Ofcom has imposed a £40,000 fine on Islam Channel Limited (“Islam Channel”) after our investigation (PDF, 988 KB) found its service, Islam Channel, had failed to comply with our broadcasting rules.
On 22 February 2021, Islam Channel broadcast The Andinia Plan, a one-hour documentary examining a conspiracy theory which originated in a neo-Nazi publication. This theory, known as the “Andinia Plan”, alleges there is a plan to establish a Jewish state in Patagonia, the southern region of South America governed by Argentina and Chile.
In our Breach Decision, published on 5 December 2022 in Issue 463 of the Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin (PDF, 988 KB), Ofcom found that this programme amounted to hate speech against Jewish people. We also found that this antisemitic content was highly offensive and not justified by the context. The programme had therefore breached Rules 3.2 and 2.3 of the Broadcasting Code.
In addition to the financial penalty of £40,000 to be paid by Islam Channel Ltd to HM Paymaster General, Ofcom is also directing the Islam Channel not to repeat the programme, and to broadcast a statement of Ofcom’s findings on a date and in a form to be determined by Ofcom.