William Sitwell: vegans threatened to roast my baby

William Sitwell, the former editor of Waitrose Food Magazine has revealed that vegans threatened to roast his baby after his private messages were leaked last month.

Sitwell stood down from his position in October after he was ousted for suggesting a series on “killing vegans, one by one” in response to a pitch email from journalist Selene Nelson on featuring plant-based recipes.

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Nelson sent the email exchange in to Buzzfeed News which sparked intense backlash against the editor of the food magazine.

After 20 years in the editorial position, he was forced to resign from the post.   

Sitwell told The Times that the backlash extended to his family, who were targeted over his leaked comments.

“I get the most astonishing, revolting, and obscene vitriol” Sitwell told the publication.

“Some people think it’s justified. I don’t take it seriously but people mean it seriously”

The former editor revealed that he had been told to “fatten up, kill and roast” his two-month old son Walter.

“I know from the ferocity and from the scale of it” Sitwell added.

After the correspondence between Nelson and Sitwell flooded the news cycle, the pair subsequently met up to discuss the abuse they’d both been receiving.  

Sitwell explained that he regularly receives online abuse, and acknowledged that Nelson received was more intense.

“Why should she have to get that sort of abuse?” he said.