ITV has edited footage from a Big Brother episode after Campaign Against Antisemitism and others submitted complaints to Ofcom.
Last week, Ali Bromley, a Big Brother ‘housemate’ and forensic psychologist was seen wearing a t-shirt depicting the map of Israel as a watermelon.
The watermelon has become a symbol widely associated with anti-Israel sentiment in recent months. It has therefore come to be regarded by the Jewish community 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.
The episode was removed from ITV’s online streaming service on Tuesday evening and re-uploaded the following day with the offending image removed.
A spokesperson for Big Brother 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.
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.”
