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.
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.
‘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.”
