The Sun's Kelvin MacKenzie Slammed For Criticising Channel 4's Fatima Manji By Baroness Warsi

Piece labelled 'Gutter journalism'.

The Sun has deleted a tweet to a controversial column by its former editor Kelvin MacKenzie, that hit out at Channel 4 for assigning a Muslim reporter to present coverage of the Nice terror attack.

The article, which had already prompted over 300 complaints to the press watchdog by the end of business on Monday, said that it was not appropriate for a “young lady wearing a hijab” to cover the killings which left more than 80 dead.

The Channel 4 News spokeswoman called it “completely unacceptable, and arguably tantamount to inciting religious and even racial hatred”.

She said: “It is wrong to suggest that a qualified journalist should be barred from reporting on a particular story or present on a specific day because of their faith. Fatima Manji is an award-winning journalist.

“We are proud that she is part of our team and will receive, as ever, our full support in the wake of his comments.”

MacKenzie’s claim that Fatima Manji’s presence in the French city was “massively provocative” and a sign of “editorial stupidity” was slammed as “gutter journalism” by Tory peer Baroness Warsi and widely condemned online.

When xenophobia becomes this acceptable we should all be ashamed. This comment piece is gutter journalism @TheSun https://t.co/iHAIfPRogt

— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) July 18, 2016

Why is this even a thing? Oh, Kelvin MacKenzie. That explains why there's so much stupid in this piece. 🙄 https://t.co/ihaOZOnY7O

— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) July 18, 2016

A source told the Guardian that the tweet was removed “because [it] did not make clear that the piece was by MacKenzie, and not by the Sun.”

The Huffington Post UK could not find any examples of where the column had been tweeted again by The Sun. Reader comments on the article also appeared to be turned off.

When approached by HuffPost UK a spokesperson for The Sun simply said: “No comment.”

The article by Kelvin MacKenzie from Monday's Sun newspaper.
The article by Kelvin MacKenzie from Monday's Sun newspaper.
The Sun

MacKenzie wrote: “After Jon Snow had conducted a poor interview with a young man who had come perilously close to death the action switched back to the London studio, where I could hardly believe my eyes.

“The presenter was not one of the regulars — Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Matt Frei or Cathy Newman — but a young lady wearing a hijab.

“Her name is Fatima Manji and she has been with the station for four years. Was it appropriate for her to be on camera when there had been yet another shocking slaughter by a Muslim.

“Was it done to stick one in the eye of the ordinary viewer who looks at the hijab as a sign of the slavery of Muslim women by a male- dominated and clearly violent religion?”

Yo @kelvmackenzie I'm a Muslim reporter too - could you send me an email with a list of subjects I'm allowed to cover? Thanks bae X

— Secunder Kermani (@SecKermani) July 18, 2016

The column provoked a massive reaction on Monday morning with many fellow reporters coming to the defence of Manji while Baroness Warsi wrote an open letter to editor in chief, Tony Gallagher.

My letter to @tonygallagher Respectable racism and editorial responsibility! pic.twitter.com/yUrQeB7ctI

— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) July 18, 2016

I'm hard to shock but speechless that @Channel4News @fatimamanji has been treated this way by @TheSun @TellMamaUK pic.twitter.com/REv4fCeqLY

— Afua Hirsch (@afuahirsch) July 18, 2016

On Friday night after the programme, Manji tweeted that her presenting was “long planned”. “Had thought it might be a quiet Friday, instead very tragic,” she tweeted.

And to those asking, yes my presenting tonight was long planned - had thought it might be a quiet Friday, instead very tragic

— Fatima Manji (@fatimamanji) July 15, 2016

This, from Kelvin Mackenzie, really is extraordinary. pic.twitter.com/GyN0W7pgOW

— Nicky Campbell (@NickyAACampbell) July 18, 2016

Yo @kelvmackenzie I'm a Muslim reporter too - could you send me an email with a list of subjects I'm allowed to cover? Thanks bae X

— Secunder Kermani (@SecKermani) July 18, 2016

So Kelvin's "shocked" to see superbly talented (& hijab-wearing) @fatimamanji on @Channel4News? Welcome to the beautifully diverse UK, 2016.

— Charlene White (@CharleneWhite) July 18, 2016

I'm fortunate enough to work with and train some great new young talent. TV of the future *will* be diverse. Whether Kelvin likes it or not

— Charlene White (@CharleneWhite) July 18, 2016

Because, Kelvin Mackenzie, that's @fatimamanji's job (and she's bloody good at it) https://t.co/SzC48Y78fZ

— Claire Phipps (@Claire_Phipps) July 18, 2016

@Claire_Phipps I'm sure the newspaper regulator will have something to say about it …

— Jonathan Haynes (@JonathanHaynes) July 18, 2016

That Kelvin Mackenzie column today... beyond words...

— Edward King (@edking_CH) July 18, 2016

Is this a joke? @fatimamanji does a great job presenting & reporting across a range of stories. Hijab irrelevant https://t.co/DztlDtEG7w

— riazat butt (@riazat_butt) July 18, 2016

What is a "regular" reporter? And for the record Fatima Manji has reported on some of the biggest stories. At least get your facts right.

