Sayeeda Warsi, the former chair of the Conservative party, has blasted the Sun for running a column criticising Channel 4 News for using a Muslim presenter to report news of the Nice truck attack.
Warsi wrote to Sun editor Tony Gallagher on Monday criticising his decision to run Kelvin MacKenzie’s column, which she described as “divisive” and “an attempt to ‘other’ the Muslim community”.
She also linked the comment piece, which was headlined “Why did Channel 4 have a presenter in a hijab fronting coverage of Muslim terror in Nice?” to rising levels of hate crime since the UK vote to leave the EU.
“Just as politicians should carry the responsibility for xenophobic and toxic campaigning that divides communities so journalists should be held accountable for ‘shock jock’ writing which simply perpetuates stereotypes, demonises and attempts to hold a whole community accountable for the actions of an individual,” wrote Warsi, who made the letter public in a Twitter post.
“It’s this kind of ‘respectable’ racism which feeds the far right and legitimises the fallout we have all too sadly seen on out streets in recent weeks.”
The Sun attempted to distance itself from MacKenzie’s column by hastily deleting a tweet it had posted promoting the article from Monday’s paper.
However Warsi, who quit the leave campaign over its “hateful, xenophobic” tactics, called on Gallagher to take responsibility for the content of the tabloid.
“This column is the latest in a series of stories and headlines in the Sun, some subsequently retracted, which act as a drip drip poisoning of community relations in the United Kingdom,” wrote Warsi.
“I’m sure you will agree that your readers deserve better value for money than ignorant reporting and pieces that perpetuate hate. I urge you to exercise your role as an editor with responsibility.”
The National Union of Journalists joined in the condemnation of the column on Monday.
The NUJ’s general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “To suggest that a journalist is incapable of reporting on a terrorist outrage because of the colour of her skin, her religion or the clothes that she wears says all you need to know about the contemptible views of Kelvin MacKenzie.
“His feigned moral outrage is the language of racial hatred and bigotry, and sadly just the latest incoherent ramblings of a pundit who should have been put out to pasture a long time ago. Journalism in the UK needs more diversity, not less.”
The Sun declined to comment.