Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, has accused Kelvin MacKenzie of “shameless self-promotion” after the Sun columnist threatened to complain to regulators about Fatima Manji wearing a hijab on Channel 4 News.
MacKenzie used Monday’s Sun column to continue his attack on Channel 4 News and Manji, saying he would complain to Ofcom that a newsreader wearing the hijab during a report on attacks such as the one in Nice earlier this month breached impartiality guidelines.
As well as saying he would decide whether to complain on Friday, MacKenzie said he “may ask Sun readers who share my concerns to email Ofcom as well”.
However, Farron said the columnist and former Sun editor’s continued pursuit of the issue was “beyond belief” and a complaint would be a “waste of Ofcom’s time”.
“Kelvin MacKenzie’s threat to submit an Ofcom complaint following his own bigoted remarks is beyond belief,” he said. “If he had an ounce of decency, he would have apologised profusely for the offence he caused Fatima Manji and would seek to be more tolerant in future.
“For him to continue to drag this out is nothing more than shameless self-promotion at any cost, as well as complete waste of Ofcom’s time.”
MacKenzie’s first column had attracted more than 1,700 complaints to press regulator Ipso by the end of last week, though more have since been received.
The Sun was also responsible for Ipso’s most complained-about article to date. Its “One in five Brit Muslims’ sympathy for jihadis” front page attracted more than 2,800 complaints, and was subsequently found to be “significantly misleading”.
Channel 4 News editor, Ben de Pear, said last week that MacKenzie had breached Ipso’s rules on intimidation, harassment and inaccuracy. He said he “cannot accept ... an employee being singled out on the basis of her religion [and] subject to act of religious discrimination”.
The National Union of Journalists has also criticised MacKenzie and the Sun.
“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,” said the NUJ’s general secretary Michelle Stanistreet.
The Sun declined to comment.
