GOOD Morning Britain has been hit with thousands of Ofcom complaints following an interview with Zarah Sultana conducted by Ed Balls.
We told on Monday how the former shadow chancellor was accused of treating the Coventry South MP with “sneering contempt” as the pair clashed on far-right violence.
According to Ofcom’s website, the programme received 8201 complaints.
The sneering contempt of ‘journalists’ will never stop me from calling out racism and Islamophobic hate. pic.twitter.com/cQoNKDzJ78
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) August 5, 2024
During the interview, Balls repeatedly spoke over and interrupted Sultana as she was asked why she felt it was “important” to describe the riots as “Islamophobic”.
Trying to answer the question, Sultana said mosques had been targeted in the riots with Balls interrupting to say the Prime Minister had condemned this before the MP said she was “just finishing the question if that’s okay”.
The interview led to heavy criticism online with SNP MSPs Elena Whitham and Christina McKelvie slamming Balls for his approach to the interview.
Sultana said during her clash with Balls: “The language that they are using are ‘stop the boats’. They (rioters) are telling people like me to go home.
“If we look at the language used by politicians, and the language used in the streets, you will see a direct correlation.”
During the same programme, Balls also came in for criticism for interviewing his wife – Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on the riots.
Reacting to the interview, SNP MSP Whitham said: “Neither of those ‘anchors’ have any background training in journalism and boy, does it show in this condescending, bullying and frankly dismissive clip.
“@edballs stick to dancing and leave the journalism to journalists. How very quick to anger you are here.”
McKelvie also commented, writing: “What a disgraceful interview by that panel, they should apologise immediately.
“There is something deeply uncomfortable about a white man trying to tell a woman of colour what racism is. GMB should apologise.”