— Aisha S Gani (@aishagani) July 18, 2016

For the record @fatimamanji is definitely a "regular" for C4 News & one of the best they've got. You'd know that if you actually watched it.

— Ιman | ايمان (@ImaniAmrani) July 18, 2016

Kelvin Mackenzie actually wrote these words and the Sun actually published them https://t.co/ggmab37PGT pic.twitter.com/xDCu4aVu1b

— kadhim (@kadhimshubber) July 18, 2016

The brilliant @fatimamanji being trolled by a bigot. Because all Muslims are terrorists, right? https://t.co/PH9FAdltgr

— Saima Mir (@SaimaMir) July 18, 2016

.@kelvmackenzie a nasty piece of work. "Would C4 have used a Hindu to report on the carnage at the Golden Temple?" https://t.co/AorD6nOuBu

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) July 18, 2016

The disgusting, racist attack on @fatimamanji by Kelvin MacKenzie in the Sun makes me ashamed of my country. How have we sunk to this.

— Abi Wilkinson (@AbiWilks) July 18, 2016

By The Sun's 'logic' Rolf Harris is a paedophile so all Australians are paedophiles.

DANGEROUS ground. pic.twitter.com/VEgrB8DzAa

— Will Black (@WillBlackWriter) July 18, 2016

MacKenzie continued: “With all the major terrorist outrages in the world currently being carried out by Muslims, I think the rest of us are reasonably entitled to have concerns about what is beating in their religious hearts. Who was in the studio representing our fears?”

Channel 4 said they would respond to the column in due course.

Been pointed out @Channel4News staying v quiet about on @fatimamanji attack, suggesting they're pursuing formal complaint, which they should

— Afua Hirsch (@afuahirsch) July 18, 2016
Kelvin MacKenzie leaves the High Court after giving evidence to the Leveson enquiry.
Kelvin MacKenzie leaves the High Court after giving evidence to the Leveson enquiry.
Lewis Whyld/PA Archive

Hate crime hotline Tell Mama told HuffPost UK: “Mackenzie seems to believe that all Muslims are somehow at fault for the actions of terrorists and extremists. He uses the term ‘Muslim’ terror attack when the picture of the perpetrator is of a broken man who had numerous issues and who was hardly Muslim in his actions.

“Instead of writing an article about tackling extremism and terrorism together as communities, he turns on Fatima Manji and inadvertently suggests that any Muslim who comments or is in the public eye should be removed, by default because of the association of their faith to that of the perpetrator even though it seems he was hardly Muslim in his lifestyle.

“What we have in the comments of MacKenzie is someone who believes in ‘collective punishment’. Remove those who are Muslim because someone who was born of a Muslim mother conducts a crime. This is stomach-churningly autocratic, perverse and very dangerous.”

Irony is: Manji's very presence onscreen in hijab undermines ISIS's narrative while Mackenzie's column promotes it. https://t.co/fX7Ohq2yD9

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 18, 2016

Just so I know, is a Muslim presenter allowed to report any other news that day? Or has to take the day off? And how long do they stay home?

— Shoaib M Khan (@ShoaibMKhan) July 18, 2016

Sending love to @fatimamanji who was attacked by tabloid today for doing her job. Know that most people don't think like Kelvin MacKenzie. 💜

— Natasha Devon (@NatashaDevonMBE) July 18, 2016

Kelvin Mackenzie is a pioneering journalist, in the sense that he finds shocking new lows from which most responsible writers would shrink.

— Michael Moran (@TheMichaelMoran) July 18, 2016

A morally corrupt and hateful person did the Nice attack. Why is Kelvin Mackenzie as a morally corrupt and hateful person covering it?

— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) July 18, 2016

Incredible bigotry by Kelvin Mackenzie in his column today pic.twitter.com/HuU6chUONy

— Ian Birrell (@ianbirrell) July 18, 2016

Kelvin Mackenzie is poisonous but as usual The Sun lets anyone lace their bigotry, racism and fascism up in a way which it can be consumed

— Shehnaz Khan (@shehnazkhan) July 18, 2016

The Sun, asking a question that only makes sense if you are a wild racist. pic.twitter.com/MFiEJoNhgY

— Matt Haig (@matthaig1) July 18, 2016

This possibly the vilest, most Islamophobic thing i've seen in UK MSM. Kelvin Mackenzie in the S**, unsurprisingly. https://t.co/ifgwObVhs1

— Alan Mackie (@Oldmanmackie) July 18, 2016

Kelvin Mackenzie, responsible for 'THE TRUTH' front page, produces yet another poisonous disgrace to journalismhttps://t.co/onfMcHASRV

— Charlie Spargo (@charliespargo) July 18, 2016

Just simply gross from @TheSun. @fatimamanji is 10x the journalist Kelvin Mackenzie could ever be https://t.co/nN3wmrNTvp

— Jerome Taylor (@JeromeTaylor) July 18, 2016

Make your mind up guys. pic.twitter.com/TvNzRoRMXk

— Marc Burrows ⚡️ (@20thcenturymarc) July 18, 2016
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