A BBC Newsnight segment has sparked controversy after presenter Victoria Derbyshire conducted an interview with an asylum seeker regarding demonstrations taking place outside his accommodation.
The programme featured a conversation with a man who, for the sake of the interview was known as Ibrahim, who discussed how protests at his hotel were affecting his family’s sense of security.
During the broadcast, Derbyshire enquired about the emotional impact on Ibrahim’s spouse, prompting him to reveal concerns about her safety.
The asylum seeker expressed that his wife had become reluctant to venture outside for walks due to feeling endangered by the demonstrations.
Ibrahim told the programme that whilst protests against refugees made his family feel unwelcome, counter-demonstrations supporting asylum seekers brought them comfort.
The segment has generated significant criticism on social media platforms, with viewers questioning the editorial choices behind the interview.
One viewer on X questioned the broadcaster’s editorial decisions, suggesting they had deliberately sought out a female asylum seeker who felt threatened whilst ignoring the concerns of local residents living near asylum accommodation.
One commenter labelled the segment as “propaganda” and urged the BBC to “try harder comrad”, whilst others called for defunding the broadcaster.
“@BBCNewsnight @vicderbyshire Scraping the barrel… That must have taken a huge amount of effort to find an ‘illegal’ woman who feels ‘unsafe’ but no mention of why & of how so many women and girls & many parents with young children forced to live next to these hostels must feel. You really do take us a fools!”
“Read the room BBC!!” a third commented, while another shared: “I didn’t even think it was possible for BBC to be even more subversive.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. Defund the BBC,” another fumed, with someone else asking: “When are you going to interview the children of the protesters, and how they feel in walking to school or walking anywhere in their town?”
Ibrahim shared with Newsnight that the demonstrations outside his accommodation had left him feeling deeply saddened by the situation.
“It feels really sad actually, because all of the asylum seekers are also normal human beings,” he told Derbyshire during the interview.
When asked specifically about his wife’s emotional state, Ibrahim revealed the extent of her distress: “She is feeling in danger, actually. She now barely walks out to have a walk or something.”
He explained that the hostile voices from protesters made his wife feel unwelcome in the area where they were housed.
However, Ibrahim noted a stark contrast when supportive demonstrations occurred: “But on the other side, whenever there is a refugee welcome protest, we feel so much happier.”
Several social media users highlighted what they viewed as a failure to consider the perspectives of local communities affected by asylum accommodation.
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One commenter challenged the programme to interview children of protesters about their experiences navigating their neighbourhoods, asking: “When are you going to interview the children of the protesters, and how they feel in walking to school or walking anywhere in their town?”
