A Newsnight interview with a British far-right leader about the New Zealand mosque attack has been defended by the BBC after it was accused of providing “a platform to racist hate”.

Anti-racism campaigners criticised the corporation's flagship news programme for inviting the leader of Generation Identity’s UK branch to discuss the murders of 49 people in Christchurch.

Nick Lowles, chief executive of anti-racism group Hope Not Hate described the interview as “despicable” and called on the BBC to “apologise for the offence many people felt”.

The organisation, which monitors extremism, added: “The fact that Newsnight invited Generation Identity on to discuss the Christchurch terrorist attack, which was inspired in part by GI propaganda, shows the BBC has learned nothing from its elevation of Anjem Choudary before the 7/7 attacks.”

The programme repeatedly gave airtime to the radical Islamist cleric who was jailed for more than five years in 2016 for supporting Isis.

New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Show all 11 1 /11 New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Zakaria Bhuiyan People gather hoping to find out information about Zakaria Bhuiyan who is still missing after the mosques shootings in Christchurch. David Moir/AFP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Mucad Ibrahim Three-year-old Mucad Ibrahim, the youngest known victim of the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. Abdi Ibrahim via AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Nadeem Rasheed Nadeem Rasheed, brother of Pakistani Naeem Rashid who died alongside his son Talha Naeem, 21, who were killed in shooting at a Mosque in Christchurch, at their home town in Abbottabad, EPA New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Omar Nabi Omar Nabi speaks to the media about losing his father Haji Daoud Nabi, 71, in the mosque attack REUTERS New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Ash Mohammed Ash Mohammed, right, talks to a police officer about his father and two brothers who are missing near the Masjid Al Noor mosque AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Akhtar Khokhur Akhtar Khokhur, 58, shows a picture of her missing husband Mehaboobbhai Khokhar, 65. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Wasseim Alsati A note is seen on a window of a door at the family home of Wasseim Alsati in Christchurch on 17 March 2019. AFP/Getty Images New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Haroon Mahmood Relatives offer condolences to nephew (centre) of Haroon Mahmood, a Pakistani citizen who was killed in Christchurch mosque shootings. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Farid Ahmed Farid Ahmed (pictured) survived the Al Noor mosque shootings but his wife Husne was killed. AFP/Getty Images New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Syed Areeb Ahmed A relative shows a picture of Syed Areeb Ahmed, a Pakistani citizen who was killed the Christchurch mosque shooting. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Naeem Rashid A relative looks at a picture on a mobile phone of Pakistani nationals Naeem Rashid and his son Talha Naeem (right) who died in the Christchurch shootings. AFP/Getty Images

Tanja Bueltmann, an academic specialising in migration, said the decision to interview Generation Identity UK leader Benjamin Jones was “seriously misjudged and irresponsible”.

She tweeted: “Why on earth would you give an essentially unchallenged platform to Generation Identity, letting their UK leader spread their ideas and hate?”

Tom Kibasi, director of the Institute for Public Policy Research think thank, said he planned to file a formal complaint.

He added: ”Would you have given a platform to a leading homophobe on the night of Orlando? A top radical Islamist on the night of the Paris attacks? A prominent anti-Semite on the night of Pittsburgh?”

But a spokesperson for Newsnight said: “It is important we examine and challenge ideologies that drive hate crimes in a wider context, whether they have been distorted, and the connection they may have with any European or UK groups.”

Richard Watson, the BBC journalist who spoke to Mr Jones, introduced the interview by saying Generation Identity "uses similar arguments" to those found in a self-styled manifesto published by Christchurch shooting suspect Brenton Tarrant.

Mr Tarrant's core justification for the attack was the white genocide conspiracy theory, which claims that white people are being “replaced” by non-whites in Western nations.

Generation Identity, a pan-European white nationalist movement, has propagated similar scare stories using tactics such as protests, publicity stunts and social media campaigns.