Katie Hopkins questioned by police over allegations of inciting racial hatred

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Miss Hopkins, 40, was interviewed under caution by Metropolitan Police
Column was entitled: 'Rescue boats? I'd use gunships to stop migrants'
Society of Black Lawyers chairman Peter Herbert reported her to police
He claimed article included 'offensive, xenophobic and racist comments'

By Mark Duell for MailOnline

Published: 07:56 EST, 5 August 2015 | Updated: 13:03 EST, 5 August 2015

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Police investigation: Katie Hopkins sparked outrage when she called migrants 'cockroaches' in April

Katie Hopkins has been questioned by police under caution over allegations of inciting racial hatred after calling migrants 'cockroaches' and 'feral humans'.

The columnist and Celebrity Big Brother contestant sparked outrage when she wrote a newspaper article in April entitled 'Rescue boats? I'd use gunships to stop migrants'.

Three days later Society of Black Lawyers chairman Peter Herbert reported mother-of-three Miss Hopkins, 40, and The Sun’s editor David Dinsmore to the Metropolitan Police.

Now, the force’s homicide and major crime command unit is investigating, and Miss Hopkins was interviewed at a London police station last Thursday - but not arrested.

Mr Herbert, a former chair of the force’s hate crime forum, said her article published on April 17 included ‘sadly some of the most offensive, xenophobic and racist comments I have read in a British newspaper for some years’.

He added that the term 'cockroaches' was used ‘with devastating results to describe the Tutsi minority and Hutu moderates during the 1994 Rwanda genocide’, reported The Independent.

Mr Herbert said that he wanted to petition the International Criminal Court for an investigation into the comments ‘under the provisions of incitement to commit crimes against humanity’.

In her article for The Sun, Miss Hopkins wrote: 'Show me pictures of coffins, show me bodies floating in water, play violins and show me skinny people looking sad. I still don't care.'

Mother: Outspoken columnist Miss Hopkins pictured with her three children - (from left) Poppy, Max and India

Scotland Yard: The Metropolitan Police's homicide and major crime command unit is probing the comments

Her comments also prompted United Nations high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein to denounce her language and compare her comments to pro-genocide propaganda.

Miss Hopkins prides herself on never having apologised for anything she has said - but admitted last month that ‘there are some words which in hindsight you'd probably pull out of there’.

Outraged: Society of Black Lawyers chairman Peter Herbert (pictured) reported Miss Hopkins to police

However, she added: 'I think overall my message isn't about the idea that we want to see migrants and people suffering, it's an idea that we need to find solutions to problems.'

A police spokesman told MailOnline today: ‘The Metropolitan Police Service received allegations of incitement of racial hatred following an article published on April 17.

‘The special enquiry team of the homicide and major crime command are investigating.

‘On Thursday, July 30, a 40-year-old woman attended a central London police station by appointment and was interviewed under caution. She was not arrested.’

Miss Hopkins, who is one of the most well-known contestants from BBC show The Apprentice, is set to host a new TV panel show tomorrow at 10pm on TLC called If Katie Hopkins Ruled The World.

Last Sunday she sparked further outrage after criticising celebrities paying tribute to Cilla Black on social media following the star's death aged 72 - saying they were in a 'rush to gush'.

QUEEN OF CONTROVERSY: HOW KATIE HOPKINS HAS SPARKED OUTRAGE

Outspoken: Since appearing as a contestant on The Apprentice (above), Miss Hopkins has earned a reputation for making controversial remarks

Since appearing as a contestant on The Apprentice, Katie Hopkins has earned herself the reputation as the queen of controversy.

In March, she was reported to police by Labour MP Simon Danczuk over claims she incited racial hatred in tweets linking Pakistani men to the Rochdale child sex abuse scandal.

Miss Hopkins sent the tweets after Mr Danczuk attended the raising of a Pakistani flag over the town hall for half an hour on March 23 to mark Pakistan's National Day.

She wrote: 'Raising a Pakistani flag in Rochdale is not helping community cohesion. it is inflammatory. @SimonDanczuk you & your party disgust me.'

Miss Hopkins was also reported to police but then cleared after a series of tweets that referred to Scots as 'sweaty jocks' in relation to nurse Pauline Cafferkey, from Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone.

Remarking on the case, Miss Hopkins wrote on Twitter: 'Sending us Ebola bombs in the form of sweaty Glaswegians just isn't cricket.'

Another tweet said: 'Glaswegian Ebola patient moved to London's Royal Free Hospital. Not so independent when it matters most are we jocksville?'

She also sparked outrage after being accused of making a Holocaust joke aimed at the wife of Ed Miliband – even though his Jewish parents fled from the Nazis.

The controversial TV pundit faced calls for her arrest after saying the former Labour leader could 'gas' his wife Justine in a message.

She tweeted: 'Pollsters say Justine is the least popular of party wives. He might stick her head in the oven and turn on the gas.'

In April, the former Apprentice contestant also courted controversy after branding an autistic nine-year-old girl a 't***' and comparing her to a pig.

The mother-of-three posted a series of insensitive posts on Twitter while watching Channel 4's documentary Born Naughty?, which showed nine-year-old Honey being diagnosed with mild autism.

Among her other targets have been dementia patients - who she claims are 'bed blockers' - and children called Tyler, Chardonnay and Charmaine, whom she said would not be allowed to play with her offspring because their names are tacky.