James O’Brien apologises after airing antisemitic ‘blood libel’ on LBC about Jewish children
LBC host says sorry on-air after backlash over listener claim UK Jews teach children Arabs are ‘cockroaches’
James O’Brien has issued an on-air apology after reading out a listener’s message falsely claiming Jewish children in the UK are taught to view Arabs as “cockroaches to be crushed”.
The LBC presenter addressed the controversy at 11:48am on Tuesday, acknowledging the anger sparked by comments he had broadcast during Monday’s programme, which focused heavily on the war in Gaza.
He said: “At this time yesterday on the show, I read out a message from a listener called Chris who said that his wife had been brought up in the Jewish faith and had attended what he described as a Shabbat school.
“He went on to make further claims about what he said she had been taught in that school. As with all the texts and messages that I read out on the programme, I did so in good faith, but the message has understandably upset a lot of people, and I regret taking those unsubstantiated claims at face value, and I’m genuinely sorry for that.”
He added: “It is very important that I get that out there, and thank you for your attention.”
O’Brien’s apology came after a firestorm of condemnation from Jewish groups, who said the original remarks – aired without challenge – amounted to broadcasting a “modern blood libel”.
The original segment, which LBC also shared on social media before deleting it, quoted the listener as saying: “My wife was brought up Jewish and at Shabbat school in a leafy Hertfordshire town she was taught that one Jewish life is worth thousands of Arab lives, and that Arabs are cockroaches to be crushed.”
The reference to “Shabbat school” – a term that does not exist in the Jewish community – and the grotesque nature of the claims triggered an outcry.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism called it “a modern blood libel on national radio, amplified by a host who likely wouldn’t think twice about cutting off the caller were he promoting such grotesque falsehoods about another minority. No such generosity for the Jews.”
CST described the accusation as “absolutely disgusting” and “a vile new low for James O’Brien and his LBC broadcaster”, while the Board of Deputies called it “a transparent falsehood…demonising the Jewish community at a time when antisemitism in this country is at terrifyingly high levels.”
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