News
BBC 'broke law' in reporting on Oxford Street bus antisemitism, claim victims' lawyers
Bus passengers 'categorically deny' issuing any slur against Muslims
December 17, 2021 18:07
Bus passengers 'categorically deny' issuing any slur against Muslims
December 17, 2021 18:07Lawyers acting for Jewish teenagers targeted with antisemitic abuse on a Channukah bus outing to Oxford Street have accused the BBC of breaching the Equality Act in reporting on the incident.
The letter sent by 3D Solicitors on behalf of the passengers highlights how in a news report the BBC qualified the antisemitic nature of the gestures and verbal abuse directed at the Jewish youths as “apparent” or “alleged”.
However, the use of the phrase “dirty Muslims” by someone on board the bus is presented as “undisputed” fact.
The content of the section of the audio recording containing the alleged slur is disputed.
Others who have listened to it say that the phrase is Hebrew, “Tikra lemishehu, ze dachuf,” meaning: “Call someone, it’s urgent.”
Leading figures including Lord Grade have called on the BBC to apologise. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has written privately to BBC Director-General Tim Davie to express his concern.
Now the lawyers in their letter to Mr Davie are demanding the broadcaster re-examine their coverage of the incident and either substantiate or retract their claims.
They allege the BBC may have breached section 29 of the Equality Act 2010 by discriminating against their clients on the grounds of religion and/or race.
The letter says: “We note that the claimed racial slurs or slur about Muslims were reported as if they were undisputed fact, without any qualification whatsoever.
By contrast the antisemitic abuse is only reported as the subject of ‘allegations’ and as ‘apparently abusing passengers'.
It adds that “the reference… to the Police looking at the incident in its entirety” in the report “conveys an innuendo that the alleged slur (or slurs) itself amounted to a criminal offence, or at the very least justified the antisemitic abuse”.
The letter goes on to say their clients “categorically deny” that any slur about Muslims was made by anyone on the bus.
The solicitors further claim the BBC’s reporting discriminated against their clients “by claiming that they or members of their party were at fault and to be blamed as well as those who abused them”.
In reference to the public broadcaster’s reporting of the incident, it says: “The report fails to make clear that the antisemitic abuse was entirely unprovoked and significantly understates its seriousness.“
We are informed it included bringing up a loudspeaker to play a version of a song used by the Palestinian terror organisation, Hamas; chanting anti-Israel slogans and expletives; beating the side of the bus with shoes and fists; and lobbing a metal shopping basket into the upper open deck of the bus where it could have seriously injured or even killed one of those on the bus.”
The letter calls for the BBC to publicly withdraw its allegations against the Jewish people on the bus and offer fair compensation, if it concludes they are correct in their claims.Otherwise, the lawyers call for the broadcaster to “set out the grounds and evidence on which it relies”.
The letter adds that the BBC’s reporting had “added significantly to the distress suffered” by the lawyers’ clients, who have chosen to remain anonymous.
The Chanukah bus was attacked by three men on Oxford Street earlier this month.
At the time, a woman on the bus told the JC she believed the assault was “definitely” because the group were Jewish.
“There is no doubt about that,” she added.
“No one else in the street was being targeted.”
Leading figures including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer condemned the attacked soon after the JC published its story on the incident online.
