Following Naomi Campbell’s testimony at the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in Leidschendam, Netherlands, a number of our British panellists have concluded that the socialite supermodel appears self-centred, dishonest, arrogant, deceptive and naive.
The public were asked to give their opinion on the model’s testimony, taking into consideration that she is said to have lied about receiving a gift from Taylor – which she later admitted to receiving – after attending a dinner in South Africa where the then-Liberian leader was a guest.
During Campbell’s testimony, she claimed that two men, whom she did not know, showed up at her hotel room door late at night, handing her a pouch of what she described as ‘dirty stones’. She claims that it was only later that she discovered them to be diamonds, as she is more ‘used to seeing diamonds shining in a box’. She is said to have handed the diamonds to a friend to auction for charity.
Sincerity and subpoenas
One Brit – in reaction to Miss Campbell’s testimony – stated ‘... if you believe that, you’ll believe anything...’ Another simply said that ‘they don’t trust [Campbell]’, one said they were ‘a little uncomfortable about her’, while another ‘didn’t believe she was that naive’. In fact, the claim that Campbell genuinely didn’t grasp the gravity of the gift is generally disputed by our respondents.
However, some took issue with the fact that the model had been so reluctant to take the stand. Many felt it was ‘appalling’ that she had to be dragged by subpoena to testify, and questioned whether or not she wanted to see justice metered out to the accused war criminal. Many others felt that Naomi’s comments that she ‘didn’t really want to be at’ the tribunal because it was ‘inconvenient’ for her represented especially poor form.
Celebrity interest
Many bypassed Campbell’s comments altogether, focusing instead on the fact that it has ‘taken a celebrity to spark interest in this case’. One lamented that ‘we are so uninterested in oppressive regimes and international social injustice that we need a celebrity to generate interest in a story that should be about the regime behind the diamond exchange.’
There was no real positive comments about Campbell, save one person who condemned her naïveté but felt she couldn’t be blamed for accepting a gift ‘at that time’, and another who thought she was ‘brilliant given that it all happened 13 years ago’. So while the case may have brought the model to public attention, it seems unlikely her reputation will emerge anywhere near as sparkling as the diamonds she is so used to seeing.
