Television host Naga Munchetty has questioned a twitter trend which labelled freed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe an #ungratefulcow. The mum arrived home last week after spending six years imprisoned in Iran.
On Monday she gave a press conference alongside her husband Richard who had relentlessly campaigned for her release. He had fought to get her home where she could be with their daughter Gabriella.
But after she questioned the length of time it had taken for the British Government to secure her freedom people were quick to react. Thousands of posts including the hashtag #ungratefulcow appeared on the social media site. Others included the hashtag #sendherback.
Hampshire Live reported how BBC Breakfast host Munchetty had posted a screenshot showing the hashtag had nearly 3000 uses and was high amongst the trends for the day. However, many of Munchetty's followers were quick back the freed mum.
Andy said: "I saw the press conference and thought she was expressing her frustration with dignity and restraint. Clearly some people don’t like an intelligent woman speaking her mind but of course they believe in freedom of speech!"
Neil wrote: "Why should somebody wrongly imprisoned for 6 years be grateful when released? It's like being grateful when the bully stops hitting you."
And A Middle Aged Gardener commented: "Most people on here moan about a train being six minutes late, so I imagine they should be quiet About this young lady being upset about being locked up for six years."
British-Iranian mum Nazanin was detained in 2016 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard at Imam Khomeini airport after a holiday visit to Iran where she showed her daughter Gabriella to her parents. Her release came after the UK paid a historical £400m debt owed to Iran over a cancelled 1970s order for British tanks.
On Monday she took the opportunity to question the delay at the press conference saying: "How many foreign secretaries does it take to get someone home? Five. What happened now should have happened six years ago."
She also used the press conference as an opportunity to highlight the continued detention of British-US national and wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz. He has reportedly gone on hunger strike after he was taken back into prison after just 48 hours on furlough. Nazanin's MP Tulip Siddiq said she is calling for a review by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee of why it took so long to free her.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea
