British colonialism After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Carlson opined that the British Empire, although "not perfect", had brought civilization to regions it occupied with "decency unmatched by any empire in human history". He was criticized in India by figures such as the politician and historian Shashi Tharoor, who had written a book detailing atrocities by the British Raj. Immigration and race Carlson is a frequent critic of immigration, and has been described by multiple writers as demonizing both legal and illegal immigrants. White grievance politics is a persistent theme in Carlson's commentary. Sources such as CNN and The Washington Post have said Carlson promotes racism, a charge he denies, saying in 2018, "I'm not a racist. I hate racism." Carlson has repeatedly promoted a conspiracy theory that Democrats are seeking "demographic replacement" to increase their voter base, and in 2021 he described this as "the Great Replacement", using white nationalist terminology. Carlson has described white supremacy as "not a real problem in America". Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center has said that "Carlson probably has been the No.1 commentator mainstreaming bedrock principles of white nationalism in [the U.S.]." Terry Smith, a law professor at St. Thomas University, has called Carlson's rhetoric an example of white identity politics. University of Michigan professor Alexandra Stern has written that Carlson propagates demographic fear. Neoconservative pundit Bill Kristol described Carlson's commentaries in 2018 as "close now to racism" and "ethno-nationalism of some kind, let's call it". Bubba the Love Sponge call-ins (2006–2009) In call-in segments Carlson made from 2006 to 2009 on the radio show Bubba the Love Sponge, Carlson said Iraq was not worth invading because it was a country made up of "semi-literate primitive monkeys" who "don't use toilet paper or forks". Carlson also stated that he had "zero sympathy" for the people of Iraq. He also criticized "lunatic Muslims who are behaving like animals", and said that any presidential candidate who vowed to "kill as many of them as [they] can" would be "elected king". Recordings of these segments were released online in March 2019 by the progressive nonprofit Media Matters for America. The Washington Post called these comments racist. Obama administration (2015) In a guest appearance with Alex Jones in 2015, Carlson criticized the Obama administration for "making excuses for" rioters in racially-charged anti-police protests in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, saying, "They categorize