BBC Retracts Far-Right Characterisation of ULEZ Protesters

Pedestrians walk past a BBC logo at Broadcasting House in London, Jan. 29, 2020. (Henry Nicholls/File Photo/Reuters)

The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) issued an amendment on Aug. 3, upholding a complaint of mischaracterisation of protesters as “far-right” who were attending a protest against the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) back in April.

In the live BBC news at 5:35 p.m. on April 15 (the day of the protest), a reporter made the comment that “Local protesters and mainstream politicians were joined by conspiracy theorists and far-right groups.”

This broadcast received 44 complaints, including about the perceived inaccuracy of the label used. The BBC stated that the label “conspiracy theorists” had sufficient evidence to be justified but the label “far-right,” did not.

Present at the protest, a reporter for The Epoch Times did not see any groups characterised as “far right” at the event. A BBC spokesperson originally responded to The Epoch Times, saying: “We are satisfied the protest was covered accurately and the script was a fair description of the people and groups attending the event. Viewers were also directed to the BBC London website for a comprehensive look at the arguments for and against ULEZ.”

Now however, the BBC said in their statement: “In relation to ‘far right groups,’ we recognised that the groups named above might have far right (or indeed far left) adherents, but did not consider this to be evidence of the presence of ‘far right groups.’”

No Grounds for Original Conclusion

Explaining the use of the words, they said: “The programme-makers directed our attention to the deployment by some demonstrators of Nazi imagery, symbolism, and slogans directed against the Mayor of London which we accepted was consistent with tactics used predominantly by certain far right groups.”

However, the statement continues, “We saw no grounds for concluding that they were used exclusively by such groups.”

In a step back altogether from the connotations of the original wording, the BBC upheld that “In our judgement it was suggestive of the presence of far right groups but fell short of establishing that such groups had in fact been represented among the demonstrators.”

Lee Mitchell, founder of London By Londoners, a grassroots organisation that was involved in organising the protest told The Epoch Times, “The delayed apology from the BBC, extending over a four-month period, for a highly offensive misrepresentation of ULEZ protestors encompassing diverse ethnic and religious affiliations, including the Jewish community, is truly disconcerting.

“The attempt to vilify a collective striving to safeguard their means of living and their right to move freely is a stance that cannot be deemed acceptable.”

‘You Can’t Just Call the Public Names’

Alan Miller, director of the Together Declaration, who co-organised the event, told The Epoch Times, “It was a scurrilous, outrageous smear by the BBC, and the fact it took so many people having to challenge it and write into them … and now they’ve only grudgingly accepted that it was not the case, is a reflection of the problem that everyone has got [with the BBC].

“This should be clear to people that you can’t just call the public names, without any foundation. It’s utterly outrageous and lacks any journalistic principles, particularly from a so-called broadcaster with balance,” he said.

The statement by the BBC’S ECU said some complainants said it “was offensive to the majority of those who attended the demonstration to associate them with ‘conspiracy theorists and far right groups,’ and some who had attended the demonstration said it was offensive to them personally.”

Despite the admission, the BBC has not listed upholding the complaint in their “Corrections and Clarifications” list. This page lists “apologies, significant corrections, statements, and responses.” It caveats that “It does not include routine corrections to news stories, minor on-air apologies, and schedule changes.”

Owen Evans contributed to this report.