University of Cambridge professor Dr. Victoria Bateman startled a BBC Radio 4 host when she appeared completely nude to protest Brexit, saying her three-pronged message to Brits was that "Brexit leaves Britain naked."
Inviting ardent pro-Brexit lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg for a "naked debate" on quitting the EU, Bateman cheekily said Brexit would leave the UK's economy "exposed." She also claimed that the pro-Brexit movement had exposed two "worrying" trends — anti-immigration sentiments in British society, and "past government failures" which helped lead to the feeling by many that they have "nothing to lose from Brexit."
The professor received a dressing down from Radio 4's host, John Humphrys, who told her, with all due respect, that "those are all arguments that have been put many times by very many people wearing their clothes." "Isn't it just exhibitionism?" Humphrys asked.
"What I'm suggesting to you is that taking off your clothes is a way to attract attention, but that's all it is, isn't it?" Humphrys continued. "If anything, the danger is that it will have the opposite effect, won't it?"
The controversial interview quickly went viral online, with many users supporting the BBC interviewer's position that going buck naked wouldn't solve anything.
Some users joked about the situation, with UK Independence Party leader Gerard Batten quipping that Dr. Bateman "may have boobed" with her strategy in delivering an anti-Brexit message.
Others defended Bateman, however, accusing Humphrys of being "patronising" and "condescending."
Some went after the BBC, saying this was not a real issue.
Bateman herself responded to some of the criticism, saying that she wouldn't be "bullied into covering up my message". According to the professor, some people just "seem threatened by a body not under 'their' control — & by women who are comfortable & confident in their own skin!"
But the tweets only led to fresh attacks from critics.
The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29. Lawmakers have yet to approve the withdrawal deal, with the Irish border issue remaining the big stumbling block. Both London and Brussels are concerned about the possibility of a 'no-deal' Brexit, which UK police fear would make Britain "less safe."