he just speaks the truth, and scared little cowards hiding for so long behind PC and liberal jargin can't handle it. Well get over it and grow up, this isn't the playground, in the real world the truth hurts and you might be offended every once in a while, but just suck it up and act your age!

[gd124]

I didn't write the article, I simply posted it.