Stop Channel 4’s Betrayal of Anti-Racism – Demand Action Now!

 

 

URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Channel 4 is Platforming a Known Antisemite! 

On Monday 3 February, Channel 4 is set to air Go Back to Where You Came From, featuring Bushra Shaikh, an individual with a long history of antisemitic hate speech. Shockingly, Channel 4 appears to be presenting her as an anti-racism campaigner, concealing her vile record of Holocaust denial, anti-Jewish conspiracy theories, and outright incitement against Jews.

📢 We cannot allow this to stand. Channel 4, a publicly owned broadcaster, has a duty to uphold its anti-racism commitments. It cannot present an antisemite as a moral voice against hate.

TAKE ACTION: Demand Channel 4 and Ofcom Stop This Whitewashing

WBII is launching a mass complaints campaign to ensure Channel 4 is held accountable. We urge all supporters to:

📩 Submit complaints to Channel 4 and Ofcom NOW.
📢 Spread the word. A broadcaster that claims to fight racism must not give a platform to a Jew hater.

🔴 HOW TO COMPLAIN

1️⃣ Submit a complaint to Ofcom: Ofcom Complaint Form
(Include that the programme airs Monday 3 February, 9pm.)

2️⃣ Submit a complaint to Channel 4: Channel 4 Complaint Form

3️⃣ Use our email template:  – personalise it if you wish, but be sure to demand that Channel 4 stops platforming an antisemite under the guise of anti-racism.


📩 TEMPLATE MESSAGE FOR OFCOM & CHANNEL 4

Subject: Urgent Complaint – Channel 4’s Platforming of an Antisemite

I am writing to express my outrage that Channel 4 is giving a platform to Bushra Shaikh, an individual with a proven record of antisemitic hate speech, on Go Back to Where You Came From, airing Monday 3 February at 9pm. It is deeply disturbing that a publicly owned broadcaster would present an open antisemite as an advocate for anti-racism, effectively whitewashing her bigotry.

Shaikh has repeatedly promoted vile, inflammatory rhetoric against Jews, including:

  • 23 November 2024 – She cast doubt on Jewish history, a thinly veiled form of Holocaust denial.
  • 14 October 2024 – She called for a “one-state solution” and demanded that Jews be "sent back to f*ing Europe"**, an explicit call for ethnic cleansing.
  • 14 October 2024 – She spread antisemitic conspiracy theories, accusing European Jews of “changing their names to claim supremacy” and calling them “the biggest charlatans on the planet” and “lying scumbags.”
  • 29 December 2024 – She falsely stated that “Jews are taught to hate everyone”, a dangerous trope designed to incite hatred.

This is not just ignorance—it is open bigotry.

Channel 4 is failing its public duty. The broadcaster has made a commitment to being an anti-racist organisation and pledged to always act when concerns about racism are raised. Yet here we have a case where a documented Jew-hater is being presented as an anti-racist. This is not only hypocritical—it is a betrayal of British Jews and the fundamental principles of equality and inclusion.

Moreover, under the Equality Act 2010, Channel 4 has a legal responsibility to ensure that its programming does not incite racial or religious hatred. If Channel 4 does not take immediate action to correct this, I expect Ofcom to intervene and hold the broadcaster accountable.

I demand that:

  1. Channel 4 publicly acknowledges and rectifies this egregious misrepresentation.
  2. Bushra Shaikh is removed from the programme, or Channel 4 provides full transparency about her antisemitic views to ensure they are challenged.

Failure to act will send a chilling message: that antisemitism is excusable in the name of entertainment, and that some forms of hate are more acceptable than others.

I look forward to your urgent response.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Email]
[Your Organisation, if applicable]


WHY THIS MATTERS

If we allow this to stand, Channel 4 will legitimise antisemitism while claiming to fight racism.
Jew hatred cannot be excused under the guise of “challenging conversations.”
A public broadcaster must be held to account for violating its own anti-racist commitments.

📢 ACT NOW – FLOOD CHANNEL 4 & OFCOM WITH COMPLAINTS! 📢