ROBERT Jenrick has slammed the BBC for saying fears about migrant attacks on kids are “irrational” and xenophobic.
The row erupted after Thought for the Day on Radio 4 featured an attack on the Shadow Justice Secretary.
AlamyShadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick[/caption]
ReutersA riot police officer tries to extinguish a fire during the fourth night of unrest, following a protest over an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena, Northern Ireland[/caption]
JEREMY SELWYNHotels used for housing asylum seekers were targeted[/caption]
GettyAn ‘Enough is Enough’ protest in Sunderland, England last summer[/caption]
Mr Jenrick had said he did not want his daughters “sharing a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally and about whom we know next to nothing.”
But academic Dr Krish Kandiah told listeners such fears were “irrational,” claiming they amounted to “fear of the stranger.”
He said: “These words echo a fear many have absorbed. Fear of the stranger.
“The technical name for this is xenophobia. All phobias are by definition irrational.
“Nevertheless, they have a huge impact. It is understandable that many people are scared by the unknown, especially if they’ve been told illegality and unfairness are part of the story.
“However, over the past year, xenophobia has fueled angry protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, deepening divisions in our communities.”
Dr Kandiah even claimed most small boat arrivals were “fleeing war, persecution and famine” – despite them arriving from safe France.
Writing on X, Mr Jenrick hit back: “On BBC Radio 4 this morning listeners were told that if you’re concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you’re racist.
“Wrong. You’re a good parent.”
INCREASING TENSION OVER MIGRANTS
It comes after asylum seeker hotels hit the headlines following weeks of protests in Epping and Canary Wharf.
These then spread to demonstrations across the country, including in Norwich, Leeds, Southampton and Nottinghamshire.
Those protesting in Epping outside the Bell Hotel, chanted “stop the boats”and “send them back”.
A large sign reading “protect our kids”, and music including the Star Wars Imperial March theme was blasted from speakers.
Another read: “British people are not racists. They just had enough of being overtaken culturally and lawfully.
“That don’t make us far right.”
The growing anger comes as the government vowed to close migrant hotels by 2029 and save £1 billion in part by transferring people into less expensive sites such as private housing.
They promised a “firm but fair” crackdown, with illegal migrants refusing to move into cheaper digs set to lose their financial support.
But many migrants housed in hotels have been refusing to move out of their cushy pads.
Fury at the situation appears to be intensifying with protests outside hotels in recent weeks ramping up, several are planned for today.
After the widespread disorder last summer, sparked by false rumours about the Southport stabber, cops are keen to avoid a repeat.
It comes after plans for an elite team of cops tasked with monitoring social media for anti-migrant posts came to light.
Detectives would be handpicked from forces all across the UK to snoop on social media posts under the plans.
The division, overseen by the Home Office, would look to “maximise social media intelligence” gathering.
The plans were revealed after multiple forces were slammed for their response to last year’s migrant unrest.
The migrant hotel demonstrations in Epping first began after an asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault, they have since spread to the rest of the country.
The man is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl.
SUMMER RIOTING
In more dramatic scenes, Northern Ireland saw violence break out for six nights in a row in June.
Balaclava-clad thugs hurled bricks, rocks and bottles — anything they could get their hands on — against a barricade of police Land Rover Tangis standing in their way.
Cops slammed the riots in Northern Ireland as “racist thuggery” after police officers were injured and locals left terrified.
Violence erupted following a court appearance over the sexual assault of a teenage girl.
Shocking footage showed homes torched in the town of Ballymena – while petrol bombs were lobbed at police as crowds cheered.
Police described the riots as “racially-motivated hate attacks”, with a senior officer slamming the scenes as “racist thuggery”.
Last summer, the UK was torn apart by rioting, fuelled by misinformation after Axel Rudakubana targeted children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class – stabbing three to death and injuring 10 others.
False posts on social media claimed the Southport child killer was an illegal migrant.
Migrant hotels became targets as the information vacuum “allowed disinformation to flourish”, with investigators struggling to set the record straight.
The Home Affairs Select Committee is now calling for a review of what police can put into the public domain.
PAAn anti-immigration demonstration outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, last year[/caption]
AFPRiot Police use a water cannon in an attempt to disperse protesters gathered for a third night of anti-immigration demonstrations, in Ballymena, Northern Ireland[/caption]
ReutersA worker walks at Larne Leisure Centre which was damaged during the third night of unrest following a protest in Ballymena in June[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
