The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) faced intense criticism after their Home Editor Mark Easton allegedly compared a hate preacher Anjem Choudary to Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill.While analysising a new anti-terror Bill by the UK government on BBC News at Ten, Easton raised the possibility of similarities between the Muslim radical and the freedom fighters.Criticising the government for their plans to silence fanatics he wrote, “It’s one thing to ban someone for inciting hatred or violence, but quite another to pass a law that silences anyone who challenges established values. I was at the Parliament Square on Thursday — a statue of Gandhi looking down at me who was jailed for being extremist; Mandela who was jailed for being an extremist. History tells us that extreme views are sometimes needed to challenge very established values that people at the time hold so dear.”The Corporation and the senior journalist were slammed on social media for this comparison. Some viewers called the comparison disgusting, while other said the "ludicrous" statements showed acceptance to Choudary’s 'complete rejection' of democracy and tolerance.Daily Mail reported MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee in the last parliament saying: ‘It is outrageous to make any comparison between Gandhi, Mandela and Anjem Choudary.’Tory MP Michael Ellis- "The BBC seems obsessed with giving as much airtime as possible to hate preachers. To make a comparison between historic figures who campaigned for peaceful change and a hate preacher like Choudary is appalling, offensive and inflammatory."Anjem Choudary himself tweeted- ‘The comparisons with Mandela and Gandhi are false. They are kuffar (non-believers) going to hellfire whilst I am a Muslim. Alhamudililah (praise God).’Adam Deen, founder and executive director of The Deen Institute said that Choudary's views "completely reject" democracy and tolerance - the very values by which Gandhi and Mandela's views were inspired. Deen said: 'I think the journalist's point is underpinned by the view that dissenting views are important for a democracy and that these voices can highlight areas where a society may have gone wrong. But the error is that he is assuming that Anjem is arguing in the same way or dissenting in the same way as the likes of Mandela or Gandhi, both of whom were dissenting with a backdrop of views that the establishment already held."BBC compares Anjem Chodary to Ghandi!!! BBC neeed to lose the licence fee now defending muslim extremists http://t.co/H8b4s1iedI — David Jones (@DavidJo52951945) May 14, 2015#Irony. Gandhi was murdered by excatly the type of violent religious extremist which Choudhary encourages. #BBC http://t.co/aikyXxaoSy — Jaime Jessop (@Balinteractive) May 15, 2015From a national voice to a 3rd rate docu channel to flattering extremists to becoming a joke - the descent of BBC http://t.co/WNTyFpM9SX — Saiswaroopa (@Sai_swaroopa) May 14, 2015BBC editor comparing Anjem to MKG/Mandela is how British always behaved. It has been their way of life. — OfficeOfTheOrdinary (@ShivaKap) May 14, 2015