Katie Hopkins - One Day To Say Sorry

For so long, professional motormouth Katie Hopkins has managed to get away with her constant barrage of abuse, whether via Twitter, or her increasingly piss-poor Sun column. Those who adopt parenting methods she disapproves of, anyone not slim enough for her liking, Scots, anyone who has contracted the Ebola virus (and especially Scots who have contracted the Ebola virus), she has got away with demeaning them all.

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Even her uncaring attitude to refugees drowning in the Mediterranean Sea has done no more than generate more attention. Katie Hopkins could say what she liked about whomsoever she liked - and the world would have to Deal With It. But sadly for her, reality intruded recently when she accused campaigner and food writer Ms Jack Monroe of vandalising war memorials, which she certainly had not done.

It’s thought that Ms Hopkins confused Jack Monroe with writer Laurie Penny when she ranted “scrawled on any memorials recently? Vandalised the memory of those who fought for your freedom. Grandma got any more medals?” She should have realised there had been a mistake when her target responded “I have NEVER ‘scrawled on a memorial’. Brother in the RAF. Dad was a Para in the Falklands. You’re a piece of shit”.

Hopkins observers will note that she is not, it seems, contesting the assertion that she is “a piece of shit”. But what Katie also did not do was make any move to withdraw or apologise. So Ms Monroe gave her a gentle reminder: “I’m asking you nicely to please delete this lie Katie, and if I have to ask again it will be through my lawyer”. Still Ms Hopkins maintained silence on the matter. Bad move.

And so it came to pass that Jack Monroe engaged the services of media lawyer Mark Lewis, who readers may have seen at the Leveson Inquiry. This resulted in demands being made for “an apology and a donation to a charity of Monroe’s choosing in lieu of damages”. All that has come from Katie Hopkins since that demand was made is one Tweet: “I was confused about identity. I got it wrong”.

That, sadly, is not good enough. As someone who has been on the receiving end of more than one legal threat, I have to tell Ms Hopkins that there is one golden rule when dealing with such matters: you do not, repeat do not, repeat DO NOT just ignore them. And you most certainly do not make some half-arsed effort via social media to show some kind of faux regret. And, if a deadline has been given, it is worth moving before that time.

In Katie Hopkins’ case, that deadline is tomorrow. Jack Monroe has spelt it out to her: “As you know @KTHopkins this is in the hands of my solicitors - you will need to write to them.
cc @MarkLewisLawyer”. Katie has one day to say sorry. Yes, her brand of I’m-Only-Telling-It-Like-It-Is-And-If-You-Don’t-Like-It-Then-Tough-Titty will suffer as a result of her having to say sorry. But this time she may not be in check, but check mate.

Katie Hopkins has to do something that for her is unusual: she must choose … wisely.