John Cleese: London is no longer English city
FAWLTY Towers legend John Cleese has come under fire after declaring: "London is no longer an English city."
The comic, 71, said that the mix of cultures had helped the capital win the 2012 Olympics.
But he added that it can be hard to find an English person and that the "parent culture has dissipated".
Cleese, who is performing in Sydney, was asked on Australian TV what he thought of last month's riots around the UK.
He replied: "I'm not sure what's going on in Britain. Let me say this, I don't know what's going on in London because London is no longer an English city.
"That's how they got the Olympics. They said, 'We're the most cosmopolitan city on Earth', but it doesn't feel English.
"I had a Californian friend come over two months ago, walk down the King's Road and say to me, 'Well, where are all the English people?'
"I love having different cultures around but when the parent culture kind of dissipates, you're left thinking, 'What's going on?' "
The Monty Python star's remarks prompted criticism from Mayor Boris Johnson, who said London's diversity should be "celebrated".
Labour's Ken Livingstone added: "To stay competitive London must be a global centre of business, culture and innovation, none of which can be achieved without people of all nations working and living here."
More than a quarter of London's population is from an ethnic minority, and there are 300 languages spoken.
There lies our future; diversity is just another word for capitulation, and eventual destruction.
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