Sky News orders review of show after Ryan Williams anti-Islam rant

Sky News is reviewing its new Sunday night program Freya Fires Up, hosted by Freya Leach, after removing an interview with a guest who appeared with bacon draped over his shirt and told the host it was to “protect him” from terrorists, as he made further Islamophobic comments before being cut off.

While the interview on Sunday evening was removed from the full episode uploaded onto Sky’s online platform, guest Ryan Williams reposted his appearance on Instagram. The post has since been liked 90,000 times.

Williams’ social media accounts feature multiple videos of him wearing bacon across his chest. He asks followers online to donate to his cause of inflicting “maximum damage on Islam” and keeping “Europe Christian at all costs”.

Leach introduced Williams as a “social media sensation” and a conservative political strategist. She later made a brief on-air apology for the interview.

“The reason I’ve got bacon on my shoulders is because the terrorists are a charming lot, and they threaten to behead me every single day, so a little bit of protection,” Williams said appearing to laugh.

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Online, Williams lists his “real job” as a cellist and trance music producer to his 243,000 Instagram followers.

During his Sky appearance, he said the UK faced the threat of Islamic invasion every day, and wrongly said that Britain’s second-biggest city, Birmingham, has a Muslim majority. According to the 2021 census, 34 per cent of Birmingham residents identify as Christian, while 29.9 per cent identify as Muslim.

After Williams made a series of anti-Islam remarks, Leach said: “It’s important to preface that the majority of Muslims don’t support that. We have seen here in Australia at least we’ve got some great moderate Muslims, but I think it’s up to them to condemn the elements of the culture or religion that are more extreme.” The host then moved on to the other guest on the program, conservative strategist Joey Mannarino.