BBC sorry over Frankie Boyle IDF joke
By Robyn Rosen, April 29, 2010

The BBC Trust's editorial standards committee has apologised after Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle made an "antisemitic" joke about the Israeli army.

Mr Boyle made the comment on Radio 4's Political Animal programme in June 2008 and said: "I'm quite interested in the Middle East, I'm actually studying Israeli army martial arts. And I know 16 ways to kick a Palestinian woman in the back.

"I've got an analogy which explains the whole thing quite well: if you imagine that Palestine is a cake – well, that cake is being punched to pieces by a very angry Jew."

Adam Bernstein, a 36-year-old musician from Oxford, complained that the comments were "disgusting" and "antisemitic" and last November the BBC found that the use of the word "Jew" was inappropriate.

Unhappy with the response, Mr Bernstein went to the editorial complaints unit, which this week apologised on behalf of the BBC for "any offence" it may have caused listeners and admitted it breached editorial guidelines.

It added that the breach "while serious, did not require an apology or correction from the BBC online or on air".
Last updated: 3:18pm, April 29 2010