LBC’s James O’Brien inundated with Ofcom complaints after antisemitism row live on air
Broadcasting regulator Ofcom has logged 251 complaints against James O’Brien’s LBC radio show following a controversial broadcast last week.
The television watchdog confirmed the substantial number of complaints related to a specific incident during the presenter’s programme.
According to an Ofcom spokesperson, the complaints centred on “James O’Brien reading out a message from a listener.”
The broadcast in question occurred eight days ago and has prompted significant viewer concern.
The regulatory body is now reviewing the complaints, which represent a notable response to a single episode of the weekday radio programme.
LBC’s prominent presenter found himself at the centre of controversy after the incident sparked widespread criticism from listeners who contacted the broadcasting regulator.
The complaints centred on O’Brien reading aloud an antisemitic listener message without offering any immediate challenge or rebuttal.
According to an Ofcom spokesperson, the complaints centred on “James O’Brien reading out a message from a listener.”
The broadcast in question occurred eight days ago and has prompted significant viewer concern.
O’Brien went on to issue an apology after he received backlash for reading out the message live on air, which had been sent in from a person who claimed Jewish children in Britain are taught to view Arabs as “cockroaches to be crushed”.
The controversial content was broadcast during the live programme without the presenter questioning or countering the offensive material at the time.
This failure to address the antisemitic nature of the message as it was being shared on air became the focal point of viewer concerns.
The message, submitted by a listener identifying as Chris from Oxford, contained inflammatory claims about Jewish children’s education regarding Arabs.
The listener’s contribution made deeply offensive allegations about what Jewish children in Britain are supposedly taught.
This inflammatory statement represents a particularly egregious example of antisemitic content being broadcast without immediate challenge.
The message’s characterisation of Jewish educational practices contained harmful stereotypes and false accusations.
The listener’s submission included extreme language that propagated dangerous misconceptions about the Jewish community in Britain.
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The nature of these allegations made the lack of immediate rebuttal during the broadcast particularly concerning to those who subsequently filed complaints with Ofcom.