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'THE ONLY BLACK GUY'
Love Island’s Sherif claims he was victim of ‘unconscious racism’ at hands of show bosses
SHERIF Lanre claims he may have been a victim of “unconscious racism” in the villa.
The star says he was repeatedly reprimanded for mistakes and slips of the tongue that other contestants seemed to get away with.
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Sherif claimed: “I can’t rule out that racism was a factor here. I think there may have been some unconscious racism.
"By that I mean, the producers might not have been aware of what they were doing, but they may have had an inherent bias in their minds that caused them to act against me.
“I say this because there were so many things I was pulled aside on. The first was calling Amber ‘lighty,’ which I know is a poor choice of words but she did not get offended.
"She said people often used the same word in Newcastle, where she is from.
Amber 'lighty' jibe
SHERIF last night admitted calling Geordie Amber Gill a “lighty” while in the villa.
Furious producers summoned him after he used the racial slur about the mixed race 21-year-old as cameras rolled.
He told The Sun on Sunday: “I was talking about Amber to two guys. I think it was Joe and Michael.
“I told them, ‘A lighty like her would be hugely appreciated in London. Boys would be calling her all the time’.
“About three hours later I was asked to stay behind. One of the crew told me, ‘You cannot use that term again’. I was like, ‘OK’.
“I brought it up with Amber the following day. I said, ‘I got pulled up for using the term lighty’.
“I said, ‘Maybe it’s a London thing and they don’t use it in other parts of the country’. But she told me, ‘No, we use it in Newcastle all the time. I don’t think it’s offensive’.
“I also spoke to Joe and Michael about it later. I guess that means that I used the term more than once.
“I don’t think lighty is a bad term. But I can see why they don’t want you to use it on TV.
“Some people might get offended. I know you can’t call a black person a darky. So I guess lighty isn’t a good word either.”
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“The second was my use of the word ‘rape’ even though I had said it in an appropriate way.
“One of the other contestants was talking about hitting on a girl. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but he was talking about how he keeps going even when they’re not interested.
"I was like, ‘Mate, you can’t do that, that’s rape.’
“The producers called me aside and said it was a word I was not allowed to use. I got upset at that moment.
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"I asked them, ‘Can you give me a list of the words I can use?’ They said, ‘No, but you cannot use that one.’
“I’ve been lucky in that I haven’t suffered much racism in my life.
"The only time I did was when I was on holiday in Tenerife when I was 16 and a homeless man kept shouting ‘negro’ at me, which is the Spanish word for black.”
Sherif believes it is possible he was head hunted for his skin colour by the Love Island crew.
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He said: “I was queuing for my lunch when two people noticed me.
"I could see one of the men pulling at the other and saying, ‘That is the guy we need.’ I don’t know if they were looking for a black person but it is possible.
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“I was the only black guy in the villa but it did not bother me.
"I’ve always got on well with people from different backgrounds.
"But the way in which I was kicked out has left a bad taste in my mouth.”
A Love Island spokesman said: "We would strongly refute any accusation of racism. All of the Islanders are treated fairly and in accordance with our duty of care."
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