Big Brother locked in anti-Semitism row after housemate wears T-shirt showing map of Israel as a watermelon
BIG Brother was at the centre of an anti-Semitism row yesterday after a housemate wore a T-shirt depicting a map of Israel as a watermelon.
The symbol, widely associated with anti-Israel sentiment, sparked claims ITV was allowing “genocidal” views to be broadcast to millions of viewers.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism complained to Ofcom and said last night: “How is this becoming the norm?”
It added: “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.”
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Contestant Ali Bromley, a forensic psychologist, wore the controversial T-shirt in the garden of the Big Brother house.
Viewers were in shock at the T-shirt being screened, branding it “vile” and “despicable”.
Zalman Muhammad said: “This is harmful, and she needs to go.”
Another viewer said: “She’s a horrible nasty piece of work. Smiling assassin.”
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The episode was pulled off ITVX on Tuesday night, before being re-uploaded to the site on Wednesday.
A tweet from ITVX today said: "Thank you for reaching out to us today. Hope you are well.
"Regarding your question about last night's Big Brother show, we have some news, it will be available to view later this evening.
"We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this but the wait will be worth it."
Watermelons have been a symbol of Palestinian nationalism dating back decades.
They have seen a resurgence during Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
The fruit is linked with Palestinian activism because their colours - red, black, white and green - match the colours of the Palestinian flag.
That symbol became widespread during the decades when Israel banned the waving of the Palestinian flag in Gaza and the West Bank.
Actress Jennifer Garner’s daughter wore a sweatshirt with the watermelon cut into the shape of a map earlier this year.
The group StopAntisemitism took offence at the map - meant to display the shape of Palestine - saying that it “erases the entire country of Israel,” envisioning a Palestinian state in the territory that now encompasses Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
Before Big Brother, Ali said she was looking forward to "just being away and thrown into a totally new environment, completely different to anything I’ve done before, completely different to anything I’ll ever do in the future".
She said: "I think the fact that I’m a forensic psychologist will surprise people.
"It’s not your everyday, typical nine-to-five office job. It’s quite difficult, it’s quite demanding, and I work in highly stressful situations."
She continued: "But I’m quite chilled and probably don’t look like the sort of person who can hold my own – in a prison, for example."
Last week, Big Brother sparked a furore when narrator Marcus Bentley announced: “Daze and Khaled are in the bedroom discussing Palestine.”
The production team was accused of prejudices as the duo were in reality discussing Israel and the wider Middle East when Daze said:
“Actually, if you, like, boil it down, no one should be killed like this. It’s, like, not OK, regardless of the situation.”
Housemate Ali last night claimed she was ignorant of the hurt she’d caused and was unaware of the symbolism on her t-shirt.
She was allowed to stay in the house, but her garment was 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.
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"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.”
