The BBC has apologised after one of its radio presenters said on-air that Israel “hasn’t really worked out” as a country, the Jewish Chronicle reports.
BBC Radio London host, Chris Rogers, was hosting a phone-in on Tuesday about the refugee crisis when a caller was trying to make the point of using available land in Africa to create a new state for the migrants.
Chris replied asking, “Is just dumping families from all over the world, with lots of different cultures and reasons for fleeing – is just dumping them in a new state, if we do Israel all over again, is that really the answer?
“I mean, Israel arguably hasn’t really worked out, has it?”
You can listen to the discussion here:
An apology was issues by BBC Radio London after a Board of Deputies spokesman called for clarification on Mr Rogers’ statements.
In response, a BBC spokeswoman explained that “Chris Rogers was trying to challenge the caller’s point by finding a historical comparison and in the heat of a live programme discussion he picked the example of Israel.
“He accepts that his words might have implied criticism of the creation of the state of Israel which was not his intention. BBC Radio London apologises if any listener was offended.”
In 2014, The Sun reported that Mr Rogers was filmed making a Nazi salute and “goose-stepping” with one finger under his nose while creating a BBC documentary in Poland about fascism, an act for which he later apologised.
