Keep Jew-hatred out of sports broadcasting!
Dear friends,
Sharing with you the latest in our battle against antisemitism. You may have heard or read about Spanish sports commentator Clara Basiana's disparaging comments made while reporting from the Artistic Swimming Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The Lawfare Project's counsel in Spain, Ignacio Palacios, has submitted a complaint to the public broadcasting authority — Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals — demanding an investigation into its employee's breach of standards.
When Basiana saw members of the Israeli swimming team, she said:
"Beyond the technical commentary, I’d like to draw attention to the fact that Israel’s international presence is another strategy for whitewash the genocide and violations of human rights that they’re committing against the Palestinian people. We’ve seen it repeatedly in Eurovision, and it’s as though the war crimes of the State of Israel are erased and we’d like to point this out to the viewers so as not to normalize it."
These antisemitic comments have no place at sporting events, especially from broadcast journalists. Clara Basiana has the freedom to express her views, no matter how harmful they might be. However, this freedom is limited when she comments on a tournament as a journalist for the public broadcasting corporation of Catalonia. She must respect her professional obligations and report on the facts of the athlete's performance, not on her discriminatory beliefs about athletes' national origins.
This tendency to blame all Israelis for the actions of the Israeli government is rooted in antisemitism. Jews and Israelis do not share any supposed collective guilt for Israel's right to exist as a state.
Our fight continues. We will do all that we can to ensure that Basiana and all others who seek to disparage Jews and limit our rights are held accountable.
None of this could be accomplished without your help. Thank you for being with us every step of the way.
Sincerely,
Brooke Goldstein
Executive Director, The Lawfare Project