TV journalist Georgia Love and partner Lee Elliott yesterday deleted Instagram posts promoting holidays in Saudi Arabia. Presumably, their travel itinerary did not include the murderous regime’s mass beheadings of 81 men earlier in the week.
Love and Elliott hooked up on the 2016 Bachelorette series. Georgia Love recently announced she would soon quit her television career with Channel 7. Late last year, the station took her off-air following a controversial Instagram post. The reality star posted a video of a cat at an Asia restaurant captioned ‘shop attendant or lunch?!’
The latest furore began after Georgia Love posted to Instagram on Thursday about her trip to Saudi Arabia.
We’re so excited
“After only opening to tourists in 2019, we can’t state how excited we are to be among the first Aussies to tour Saudi.
“To us, it is important to see, experience and learn about all cultures around us and to see how much and how fast our world is changing. We can’t wait to bring you along on this incredible experience with us.”
Entertainment journalist Peter Ford responded with a tweet linking to a report to this week’s mass execution.
“Now the world is opening up again you might choose the Eiffel Tower, Edinburgh Castle or The Acropolis but Georgia Love is pushing Saudi Arabia.
“Sorry, Georgia but ‘Chop Chop Square’ – where woman and gays are executed- just doesn’t do it for me in the same way.”
Now the world is opening up again you might choose the Eiffel Tower, Edinburgh Castle or The Acropolis but Georgia Love is pushing Saudi Arabia. Sorry Georgia but ‘Chop Chop Square’ -where woman and gays are executed- just doesn’t do it for me in the same way. pic.twitter.com/pmRIJqB4dC
— Peter Ford (@mrpford) March 17, 2022
“We thought long and hard”
Lee Elliott responded to critics of the holiday with claims Saudi Arabia was changing.
“I truly hear and understand what you’re saying and where you’re coming from. We thought long and hard about coming and we decided to come as the world is changing for the better and Saudi along with it.”
Georgie Love denied Saudi Arabia paid the couple to visit, describing it as ‘not a paid partnership’.
“We do not in any way endorse behaviours of the past or any human rights violations that have occurred in this country.
“We are also not being paid to be here.”
She did not however deny that Saudi Arabia paid for the five-star trip: airfares, accommodation and expenses. Love and Lee travelled with a group of fellow influencers from around the world. Like the others, they tagged their posts #VisitSaudi.
For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
No Comment