BBC's Web Of Hatred

by Marc Shoffman - Thursday 23rd August 2007


The Jewish community and the BBC may be heading for a legal showdown over anti-semitic comments posted on the corporation’s online messageboards.

The Board of Deputies this week revealed that it plans to present Beeb bosses with a dossier detailing a number of offensive remarks that have been left on the Radio 5 Live site for months, despite a series of complaints about their insidious nature.

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As the Jewish News reported last month, after initially refusing to take down a posting which claimed the Talmud encourages Jews to lie, BBC bosses eventually relented. But the message on the 5 Live website has now returned.

The correspondent, called Iron Naz, writes: “Zionism is a racist ideology where jews (sic) are given supremacy over all other races and faiths. This is found in the Talmud...which allows jews (sic) to lie as long as its to non-jews (sic).”

Another contributor, named colonelartist, has also been allowed to post offensive comments on a regular basis. One, entitled “Israel’s ethnic cleansing”, says: “The jews (sic) in much remembered concentration camps have had even better quality of freedom than these Palestinians have under occupation.”

He has also written: “The Jews denied Jesus, they denied the preaching of their own G-d… it is not a big deal to deny the holocaust. No-one could ever surpass Jews when it comes to denial.”

The anti-semitic posting remained online for 14 hours. However, users have noted that a fake anti-Muslim comment written on a message board was removed after just ten minutes, prompting accusations that the BBC moderators are prioritising which communities they placate.

But it’s not just 5 Live that’s causing concern. Anti-semitic comments have also appeared on the BBC Radio 4 messageboards for the Woman’s Hour programme. One comment, which was removed twice before being allowed to remain, included the offensive joke, “Why did Hitler commit suicide? Because he got the g*s b*ll! (sic)”

Jon benjamin, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies, told TJ: “It is unacceptable that the BBC should give a platform to racists and those who wish to incite hatred, in clear contravention of its own guidelines.

“A catalogue of such incidents is being compiled and further instances monitored and this evidence will be put to the BBC to respond to our very real concerns.

“The same consideration should be given to all groups who voice disquiet at the content of these messageboards and it is not good enough to say, as the BBC does, that controversial comments will prompt people to write in to correct them.

“That merely suggests that the more offensive the comment, the more it is justified for inclusion. It should not be for members of a minority to defend themselves against attack while the public service broadcaster facilitates those attacks.”

However, a spokesperson for BBC 5 Live said: “It is not true that groups are dealt with differently. We are concerned about any breaches in house rules. The site is post-moderated and offensive posts are removed as soon as possible.

“The thread involving the Iron Naz comment is closed. It cannot be contributed to any further. It will not be removed as we do not believe it broke house rules and it was countered by other contributors on the site. The site is an open forum for debate.”

But the Community Security Trust’s Mark Gardner said: “The Jewish community cannot tolerate a situation where taxpayers’ money is used for the deliberate promotion of anti-semitism under the BBC’s name.

“The BBC’s reaction to this sordid little business has been, at best, arrogant and mistaken. We hope that they will reconsider before the community is forced to take formal legal advice.”

Read the latest copy of The Jewish News Online by clicking here.

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