Ukraine accuses BBC Panorama of 'assault' over Euro 2012 racism coverage

 
Captain Steven Gerrard of England celebrates with the team after Joleon Lescott of England scored the first goal during the UEFA EURO 2012 group D match between France and England at Donbass Arena on June 11, 2012 in Donetsk, Ukraine. Photo:Julian Finney/Getty Images
Shekhar Bhatia14 June 2012

Ukraine today hit back at the BBC over its controversial Panorama which claimed racism would blight the Euro 2012 football championships.

The government here accused the BBC of “assault” and said the first week of the tournament had been free of any racial incidents in the country.

Officials declared the worst clashes had been in Poland, particularly at the Poland and Russian match in Warsaw on Tuesday night which led to nearly 200 arrests after marathon street brawls.

Panorama had claimed Asian and black supporters following England would be particularly at risk and focused on Nazi sympathizers at matches both in the Ukraine and in Poland, which are jointly hosting the tournament.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Voloyshn said:”The Panorama programme was a direct assault. It lowered expectations and was a kind of provocation."

He admitted Ukraine did suffer from racism, but said it was not unique to the country.

"It's in every country. And it's a smaller problem than was shown in the film."

The documentary, "Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate", was transmitted on May 28 and included footage of a group of Indian supporters being attacked at a Ukraine league match, and showed Polish fans chanting anti-semitic slogans.

Former England defender Sol Campbell urged England fans to stay away from Euro 2012 or risk coming home "in a coffin", after viewing the pictures.

The families of England attacker Theo Walcott and his Arsenal colleague Alex Oxlade-Chaamberlain decided to boycott the tournament and stay away.

But Mr Voloyshn added:"We don't have real racism en masse in Ukraine. We have nationalists. They are anti-Russian, anti-Polish and anti-European. But the biggest problem so far has been between Russians and Poles. And the Poles are already in the European Union."

Jonathan Ornstein, the executive director of the Jewish centre in Krakow, who featured in the programme accused Panorama last week of selective reporting and said his remarks that isolated incidents of anti-semitism were not representative of Poland as a whole were dropped because they didn't fit the BBC's "sensationalist" agenda.

But the BBC strongly defended the programme and that it adhered to strict editorial guidelines and the programme's editor Tom Giles, said the reporting had been accurate and fair.

“The programme made clear that we were investigating the behaviour of some football supporters and political hooligans – not the peoples of the countries themselves

"Amid all of these accusations against Panorama and the BBC, there is a real fear that the key issue has been missed – the overt and frightening racist and anti-Semitic abuse and violence of the kind broadcast by Panorama is both wrong and deeply upsetting to those on its receiving end. That was the point of the programme. We set out to highlight a wrong."

A BBC spokesman added: "Panorama filmed at nine recent football matches in Poland and Ukraine and at every one recorded racist and/or violent behaviour by football supporters. This was most graphically demonstrated in Ukraine, where a group of Asian students were viciously assaulted inside the Metalist stadium, which is hosting Euro 2012 matches. To date no politician, football or police official in Ukraine has condemned these incidents or expressed concern for those on the receiving end."

In contrast to the World Cup in South Africa, very few Asian and black England supporters have travelled to the Ukraine and Poland.

But one, Imran Haq, 22, from Bedford, said:”I saw the programme and it was scary stuff. But the people in Donetsk at our first match were terrific towards me and my mates.

“One old woman even offered me a free room when I couldn’t get anywhere to stay.”

British police and England supporters’ representatives say they expect no trouble when England’s next match takes place tomorrow evening here.

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