BBC takes 'Kilroy' off air following Arab article

The BBC has suspended the weekday morning television programme 'Kilroy', following outrage caused by an article Mr Kilroy-Silk wrote for a Sunday newspaper.

In a statement released today, the corporation said that it "strongly disassociates itself" from the views expressed by Robert Kilroy-Silk in an article which he penned for The Sunday Express published on 4 January.

In the article, Mr Kilroy-Silk wrote: "Arab countries are not exactly shining examples of civilisation" and that Arabs should "go down on their knees and thank God for the munificence of the United States". Mr Kilroy-Silk went on to call Iran, Syria and Libya "vile, terrorist-supporting" regimes.

The article also accused Arabs for having "murdered more than 3,000 civilians on September 11", and for carrying out "cold-blooded killings" in Mombasa and Yemen, and for being "suicide bombers, limb-amputators, women repressors".

What Mr Kilroy-Silk viewed as the Arab world's support for Saddam Hussein was "the equivalent of all the European nations coming out in support of Hitler," he claimed.

He added that the Arab countries had nothing "useful" or "valuable" to contribute to the world besides oil - which was "discovered, is produced and is paid for by the West".

Following the article, the Muslim Council of Britain complained to the BBC, the Press Complaints Commission and the Sunday Express.

In a letter to BBC One Controller Lorraine Heggessey, the MCB said that it considered Mr Kilroy-Silk's remarks to be "ignorant, extremely derogatory and indisputably racist".

The MCB letter concluded: "We now urge the BBC to take urgent and appropriate action on this extremely serious matter to reassure the Muslim and Arab communities in Britain and abroad that the BBC will not in any way accept the contemptible demonisation of entire peoples.

"Certainly, if the word ‘Jews’ was substituted for ‘Arabs’ in the Kilroy quotes above it seems to us that the BBC would not tolerate any delay before it took substantive action against Kilroy."

The BBC's response came this lunchtime with the removal of their presenter from the air. The BBC's statement added: "We stress that these comments do not reflect the views of the BBC.

"The BBC is taking the Kilroy programme off air immediately while we investigate this matter fully."

From Monday, an extended half-hour of BBC Breakfast will be broadcast from 9.00-9.30am to cover for the gap in the BBC One schedule.

(gmcg)