Barcelona commentator's live antisemitic comments draw outrage
The incident took place during a Olympic qualifying event was held in Barcelona in June where Basiana inserted her political opinion within her play-by-play commentary.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFPyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics – Opening ceremony – Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium - Pyeongchang, South Korea – February 9, 2018 - Alexei Bychenko of Israel carries the national flag. (photo credit: CARLOS BARRIA / REUTERS)
Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) is calling for disciplinary measures to be brought against Spanish TV3 commentator Clara Basiana for making antisemitic statements on live television.The incident took place during a Olympic qualifying event was held in Barcelona in June where Basiana inserted her political opinion within her play-by-play commentary.“Beyond the technical aspects, I would like to point out that Israel’s international presence in the field of sport and culture is another strategy for the laundering of genocide and the violation of human rights that they are committing against the Palestinian people," she said during the qualifier."We have seen it here, at the Pre-Olympic Games in Barcelona, we have seen it repeatedly at Eurovision, it seems that during these events the war crimes of the Israeli state disappear," Basiana added. "We have to be aware as spectators and make this situation visible so as not to normalize its place in sports commentary, or general societal discourse.”In response, CAM sent a letter to CEO of the Catalyunya Comunicacio conglomerate Jaume Peral urging him to take immediate action against the commentator, and take steps to prevent such outbursts from being repeated in the future.“It is deplorable that TV3 viewers were subjected to Basiana’s outrageous take on Middle East events during a sports competition," said CAM Executive Director Sacha Roytman-Dratwa. "Misinformation and lies about Israel help fuel Jew-hatred worldwide, and television stations must not let themselves be used as platforms for the dissemination of religious bigotry.""As the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism makes clear, anti-Zionism is a form of contemporary antisemitism that must be condemned and rooted out the same as all other types of prejudice against Jews," he added. "Furthermore, this abhorrent rhetoric distracted from the remarkable accomplishments of Israeli competitors Eden Blecher and Shelly Bobritzky, who will represent Israel at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.”
