BBC rules Miriam Margolyes’ ‘Jewish and infamous’ on-air remark was not racist

In a letter outlining the BBC’s final decision, Fraser Steel, director of the ECU, wrote: “I would be concerned about stereotyping if I thought the meaning of her remarks was that she now knew Jews who looked like Fagin, but who were surely the ones who most resembled Fagin. The natural understanding of “I didn’t know the Jews like that then, unfortunately I know them now” is surely that it refers to “the vile”, rather than to Fagin and those attributes which make his stereotypical character.

Mr. Steel continued: “And while expressing this sentiment might be considered insensitive in light of what you describe as “the broader atmosphere of hatred and insecurity felt by many Jews,” I don’t think that this could be considered racist for a member. of a group to express an opinion about certain unspecified members of that group that is generally derogatory but without reference to real or perceived attributes of that group.

Candid remarks

Margolyes has a history of making outspoken remarks against causes and politicians with whom she disagrees.

In 2022, she told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that when she met Jeremy Hunt, then Chancellor, she felt like saying: “F— you, you bastard.” »

She has also long criticized Israeli government policies, calling in August for Jews to “scream, beg, shout for a ceasefire in Gaza.”

Jonathan Sacerdoti, a broadcaster and campaigner against anti-Jewish racism who filed a complaint, this weekend accused the BBC of “selective liability”.

“Kirsty Wark has remained silent, allowing Margolyes’ deeply offensive remarks to go unchecked, despite the BBC’s own guidelines on racism and extreme views,” he said.

“Furthermore, the BBC’s initial decision to remove the iPlayer comment was an acknowledgment of the error, but now, for completely inconsistent reasons, they are refusing to uphold my complaint.”

No recourse

Mr Steel’s response means Mr Sacerdoti no longer has any recourse within the BBC to pursue his complaint. His only option now would be to try to involve the regulator Ofcom.

He argues that Margolyes is a person known for making offensive comments about Jews and that the BBC should have been prepared to challenge her.

A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is a sad reflection of those times when the host and audience of a BBC show simply laugh while listening to a guest’s comments on ” vile » Jews.

“Yes, the guest is Jewish, but that doesn’t give her carte blanche to spew her disgusting feelings under the guise of ‘comedy.’

“It is true that the BBC removed this comment from the final version of the programme, but the reluctance of the BBC complaints unit to admit serious wrongdoing is a sad indication of the corporation’s current state of affairs.

“Why does the BBC seem to have such a blind spot when it comes to anti-Semitism?

The BBC referred to an earlier response, which said: “This is an unexpected comment made during a live broadcast which should have been challenged at the time. We took quick action to remove it from the program and it is no longer available.

The Telegraph has attempted to contact Ms Margolyes’ representatives.