Warning of "anti-white racism" in France, he caused controversy by tweeting an anecdote about a child who had been robbed of his pain au chocolat pastry by "thugs" who, Mr Cope claimed, were enforcing the Ramadan fast.
More recently he had been attempting, along with African climbing guide friend Samuel Kinsonga, to break the record for the fastest ascent of Kilimanjaro, as part of their anti-racism Black and White Makes Sense Campaign.