Complaint
A listener complained that the programme took a biased approach to the rioting and unrest that took place in parts of the UK this summer, being based on an incorrect premise which equated protestors with fascists and those from the far-right of the political spectrum.Β The ECU considered the complaints in the light of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s editorial standards of accuracy and impartiality.
Outcome
The programme’s focus was not on the original protests and those who participated in them, but on whether counter-protests are important in sending a message or whether they increase the likelihood of confrontation or violence.Β The ECU accepted that the programme conveyed the impression that there was far-right, or even fascist involvement in the original protests, but considered this was justified in the light of the evidence which had emerged by the time of transmission, and found no breach of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s standards of accuracy or impartiality.
Not upheld