Latest news with #Krish Kandiah
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Charity boss offers Jenrick 'olive branch' over xenophobia row
Charity boss and theologian Krish Kandiah has offered what he called an "olive branch" to Robert Jenrick after accusing the shadow justice secretary of "xenophobia" on BBC Radio 4 Today programme's Thought for the Day slot on to the claim, Jenrick said listeners had been told that "if you're concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you're racist".The BBC later apologised and edited out the comment from the segment on the BBC Sounds catch-up Friday, in a message on social media to Jenrick, Kandiah said he would "love to find a way we could work together to de-escalate the fear and anger many are feeling in our country". "I believe we need to focus on the real challenges that are making people worried – housing, jobs and the cost of living – rather than ramping up anti-immigrant sentiment."I worked with you when you [Jenrick] were housing minister and the UK welcomed over 200,000 people from Hong Kong. I was grateful for your support and compassion during that time."Jenrick's team has been contacted for a response. Kandiah runs the refugee charity Sanctuary Foundation which has previously helped refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan. During his Thought for the Day segment, Kandiah referenced an article in the Mail on Sunday in which Jenrick had written: "I certainly don't want my children to share a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally, and about whom we know next to nothing."Kandiah said: "These words echo a fear many have absorbed – fear of the stranger. The technical name for this is xenophobia. All phobias are, by definition, irrational. Nevertheless, they have a huge impact."It is understandable that many people are scared by the unknown, especially if they've been told illegality and unfairness are part of the story. "However, over the past year, xenophobia has fuelled angry protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, deepening divisions in our communities."In response, Jenrick, who has three daughters aged 10, 12 and 14, posted: "On BBC Radio 4 this morning listeners were told that if you're concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you're racist. Wrong. You're a good parent."A BBC spokesperson said: "While its reflection on fear in society from a faith perspective is broadly in line with expectations of Thought for the Day, some of the language it used went beyond that and we apologise for its inclusion."It is understood the BBC was apologising for the inclusion of an opinion in a place where it was inappropriate, not passing judgement on the rights or wrongs of the opinion.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
BBC was caught out by own rank institutional bias after branding those concerned with illegal migrants as ‘xenophobic'
Thought police ON the very day a second asylum seeker from the Bell Hotel in Epping was charged with sex offences, the BBC chose to broadcast a diatribe branding anyone concerned by illegal migration as 'xenophobic'. Radio 4's flagship Today show took particular aim at Tory Robert Jenrick, effectively declaring him racist for saying illegal migrants potentially posed a risk to his daughter and other kids. 1 Within hours, the Thought for the Day speech by refugee campaigner Dr Krish Kandiah was taken down and edited. Once again, as with broadcasting Bob Vylan's antisemitic rants at Glastonbury, the BBC has been caught out by its own rank institutional bias. Did no one think twice about the smearing of millions of Brits worried about the possible consequences of allowing 50,000 illegal migrants — mostly young men from backward countries with medieval attitudes towards women — into our country? Not least as The Sun revealed hundreds of crimes have been committed by asylum seekers in hotels. Dr Kandiah is perfectly entitled to his own views about people he considers to be refugees fleeing persecution. A sorry state IT'S ironic that a Government which holds human rights so close to its heart is now presiding over a country in which they've got demonstrably worse. The US State Department report into Britain's unnecessary downward spiral towards state control is a sobering read. Censorship of citizens is now 'routine' it says. Brits also suffer from 'serious restrictions on freedom of expression'. It's not hard to see why Americans think this about us. Loophole in PM's swap plan means the more bogus an asylum seeker is, the less chance we have of kicking them out Cops spend more time policing social media than the streets. Post online about going to an asylum hotel protest and you're almost guaranteed a visit from Plod. The Online Safety Act — designed to protect children — has ended up attacking free speech instead. As JD Vance has said, Britain has taken a 'dark path' against freedoms. Why-aye, wet IT'S another Jimmy Nail in the coffin of common sense. TV series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, about hard-drinking Geordie brickies in the 1980s, has been needlessly slapped with a trigger warning. What do the wet telly bosses really think will happen to us if we hear outdated language from 45 years ago? They should stop treating us like kids — and let us think for ourselves.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
BBC apologises after Robert Jenrick accused of xenophobia
The BBC has apologised after a contributor to the Radio 4 Today programme's Thought for the Day slot accused shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick of "xenophobia".Theologian and author Dr Krish Kandiah used the term about an article in which Jenrick said he wouldn't want his daughters living near "men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally and about whom you know next to nothing".In response, Jenrick said listeners had been told that "if you're concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you're racist".A BBC statement said that while Dr Kandiah's message was "broadly in line with expectations of Thought for the Day, some of the language it used went beyond that and we apologise for its inclusion". Wednesday's episode of the Today programme was temporarily taken down from catch-up service BBC Sounds while three sentences were edited out of Thought for the segment, which is broadcast during the Today programme but overseen by the BBC's religion department, features contributors from religious and theological backgrounds delivering messages related to topical themes and Wednesday, Dr Kandiah, founder of refugee charity The Sanctuary Foundation, referred to a Mail on Sunday article written by Jenrick this quoted a line from the Conservative politican that said: "I certainly don't want my children to share a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally and about whom we know next to nothing."Dr Kandiah continued: "These words echo a fear many have absorbed – fear of the stranger. The technical name for this is xenophobia. All phobias are, by definition, irrational. Nevertheless, they have a huge impact."It is understandable that many people are scared by the unknown, especially if they've been told illegality and unfairness are part of the story. However, over the past year, xenophobia has fuelled angry protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, deepening divisions in our communities." In response, Jenrick, who has three daughters aged 10, 12 and 14, posted: "On BBC Radio 4 this morning listeners were told that if you're concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you're racist. Wrong. You're a good parent."A BBC spokesperson said: "While its reflection on fear in society from a faith perspective is broadly in line with expectations of Thought for the Day, some of the language it used went beyond that and we apologise for its inclusion."The BBC said it was apologising for the inclusion of an opinion in a place where it was inappropriate, not passing judgement on the rights or wrongs of the opinion. In his Mail on Sunday article, Jenrick also described migrant crossings in the English Channel as "a national security emergency" and said he had sympathy with "the mothers and fathers peacefully protesting outside asylum hotels who have been pushed to breaking point".More than 27,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel since the start of the boat arrivals are a small percentage of the UK's overall immigration figure. In 2024, an estimated 948,000 people arrived expecting to stay at least a year, while an estimated 517,000 people left the country.
