LBC allows ‘Zionism believes in master race’ caller for 5 minutes

The CST has said it is “extremely disappointing” that radio station LBC allowed a caller to go on a  5-minute rant about Jews and Zionism without intervention, as the Board urged it to apologise.

The individual rang onto the programme and compared Zionism to Nazism, because the former claimed to be a  “master race”.

On the programme, a man named Steven called up to discuss American talk-show host Whoopi Goldberg’s controversial remarks this week, that the Holocaust was “not about race”. Goldberg has since  apologised and has been suspended from her show, The View, for two weeks.

Steve agreed with Goldberg’s initial remarks, claiming she was right “because Judaism is not a race. It’s a faith. Judaism is a faith, just like Islam, just like Catholics, just like Methodists, it’s a faith.”

Ferrari challenged the caller, bringing up Nazi laws about racial purity, saying Hitler believed in the “ridiculous idea of a master race”.

• OPINION – Stephen Bush: How has Whoopi Goldberg managed to be almost right while being so entirely wrong?

He responded: “is that not the same as Zionism? We are the master race chosen by god?”

The host then brought in another caller, Richard, who said the Nazis “very clearly identified Jews as a race”, referencing the way they used to ‘measure’ Jewish bodily features to prove racial inferiority.

Bringing Steve back into the discussion, he again insisted Judaism is simply a faith and added, with regards to “antisemitism, Arabs are semites are well.”

Richard said he could “hear the sub-narrative” of Steven’s comments, with “regards to the Middle East, the conflict”, accusing him of holding views which were “racial tropes”.

Commenting on the recording which went on for almost five-minutes, a spokesperson for the Community Security Trust criticised LBC for allowing it to continue without intervention from Ferrari.

“Anyone hosting a public phone-in ought to have measures in place to deal with callers expressing antisemitic or other offensive views.

“In this case it is extremely disappointing that LBC did not intervene much more quickly and strongly and that this caller’s specific views were aired unchallenged.”

Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl said: “Radio presenters such as Nick Ferrari have a responsibility to ensure that their programmes are not infected by racism. On this occasion he failed to cut off a caller long after the point that it was abundantly clear he was peddling nasty antisemitism. We ask LBC to tighten up its procedures, apologise to listeners and encourage them to report on the subject with greater care and with the aid of expert guests in the future. This will ensure the channel doesn’t provide a platform for misinformation about Jews, antisemitism or the Holocaust.”

This comes after Whoopi Goldberg caused outrage with her comments about the Holocaust earlier this week. She said during an episode of The View: “Let’s be truthful – the Holocaust isn’t about race. It’s about man’s inhumanity to man – that’s what it’s about.”

Following anger by Jewish groups,  she apologised saying:  “I should have said it is about both. As Jonathan Greenblatt from the Anti-Defamation League shared: ‘The Holocaust was about the Nazis’ systematic annihilation of the Jewish people, who they deemed to be an inferior race’. I stand corrected. “The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never (waver). I am sorry for the hurt I have caused.

LBC has been approached for comment.