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Board urges BBC to give police details of antisemitic caller to phone-in

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The Board of Deputies has called on the BBC to hand over to the police details of a radio caller who made antisemitic accusations throughout a 13-minute on-air conversation.

The caller, referred to as “Andy from St. Margaret’s”, told BBC Radio London host Simon Lederman that “they are trying to control us more and more and more.

“They want to put a chip up our backsides … the elites, the ruling class, they want to put a ring through our noses, and a visor for our horizons.”

When asked by Mr Lederman who he was talking about, he said: “The Rothschilds,” adding: “It’s not just about old money, it’s about the Zionists.

“We are dominated by the Jews’ system, the financial Jewish system. The Rothschilds, the people who own the Bank of England, the people who own the Federal Reserve, they’re all Zionist Jews.”

Board vice president Marie Van Der Zyl said: “It is disgraceful that an obviously antisemitic caller was able to speak for 13 minutes on air in a way which was likely to incite racial hatred against Jews.

“We call on the BBC to hand his details to the police so that action can be brought against him and also explain why they did not cut the caller off when it was clear that his views were virulently racist.”

During the call, the guest said that “the people who own corporate America, the media, you’ll find if you just do a little bit of research, they’re all Zionist Jews. We are ruled by Zionist Jews.”

He repeated these accusations throughout the 5:07am call, telling listeners: “They control the money, the money, finance - 80 per cent of corporate America, of the media, is owned by Jews. And they’re Zionist Jews.”

In the clip from December 22, posted on Campaign Against Antisemitism’s website but also available online through the BBC, Mr Lederman challenged the caller’s views but allowed the discussion to continue, even admitting: “I’m giving you more than I have done anyone,” referring to time spent on the air.

A BBC spokesperson said: “The aim of the programme is to discuss and debate issues raised by our listeners. This was a live phone in and the caller was challenged on his views throughout the conversation."

As the spokesperson pointed out, following the interview reactions from other listeners were also broadcast, with one saying the caller was an "angry conspiracy theorist."

The spokesperson explained that as of yet, the BBC has had no formal request from the police for the caller’s details.

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