TELL OFCOM: A GB News guest condoned antisocial behaviour against climate protesters again
Watch: GB News guest suggests police should employ people to “throw salt” on the ripped up hands of climate protesters who glued their hands to a road
On 28th September 2024, a GB News guest was allowed to condone antisocial behaviour against climate protesters for the second time, having made similar comments on the channel in June of this year.
The segment breached Ofcom rule 2.4, which forbids “material (whether in individual programmes or in programmes taken together) which, taking into account the context, condones or glamorises violent, dangerous or seriously antisocial behaviour and is likely to encourage others to copy such behaviour”.
Submit your complaint to Ofcom using this form and by following the guidance below.
Programme details:
Programme title: Saturday Night Showdown
Date of broadcast: 28 September 2024
Time of broadcast (24 hour clock): 20:19
Channel / station: GB News
Your complaint:
Subject: GB News guest condoned antisocial behaviour against climate protesters, violating Ofcom broadcasting code 2.4.
Description:
Here’s a few bullet points to include:
- On 28 September 2024, GB News guest Bruce Devlin expressed support for injuring climate protesters, which was not challenged. In the segment, Devlin stated that he “had huge respect for the Spanish police” when they “ripped” up protesters’ hands glued to a road. Devlin suggested that the police should “employ” “people to throw salt” onto their ripped up hands.
- This amounts to an endorsement of violence against environmental protesters and therefore violates code 2.4 of the Ofcom code, which forbids “material (whether in individual programmes or in programmes taken together) which, taking into account the context, condones or glamorises violent, dangerous or seriously antisocial behaviour and is likely to encourage others to copy such behaviour”. The fact that environmental protesters have been subject to real life violence by members of the public makes these comments all the more dangerous.
- It is also notable that Devlin made near-identical comments on 9th June on GB News show Free Speech Nation at 20:04, when he advocated the same treatment of protesters, as well as leaving them to “bleed in their cell” and setting them on fire. This complaint was not investigated by Ofcom, despite also featuring Devlin condoning “dangerous or seriously antisocial behaviour”.