ALASTAIR Stewart's racism row accuser has been slammed on Twitter by users claiming he made a string of "racist tweets" himself.
The veteran news anchor was forced out of ITV yesterday after 40 years when black Twitter user Martin Shapland accused him of calling him an "ape".
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Stewart, 67, had used the word as he quoted from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure in a Twitter spat - but Mr Shapland claims there were a string of messages from the presenter that caused him "hurt and upset".
But now angry Twitter users have unearthed old tweets by Mr Shapland - where he calls out "white privilege".
Using the term is not racist or seen as a hate crime in the eyes of the law but some Twitter users accused Mr Shapland of "hypocrisy" over the "hateful things" he had been posting.
He was branded a racist himself and sent death threats by furious users - before hastily deleting his entire Twitter history.
In a statement he issued today, he defended his decision to call Stewart out and said there was no need to sack him as he would've settled for an apology.
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What is white privilege?
THE term white privilege has been argued over by critics but generally refers to people born with white skin who, as a result, have advantages in society that others have not been afforded.
These advantages range from greater access to education and employment to income and security.
But academics say it is difficult for people born with white privilege to notice as they have the privilege of majority representation in society - for example they represent the majority of characters on TV.
This means they experience the world in a different way to someone who isn't white.
Most definitions of white privilege use the metaphor used by Peggy McIntosh of the "invisible backpack of unearned assets".
It has been thrust into the spotlight recently as social media continues to dominate - with many white people accusing black people of "reverse racism" when the term is used.
Reverse racism was first recorded as a term in the 1950s amid the Civil Rights Movement - but many academics say the concept does not exist and is instead "racial prejudice".
Earlier this month, actor Laurence Fox accused academic Rachel Boyle of 'being racist' after she branded him 'a white privileged male' on Question Time.
He had insisted the Duchess of Sussex wasn't forced to leave Britain because she's mixed-race, with Ms Boyle blaming racism in media criticism of Meghan Markle.
A series of tweets claiming to be from Mr Shapland's account have been grabbed and are currently doing the rounds on Twitter.
One was made in 2016 in response to comments made about a "lack of diversity" in film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which read: "F***ing white privilege".
Another said "white male men - erm" on BBC's Question Time and another in reference to Donald Trump winning the US Election said: "Of course the rich white guy won".
One person sharing the tweets wrote: " So the person that gets #AlistairStewart sacked says it’s because he’s a racist (Mr Stewart posted a Shakespeare quote and it was re-quoted after being cut & edited)
"Yet this same person posts stuff like this. How are these double standards allowed? Who’s the racist here?"
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Another wrote: "A selection of some of the tweets @MShapland has sent.
"This is the bloke who got #AlistairStewart the sack for racism.
"It begs the question who's the real racist???
"The man who quoted Shakespeare or the man making racist comments about white people???"
But other users have leapt to his defence after seeing some of the sickening responses he has received since the announcement was made.
One said: "A thoughtful and kind statement given the circumstances. I think we can all learn a little something from this approach to social media discourse."
And another user wrote: "I'm sorry you've been getting a lot of grief. I hope things calm down and you can get back to normal."
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Colleagues and rival journalists have leapt to Stewart's defence since he announced he would be quitting after "errors of judgement" in his use of social media.
Some have accused ITN of "hanging him out to dry" after the "public shaming" - as they branded his departure a "total disgrace".
ITN newsreader Mary Nightingale yesterday was overwhelmed with emotion as she announced her "friend and mentor" of 27 years would be stepping down.
And a petition calling for him to be reinstated has received more than 1,200 signatures.
Fellow ITV News anchor Ranvir today threw her support behind Stewart this morning - saying she "felt sorry" for her good pal.
And the Good Morning Britain presenter, who has previously revealed she had suffered racist abuse, said she was "upset" about the whole situation.
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Stewart yesterday left his job three weeks after the exchange with Martin on Twitter.
During an online debate about the financial relationship between the Crown and the taxpayer, the presenter replied with the obscure quote.
It said: "But man, proud man, Dress'd in a little brief authority Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd - His glassy essence—like an angry ape Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven
"As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens, Would all themselves laugh mortal.”
Stewart has used the same Shakespeare quote in at least one other exchange with a Twitter user who wasn't identifiably black.
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He later tweeted: "Just an ITV newsreader referring to me as an ape with the cover of Shakespeare.
"Measure for measure, Alistair is a disgrace."
In a statement, the award-winning presenter said: "It was a misjudgement which I regret, but it's been a privilege to bring the news to households throughout the UK for the past 40 years."
When approached by The Sun Online over the abuse he received on Twitter today, a spokesperson from his work, the Institute of Civil Engineers, said: "We are aware of the situation but we consider it a private matter."
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