18 July 2007
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is refusing to remove an anti-Semitic message posted on one of its online message boards despite a barrage of complaints, the ‘Jerusalem Post’ reports. The message was posted on the BBC Radio website’s forum following a discussion about a television program on anti-Semitism that was screened on the UK's ‘Channel Four’ television channel last week.
The offensive message, left by someone using the alias ‘Iron Naz,’ reads: "Zionism is a racist ideology where Jews are given supremacy over all other races and faiths. This is found in the Talmud. There is a law called Baba Mezia which allows Jews to lie as long as it is to non-Jews. Many pro Jewish supporters will cringe at this being exposed because they know it exists, yet they keep quiet about it…”. A number of Jewish community members, including a community organization, appealed to the BBC to remove the posting. They all received a standard response: "We have decided that it does not contravene the House Rules and are going to leave it on the site." A BBC Radio spokesman told the ‘Jerusalem Post’: "The ‘Radio Five Live’ message board is a forum of debate and people can express their views, some of which others will strongly disagree with…Posts that are removed include ones that are considered likely to disrupt, provoke attack or offend others or are considered racist, homophobic, sexually explicit or otherwise objectionable."
"The BBC obviously no longer recognizes anti-Semitism even when it slaps it in the face," said Mark Gardiner, head of communications at the Community Security Trust (CST), an organization that ensures the safety and security of the Jewish community and monitors anti-Semitic incidents in the UK. "The BBC is a public body, funded by the British tax payer. It has legal obligations and we will pursue them."
