Channel 4 Hides Truth About Hardened Racist
Wednesday, 17 February 2010 16:52
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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CHANNEL 4 HIDES TRUTH ABOUT HARDENED RACIST
On Friday evening (Feb 12) at prime time, Channel 4 broadcast a programme that was little more than a half-hour party political broadcast for the National Front.
"Young, Angry and White" purported to give insight into the political ideas of a disaffected young man, let down by the established political parties, who was considering joining the BNP.
Yet the programme failed to reveal that "Kieren" [sic] - the subject of the documentary - is the national organiser for the youth wing of the extreme right National Front.
"Young, Angry and White" showed the trained and experienced young racist Kieren in an extraordinarily positive light, allowing him unchallenged to insist on the "racial purity" of his girlfriend, accuse his friend of "genocide" because he had a black girlfriend and was therefore guilty of "racial mixing", and to introduce his masked, far-right associates, who spoke about the "filth flooding through our streets" - non-white people.
The programme failed to inform viewers about the political nature of the National Front, its history of racial motivated violence, and the criminal convictions of its past and present leaders, and its close links to the BNP. It failed to confront Kieren with any of these facts about either the National Front or the BNP. It failed to investigate Kieren's activity as a leading National Front member.
David Crouch, press officer for the campaign Expose the BNP, said: "A pattern is emerging of public service broadcasters presenting soft interviews with leading far-right extremists. The latest example after a similar fiasco on Radio 1's Newsbeat. This is very poor journalism - Channel 4 should be ashamed.
"The real nature of the BNP and its fellow-travellers was exposed once more this weekend with the assault on Dominic Kennedy, reporter for the Times newspaper.
"The media have a duty to investigate rigorously and challenge forcefully the dangerous, inflammatory activities of these organisations."
The Channel 4 shambles comes as media workers prepare to launch a new campaign to challenge weak coverage of the BNP.
MEDIA CAMPAIGN WILL CHALLENGE FAR RIGHT
"EXPOSE the BNP" Launch rally:
Tuesday February 23, 7pm
Amnesty International Human Rights Centre, EC2A 3EA
Speakers include:
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, columnist and broadcaster
Mehdi Hasan, senior editor (politics), New Statesman
Sunny Hundal, editor, Liberal Conspiracy blog
Peter Hain, secretary of state for Wales
Michelle Stanistreet, deputy general secretary, National Union of
Journalists
Pat Styles, national official, Bectu, the media and entertainment union
Weyman Bennett, joint secretary, Unite Against Fascism
Full details and press release: www.exposethebnp.com
PRESS CONTACT: Tel. 07504 149 481
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. Watch "Young, Angry and White" here:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/young-angry-and-white/4od
2. For confirmation of Kieren's status, see the National Front's website:
http://www.national-front.org.uk/ynfdocumentary.htm
3. A photo of Kieren on a National Front march in south London in 2008 is
available here: http://www.photoshelter.com/image/I00006yFJ0lz3YoE
4. Channel 4's programme has set far-right blogs alight with ecstatic
chatter about the favourable coverage provided by Channel 4. See, for
example:
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=681819&page=12
5. More on "Young, Angry and White"
The documentary presented Kieren as an innocent youth, as "honest", a
"rebel", "torn between being a nice guy or an angry young man", who was
"considering joining the BNP". It failed utterly to inform the viewer about
Kieren's status: he has been a National Front activist for at least four
years, and is now the national organiser for its youth wing.
Kieren was allowed to be vehemently homophobic, and was challenged on this
only fleetingly by a friend whose sole comment was that everyone enjoys
"lesbian porn". Kieren was allowed without interruption to parrot National
Front slogans against multiculturalism and for a whites-only society.
The programme presented the BNP as a "family party", portraying
anti-fascists as rowdy and violent. It allowed Kieren unchallenged to say
that involvement in extreme right organisations was "comforting".
For Kieren, however, the BNP is too moderate - the programme reveals that
his politics are to the right of Nick Griffin's.
6. Support for "EXPOSE the BNP"
James Macintyre, political correspondent for the New Statesman:
"The political and media consensus appears to be that the way to tackle the
BNP is to meet it half way, by talking up tough anti-immigration measures
and airing this racist party's lies. This conventional wisdom must urgently
be challenged. Free speech should not come at the price of incitement to
racial and religious hatred by a band of convicted criminals, Holocaust
deniers and petty thugs."
Michelle Stanistreet, deputy general secretary of the National Union of
Journalists:
"Journalists have a duty to hold up to the closest scrutiny the claims and
activities of those who would foment racial tension and violence. The BNP's
inflammatory rhetoric about immigration cannot be taken at face value."
Gerry Morrissey, general secretary of Bectu, the media and entertainment
union:
"The BNP is not a legitimate political party. Its policies are directly
opposed to the democratic principles which underpin our multi-cultural
society and those policies should not be given airtime."
Peter Hain, MP:
"It is vital that journalists take a robust approach to the BNP. It was an
outrage that the BBC gave the fascist, racist BNP the credibility they
craved by inviting Nick Griffin onto Question Time. In the event, it became
a shameful circus that boosted the far right party, and short-term BBC
ratings."
Mehdi Hasan, senior editor (politics), New Statesman:
"The BNP is not an 'ordinary' political party. It is a collection of bigots,
thugs and ex-cons. So why does the media, including the BBC, give them so
much time, space and opportunity to spread their bile?"
Jon McClure of indie rock band Reverend and the Makers:
"Good luck with the launch of your campaign - with the BNP doing all it can
to exploit the media, we need people on the inside to expose this vile
racist party. I've had a lot of grief from the BNP since I started
campaigning against them. The BNP aren't now the bovver-boy wearing
skinheads of yesteryear - they're wearing suits. But make no mistake,
underneath they're still the same."
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