Calls for James O'Brien to be ‘taken off air' after anti-Semitic comments
The Telegraph understands the broadcast has also been reported to the Metropolitan Police, with one complaint alleging that the programme spread 'lies about Jews'.
Police have reportedly been told the show ' puts Jews in very real danger '.
The comments, which some have labelled 'anti-Semitic', were shared online by LBC in a clip from a longer live broadcast.
It has been reported to the media regulator Ofcom, and has since been removed from X, formerly Twitter, by LBC.
'Fascinated by objectivity'
In the clip, Mr O'Brien stated: 'I'm fascinated by objectivity, which is why I'm going to read out this from Chris'.
He then read out a message that claimed: 'My wife was brought up Jewish and at Shabbat school in a leafy Hertfordshire town she was taught that one Jewish life is worth thousands of Arab lives and that Arabs are cockroaches to be crushed.
'Whilst young children are taught such hatred and dehumanisation – undoubtedly on both sides… then they will always be able to justify death and cruelty.'
Mr O'Brien added that in relation to the Israel-Gaza conflict, there was a danger of the public only hearing about 'one side' of the 'propaganda processes'.
In response to the comments, Andrew Gilbert, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, called on LBC to apologise and take Mr O'Brien off air.
In a statement shared on X, Mr Gilbert said: 'We are urgently seeking a meeting with senior executives following the completely unacceptable and highly offensive comments made by James O'Brien on his LBC show today.
'Broadcasting such a transparent falsehood and demonising the British Jewish community, at a time when antisemitism in this country is at terrifyingly high levels, must have clear consequences.
'LBC should apologise, and take Mr O'Brien off the air.'
On-air apology issued
Karne Pollock, the head of Holocaust Educational Trust, also pointed out that there is no such thing as a 'Shabbat school'.
Other critics have taken issue with the on-air message suggesting that – beyond Israel itself – Jews in general may harbour resentment towards Arabs, and are instructed to feel this way.
The day after the contentious broadcast on July 22, Mr O'Brien issued an on-air apology when he returned to the LBC studio.
He said: 'This is very important. At this time yesterday on the show, I read out a message from a listener called Chris, who said that his wife had been brought up in the Jewish faith and had attended what he described as a Shabbat school.
'He went on to make further claims about what he said she had been taught in that school.
'As with all the texts and messages that I read out on the programme, I did so in good faith, but the message has understandably upset a lot of people, and I regret taking those unsubstantiated claims at face value and am genuinely sorry for that and it is very important that I get that out there. Thank you for your attention.'
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