TV watchdogs rule on racism compaint

Rory Bremner has been accused of anti-semitism after portraying Labour’s chief fundraiser, Lord Levy, as money-grabbing crook Fagin, complete with prosthetic hook nose.

Eleven viewers complained to broadcasting watchdogs Ofcom that depicting Levy, a prominent member of the Jewish community, as the Dickens stereotype was offensive, racist and even an incitement to racial hatred.

However, Ofcom today ruled that the Channel 4 sketch did not breach broadcasting guidelines.

The controversial skit came in March at the height of the loans-for-peerages row. It had the Labour peer singing an adapted version of You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two’ from the musical Oliver!, with the lyrics changed to: ‘You’ve got to give a peerage or two.’

It also contained references to Tony Blair, such as ‘When he sees, Someone rich, Tony’s thumbs, Start to Itch…’ which Channel 4 said was evidence that the satire was aimed at the whole scandal, not at Levy personally.

The broadcaster told the watchdogs: ‘It was entirely irrelevant to the programme-makers that Lord Levy was Jewish. Had the person at the centre of the controversy been some other senior Labour party figure, he too would have been portrayed as the Fagin character.’

Channel 4 added there was nothing either in the characterisation or the lyrics which could be construed as anti-semitic or racist.

In their ruling, Ofcom said: ‘We acknowledge that, for some, the connection made between Lord Levy and Fagin was offensive.

‘[But] the thrust of this sketch was to satirise the controversy over the allegations of Labour’s fundraising, not the cultural antecedents of Lord Levy. The use of Fagin dwelt on a

perception of him as a figure obsessed by gaining money by whatever means and did not refer to his faith.

‘We therefore concluded that the programme did not breach generally accepted

standards. The programme did not encourage or incite the commission of crime or lead to

Published: 12 Jun 2006