Mick Hartley

The latest on the Oxford Street antisemitism, and that BBC report, from the JC:

The Met Police has found no evidence of the BBC's claim that an anti-Muslim slur was voiced by one of the victims of the antisemitic abuse incident on Oxford Street two weeks ago, a police source has told the Campaign Against Antisemitism. 

The revelation will place the BBC under intense pressure as it continues to refuse to retract the allegations and apologise.

The police finding comes as the BBC faces a protest by the Jewish community this evening over its coverage of the abuse. 

Shocking video footage of a group of men giving Nazi salutes and spitting at Jewish teenagers as the celebrated the first night of Chanukah stunned the Jewish community and prompted a police hunt for the perpetrators.

But successive BBC reports  alleged one of the victims can be heard saying an anti-Muslim slur, with one TV report going as far as suggesting the victims may have provoked the verbal assault. 

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said the Met Police had closed that part of the investigation and found no evidence to support the BBC’s claim. 

 The CAA has organised a demonstration outside the BBC’s Broadcasting House in London tonight in protest over coverage it branded “appalling” and “outrageous”. 

In a statement, the CAA said: “We understand that police investigating the antisemitic attack on Jewish teenagers celebrating Chanukah on Oxford Street have found no evidence of the supposed ‘anti-Muslim slur’ from the victims that BBC London has said could be ‘clearly heard’ and now that part of their investigation has been closed down. The BBC must immediately release whatever evidence they have based their reporting on or apologise fulsomely and publicly.”

It adds: “This incident is one of many in which the BBC has victim-blamed Jewish people for antisemitism, downplayed racism towards Jews, platformed antisemitism and fuelled antisemitism in Britain.  This bias against Jews has not gone unnoticed.”