Big Brother apologises for Ali's 'Israel T-shirt' amid backlash to episode edit
"Any offensive messaging associated with the image does not reflect the values or beliefs of Big Brother."
ITV has released a statement in response to an incident that saw a T-shirt worn by Big Brother housemate Ali Bromley edited out of the show.
In an episode originally broadcast earlier this week, Ali had worn a T-shirt depicting a map of Israel and Palestine as a watermelon – a symbol that is commonly used as a show of support for Palestine.
However, after accusations of anti-semitism, the episode was removed from ITVX and re-uploaded with the T-shirt's graphic edited out, which subsequently led some viewers to criticise the broadcaster for removing the imagery.
ITV has now outlined the reasons for taking the decision in a statement, adding that Ali was "unaware of the implications and did not wish to cause any harm or offence".
A spokesperson said: "All housemate items are checked by our production team before they go into the Big Brother house to ensure they comply with the rules and compliance requirements. Big Brother does not allow any personal items into the house that could be deemed harmful.
"We regret that the implications of this particular item of clothing were not fully understood in our bag checks or prior to broadcast of last night’s show. We apologise to any viewers who have been offended by the broadcast and assure viewers that Big Brother was unaware of the implications of the image."
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The statement continued: “The item of clothing has been removed from the house. The housemate has been spoken to and they have expressed that they are unaware of the implications and did not wish to cause any harm or offence. Any offensive messaging associated with the image does not reflect the values or beliefs of Big Brother."
After the episode was originally aired, the show came under pressure from a number of groups including Campaign Against Antisemitism, who lodged a complaint with Ofcom.
The complaint read: "How is this becoming the norm? This graphic has caused significant distress among the British Jewish community, who regard it as a genocidal message similar to the slogan ‘From the River to the Sea’, which calls for the elimination of the world’s only Jewish state.
“How did the show’s staff allow this shirt to be worn, let alone broadcast it on national television? This incident represents a serious violation of broadcasting standards."
Following the backlash, the episode was then removed from ITVX on Tuesday night before the edited version was uploaded on Wednesday.
However, other viewers criticised the decision to edit out the T-shirt, with some even calling for a boycott of the show as a result.
One viewer wrote: "Why are you censoring a woman wearing a t-shirt in the pattern of a watermelon @bbuk / @ITVX by editing the show to remove the pattern? Oh, because it depicts something else that is political? Get a grip producers.. What has UK TV become?"
Some also pointed out that another housemate, Khaled, is himself Palestinian and has spoken openly about his support for his country before.
Big Brother continues Sunday to Friday at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
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