First Dates favourite Fred Sirieix has hit back at a Twitter troll after he became the target of a xenophobic attack.
Fred originally hails from France but has lived in the UK for almost 30 years.
The popular TV star retweeted the abusive tweet – which has since been deleted – and his army of fans rallied round to offer their support.
What did the troll say to First Dates star Fred Sirieix?
It all started when Fred voiced his opinion over the petrol crisis.
He tweeted: “Relaxing visas for HGV drivers is not going to help the UK thrive.
“What we need to do is admit Breit is a total and absurd failure. It is based on lies, false blame and discrimination.
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“It needs to be reversed at once.”
The troll – tweeting from a work account – didn’t agree, and told Fred as much in no uncertain terms.
They said: “Fred – as you know you don’t need to live in the UK if it doesn’t fit for you any longer.”
Fred was clearly shocked by the tweet and sent a quick response.
“Hey guys, what a tweet to send me! A little extreme don’t you think? Have a good Sunday too,” he said.
How did Fred’s followers react?
They were quick to call out the xenophobic abuse levelled at the First Dates star.
“I’m sorry that you’ve been a victim of xenophobia.
“Speaking for myself, I feel glad and culturally enriched for having you, your family and, more generally, the wider community of migrants in our society,” said one.
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“Sorry you and others have to put up with this to sort of mindless nonsense Fred,” said a second.”
Please don’t think that we all think in this way. I wish there was more that I could say,” added a third.
“It’s nasty and fulled by hate,” said another.
“Wow! That’s xenophobia right there for you. Fred, don’t take it personally, it all stems from insecurity, fear and jealousy,” another commented.
“We love you Fred and are delighted & honoured that choose to stay in the UK with your lovely family and Olympian daughter,” another added.
“I’m appalled,” said another.
Fred’s philosophical response to outpouring of support
Fred appeared to have read the comments from his fans and tweeted a response.
“C’est la vie,” he commented, which translates to that’s life.
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