Kelvin MacKenzie's column criticising Muslim presenter on Channel 4 News sparks over 300 complaints
Kelvin MacKenzie’s controversial column in the Sun in which he criticised Channel 4 for allowing a hijab-wearing journalist to present a report on the Nice massacre has received hundreds of complaints.
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) said it had received more than 300 complaints against comments the former editor of the Sun made in his Monday column in the Sun.
In his column, MacKenzie stated that he could "hardly believe my eyes" when he saw Fatima Manji presenting the news report and questioned whether it was “appropriate for her to be on camera when there had been yet another shocking slaughter by a Muslim?"
Kelvin MacKenzie
The column sparked outrage, with Channel 4 News accusing MacKenzie of "inciting religious and even racial hatred".
Following the comments the broadcaster released a statement saying:
Statement from Channel 4 News following Kelvin MacKenzie’s comments in today's Sun on our correspondent @fatimamanji pic.twitter.com/oXKjE8MPkx
— Hayley Barlow (@Hayley_Barlow) July 18, 2016
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Ex-Conservative Party chairman and foreign minister Baroness Warsi wrote to The Sun's editor in chief Tony Gallagher, branding MacKenzie’s space a "divisive column".
A spokesperson for the Sun said it would be making “no comment” in relation to the issue.