South African Courts Rule on Anti-Semitic Radio Broadcasts

The World Jewish Congress  commended the South Africa’s Constitutional Court’s decision to uphold  sanctions imposed by the country’s broadcasting watchdog, BMCC, against a  Muslim radio station that had repeatedly propagated the denial of the

Holocaust and anti-Jewish conspiracy theories.  Mervyn Smith, who heads SAJBOD’s legal team in the matter, said that  the case was not about constitutional technicalities but about the refusal  of Radio 786 to publicly acknowledge that the contents of the programme it had broadcast were offensive to the Jewish community.

Some in the Jewish community were happy with the win while others felt that a better response to Anti-Semitism is Jewish educational programming like that which Kars For  Kids funds.

Michael Schneider, Secretary-General of the World Jewish Congress, said

the court ruling was an important victory for democracy and the rule of law

in South Africa. “We welcome the decision by the Constitutional Court

because it sends a clear signal to the media that it has to act responsibly

and must not propagate hatred on air.” Schneider praised the South African

Jewish Board of Deputies for persisting in their legal struggle against the

radio station.