The Sun's Kelvin Mackenzie column attacking hijab-wearing journalist condemned by Baroness Warsi

MacKenzie writes he 'couldn't believe his eyes' after seeing Channel 4 journalist Fatima Manji presenting coverage of the Nice attacks

MacKenzie, pictured in 2011, edited The Sun from 1981 to 1994 (Getty)

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi has criticised The Sun and its former editor Kelvin Mackenzie for a column questioning why a journalist wearing a hijab reported on the Nice attacks on Channel 4 News.

The former Sun editor, who writes a weekly column for the newspaper, aired his thoughts under the headline: “Why did Channel 4 have a presenter in a hijab fronting coverage of the Muslim terror in Nice?”

In the article, MacKenzie says he “couldn’t believe his eyes” that the journalist Fatima Manji was reporting on last week’s terror attack in Nice where 84 people died after Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a lorry through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day. Isis have since claimed responsibility for the attack.

“The presenter was not one of the regulars – Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Matt Frei or Cathy Newman – but a young lady wearing a hijab,” Mackenzie wrote.

“Was it appropriate for her to be on camera when there had been yet another shocking slaughter by a Muslim? Was it done to stick one in the eye of the ordinary viewer who looks at the hijab as a sign of the slavery of Muslim women by a male-dominated and clearly violent religion? Would the C4 editor have used a Hindu to report on the carnage at the golden Temple of Amritsar? Of course not."

In response to the article, former Tory Cabinet member Sayeeda Warsi shared a letter she has written to The Sun’s editor Tony Gallagher on Twitter critcising the "divisive column”.

In the letter, Warsi writes: “Just as politicians should carry the responsibility for xenophobic and toxic campaigning that divides communities so journalists should be held accountable for ‘shock jock’ writing that simply perpetuates stereotypes, demonises and attempts to hold a whole community accountable for the action of an individual.”

Labour MP Dianne Abbott also branded the article a “shocking attack”.

Further criticism came from other social media users who labelled the column “absurd” and “offensive”.

Earlier this afternoon, the press standards body Ipso said they had received over 100 complaints in relation to the column.

The Sun did not immediately respond to a request for comment.