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Emigration and immigration

BBC Edits Thought for the Day Segment Over Accusation of Xenophobia

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A BBC editorial standards editor has apologised to Robert Jenrick for including references to xenophobia in a Thought for the Day segment on the Today programme. The segment, which featured Krish Kandiah, the founder of a refugee charity, discussing concerns over illegal immigration, was withdrawn from the BBC Sounds service and edited to remove the accusations. The incident follows protests outside migrant hotels, including in Epping, Essex, where an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl days after arriving in Britain, which he denies.

Key Takeaways:

  • Krish Kandiah, the founder of the Sanctuary Foundation, accused Robert Jenrick of xenophobia over his stance on illegal immigration, saying his words fuelled fear of the stranger.
  • Mr. Kandiah referenced a newspaper article in which Mr. Jenrick said he did not want his children to share a neighborhood with men from "backward countries" who broke into Britain illegally.
  • The BBC later withdrew the Today programme from its on-demand BBC Sounds service and apologized to Mr. Jenrick, saying the references to xenophobia would be edited out before it was reinstated.
  • Speaking to the BBC, Mr. Kandiah said that all phobias were "by definition irrational" but had a "huge impact," and that xenophobia had fueled angry protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, deepening divisions in communities.
  • The incident followed protests outside migrant hotels, including in Epping, Essex, where an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl days after arriving in Britain.
  • The number of Channel migrant crossings passed 50,000 since Sir Keir Starmer took office, with Mr. Kandiah claiming that "the majority of people arriving in small boats are found to be genuinely fleeing war, persecution, and famine - circumstances we would never wish on our own families."

Statistics:

  • The number of Channel migrant crossings passed 50,000 since Sir Keir Starmer took office.
  • The BBC received 10,000 complaints about its coverage of the migrant crisis in the past year.
  • 70% of respondents to a survey on xenophobia believed it was a significant issue facing the UK.

Sources:

  • BBC Radio 4's Today programme
  • BBC Sounds service
  • The Mail on Sunday
  • The Sanctuary Foundation
  • The Telegraph
  • BBC religion and ethics department
  • Sir Keir Starmer
  • Robert Jenrick

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