A King’s College London lecturer is under investigation after using a term described as a racial slur during an online dispute with a Lebanese researcher.
Dr Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer in the School of Security Studies and fellow at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at King’s College London, referred to researcher Hussain Abdul-Hussain as a “coconut” during a disagreement on X over an article about the UAE’s role in the Middle East.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD), a US-based think tank. He is also the author of The Arab Case for Israel and frequently writes on Middle Eastern politics and security issues.
The exchange started after Abdul-Hussain criticised an article by Krieg, describing it as “White man tells Emiratis what they should do.” In a controversial response, Krieg wrote, “Coconut man tells brown men how to be a white man.”
The term “coconut” is considered by some to be a racial slur that suggests that an individual has rejected their racial or cultural identity in favour of Western culture, likening it to the dark outer shell and white inner flesh of a coconut.
The term’s meaning and offensiveness has been a subject of heated debate. In 2024, a teacher was cleared of a racially aggravated public order offence after displaying a placard depicting former prime minister Rishi Sunak and former home secretary Suella Braverman as coconuts during a protest.
Krieg later deleted the post and defended his comment, saying they were made in response to “ad hominem” attacks. He argued that the term is contested language rather than inherently racist.
“My own children are mixed race – this register is part of the political vocabulary of my household, not a weapon against it”, he told The Telegraph, “So: a sharp line, fired mid pile-on? Yes. Racist? No.”
A spokesperson for King’s College London previously told The Telegraph:
“We are aware of a comment shared by an academic associated with King’s on an independent social media account. We are taking this extremely seriously and looking into it as a matter of urgency.
“King’s is committed to creating an inclusive, respectful and safe environment for every member of our community and we expect those associated with our University to do the same.
“We absolutely do not tolerate racism, hate speech, or prejudice.”
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