In Peterborough there are many secondary schools rated good by Ofsted. One is a large multicultural school with a high proportion of British Pakistani-heritage pupils. It encourages students to value education and strongly promotes diversity, creativity, ambition and a “can-do” attitude. One of the school’s alumni is Fatima Manji, the Channel 4 reporter attacked by the Sun’s Kelvin MacKenzie for wearing a hijab while reporting on the dreadful Nice attack (Anger at column on Muslim TV presenter, 20 July).
Fatima is a perfect example of the minority ethnic aspiration we are trying to encourage, graduating as she has to become a national broadcaster via school, university, and local journalism. So many members of ethnic minorities are criticised for not integrating or adhering to so-called British values. Mr MacKenzie’s views will make some from ethnic minorities angry and may make others give up trying, thus creating even more members of the disillusioned and alienated underclass that we should be eliminating, and that newspapers like the Sun are so quick to criticise.
Toby Wood
Peterborough
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