BBC defends decision to put Islamophobic white-nationalists on discussion of Christchurch massacre
Impartial? The far-right group Generation Identity was given a platform for its racism on the BBC’s Newsnight programme, where its UK leader was apparently allowed to present his views unchallenged.
Who can keep up with the proliferation of racist, far-right political organisations since the Conservatives slithered back into office in 2010 and started spreading divisive propaganda everywhere?
Political austerity tends to give fascism an opportunity to take root in a society and the UK may well become a textbook example of the phenomenon for historians of the future.
The Tories themselves have encouraged this rise, with their acts of hate against people who are sick and/or disabled, job seekers, immigrants – and descendants of immigrants, and foreigners in general.
Now representatives of these – let’s be honest and call them – fascists are being invited onto our TV screens by the BBC, which should know better.
It’s justification? Apparently it is important to challenge hateful ideologies.
That’s all very well, but is that what happened?
According to the i website, viewers were incensed that the BBC would “give an essentially unchallenged platform to Generation Identity, letting their UK leader spread their ideas and hate”.
The BBC can only claim to have “examined and challenged ideologies that drive hate crimes” if it can show that it actually did so. It seems clear that this did not happen.
This Writer hopes that Ofcom, which is carrying out an inquiry into the BBC’s claims of impartiality, takes note of this latest stain on the corporation’s character.
“BBC has defended its decision to feature the group claiming it was ‘important’ to challenge hateful ideologies.
“A spokesperson for Newsnight told i: ‘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.’”
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I have been challenging a hateful ideology, the Tories, for most of my 70 years.
People should be able to figure out for themselves that a vote for Tories is a vote for racism and a vote for supremacy in its most venomous and racist forms. We now seem quite used to the idea that the right wing are the cause of this outbreak of fascism. Incidentally, where I grew up in Laindon, I remember one homeless person who lived under a bridge on the A127 at Upminster. The Tories really have made sure that no working class community is without it’s fair share of homeless people and people being killed if they don’t just get into work and stop being ill!