Rupert Lowe, leader of the far-right Restore Britain party and MP for Great Yarmouth, has provoked widespread backlash after claiming the 1996 Dunblane school massacre was 'just one murder' during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
In a conversation about gun control, Lowe told Rogan: 'As you probably know, they banned handguns in the late 90s because there was a murder up in Dunblane.' When Rogan asked 'One murder?', Lowe replied: 'One murder.' He then added: 'So, everybody, my father used to shoot pistols for Oxford University and he had, he's dead now bless him, but he had… all his pistols were taken away, the pistols he used to shoot with at Oxford University.'
The Facts of the Dunblane Massacre
The 1996 Dunblane massacre remains the deadliest mass shooting in UK history. Thomas Hamilton, 43, entered the gymnasium of Dunblane Primary School on March 13, 1996, and opened fire, killing 16 pupils and one teacher. Fifteen others were injured. Hamilton then took his own life. The tragedy sparked a national debate on gun laws, leading to the Snowdrop Campaign and the subsequent Firearms Acts that banned private ownership of most handguns.
Family of Victim Reacts
Emma Crozier was among those killed. Her brother, Jack Crozier, spoke to Sky News, saying: 'Rupert Lowe's father had his pistols taken away. My father had his daughter taken away. He knew exactly what happened at Dunblane. He made an active choice, on one of the world's biggest podcasts, to describe the massacre of 16 five and six-year-old children and their teacher as “one murder”. The people of Great Yarmouth need to seriously consider if this is who they want representing them.'
Survivor Andy Murray's Account
Among the survivors was tennis star Andy Murray, then aged eight. He and his older brother Jamie, 10, were heading to the gymnasium when Hamilton began his attack; they hid under a desk in the headteacher's office. In his 2008 autobiography Hitting Back, Murray wrote: 'I could have been one of those children. Some of my friends' brothers and sisters were killed.' He recalled being in a classroom singing songs and noted that he had previously attended a youth group run by Hamilton, with his mother even giving the killer lifts home. 'It is just so uncomfortable to think that it was someone we knew from the Boys Club,' he added. 'We used to go to the club and have fun. Then to find out he's a murderer was something my brain couldn't cope with.'
Metro has contacted Rupert Lowe for comment.
