Following an open letter from Breitbart London’s Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam yesterday, BBC presenter Stephen Nolan has not only failed to respond to the debate challenge, but blocked Kassam on Twitter, after a deluge on comments urging him to accept the call out.
Kassam issued the challenge after a number of callers were abused by Nolan for citing their objections to Britain taking in thousands of more migrants. He wrote:
I can see why you did what you did. You obviously have your own biases, which I’m not against in journalism, so long as they’re declared, and not funded by the threat of prison for those who don’t pay the licence that keeps you on air. Unfortunately, you fall foul of at least one of these two criteria.
…
So how about you talk to your producers about hosting a live, hour-long debate replete with callers on your radio show. You versus me, with a neutral moderator between us. You can shed your BBC title for the day, and sit there as yourself. You can even donate your salary for that day to a charity that helps the migrants. I’ll match what you give, as long as the charity isn’t lobbying to increase the numbers that Britain and other European countries “should” take. I believe Save The Children have committed to spending donations in Syrian refugee camps.
So how about it Stephen? You name the time, you name the place. Me vs. you on the migrant crisis? After all, isn’t it about time you picked on someone with an ego the size of your own?
The challenge attracted widespread coverage on social media, with hundreds retweeting Kassam’s challenge to the publicly-funded broadcaster.
But not only did Nolan fail to respond, he also blocked Kassam on Twitter, which means he has at least seen the challenge – and decided that he’s simply not up to it.
BOTTLED IT: