The BBC issued an apology following a segment on Radio 4's Thought for the Day where Dr. Krish Kandiah accused Robert Jenrick of xenophobia. Jenrick previously stated he would not want his daughters living near certain illegal migrants, which Kandiah described as an irrational fear. The BBC edited the segment to remove specific content deemed inappropriate while maintaining that the overall message of Kandiah's remarks aligned with their expectations. The incident underscores the ramifications of language used in discussing immigration and societal concerns about illegality.
Dr. Krish Kandiah stated that Robert Jenrick's words reflect a xenophobia that is often fueled by fear, suggesting phobias are irrational but have significant impacts.
Kandiah highlighted that being concerned about illegal migrants does not inherently equate to racism, although the framing of the argument suggested otherwise.
The BBC acknowledged that while Kandiah's overall message aligned with the expectations of Thought for the Day, certain language used was inappropriate and required an apology.
Jenrick’s comments include a desire to distance his daughters from 'men from backward countries' which Kandiah finds to reflect prevalent societal fears that lean towards xenophobia.
Collection
[
|
...
]