Confronted with antisemitism by Jewish host, actress quits BBC show

RSS Feed

Confronted with antisemitism by Jewish host, actress quits BBC show

January 9th, 2021

Awake Goy

Host of the BBC Women’s Hour program Emma Barnet allegedly exposed her plan to ask Nigerian-born UK actress Kelechi Okafor about her supposed antisemitism while unwittingly speaking near an open mike, BBC reported on Thursday. Ofafor chose to drop out of Women’s Hour rather than confront the Jewish presenter.

While Barnet argued Okafor was fully aware she was going to be asked about antisemtisim, Okafor claimed she was led to believe the program will deal with the #MeToo movement and that she was treated in a “degrading” manner. BBC claimed that the remarks had nothing to do with race.

Aired on Wednesday, the program dealt with the trial of Jewish-American film producer Harvey Weinstein marking one year to the much publicized court case. Barnet reported the Weinstein affair turned the already existing #MeToo label into a global force. She hosted US actresses Rosanna Arquette and Caitlin Dulany, Okafor was meant to be the third guest.

Jewish people’s various roles in show business reached British media’s attention after Black British actor Reggie Yates said in 2017 that the great thing about the new generation of British artists is that they are managed by their “brethren” and not “some random fat Jewish guy from north west London.” The comment was slammed as antisemitic and Yates apologized for it, but Okafor supported him at the time as speaking the “truth.”

Barnet herself is a Jewish-British woman who didn’t shy away from addressing her own personal family history in a 2017 Sunday Times piece in which she confronted her father, Ian, being sent to prison for running brothels in Manchester. While a minority, Jewish people have had their role in many of the historical events which shaped the modern world, including the emergence of show business, organized crime, even the centuries old fields of piracy or the North-Atlantic slave trade. While some activists argue that, unless spoken about, history is silenced, others argue that, if taken out of context, such discussions are used to “blow-up” Jewish roles out of all proportions – which might suggest an antisemitic motive.

Source