Today is the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, a World War I battle in which over a million men were wounded or killed.
Many are paying their respects to the dead on its hundred-year anniversary, and posting war-poetry that serves as an always-timely reminder of the horrors of military conflict.
Piers Morgan, however, has outraged many with a remark on Twitter that the young men in England’s football team should have ‘gone to the Somme’ (hashtagging the word ‘Somme’) to ‘learn what representing your country really means.’
England's footballers should have gone to the #Somme.
They would have learned what representing your country really means.— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 1, 2016
Obviously, people reacted very poorly to the incendiary remark, but Morgan claims he’s being misunderstood – and that he was in fact talking about the memorial.
Oh Sam, the battle of the Somme ended nearly a century ago.
I was talking about the memorial. Be more intelligent. https://t.co/FGeYB6baO1— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 1, 2016
We’re not sure which of the two sentiments he really meant, but we can’t say we’d be shocked if he really did mean the former. Plenty of Twitter users read it that way, anyway.
@piersmorgan Good grief you spout some shit, but this tops the lot.
— Dean Little (@The_Wookie) July 1, 2016
@piersmorgan I'm not sure that has any bearing on their quality on a football pitch
— Sam Wilson (@MrSamWilson) July 1, 2016
@piersmorgan Equating sport with war is rock stupid, even for you.
— Alex Hall (@LLHallJ) July 1, 2016
@piersmorgan @squires_david pic.twitter.com/x3Z7vtYcPq
— James Freeman (@JimBobFreeman) July 1, 2016
@piersmorgan what the hell is wrong with you that you'd think this, let alone say it?
— Ian Rennie (@theangelremiel) July 1, 2016