the times | Thursday January 13 2022 2GM 23
News
The BBC antisemitism row has deep-
ened after a board member with links to
the government questioned editors
about the corporation’s coverage of an
attack on Jewish passengers on a
London bus.
Newsroom sources say that Sir Rob-
bie Gibb, who was Theresa May’s com-
munications director, raised concerns
about the BBC’s reporting on the
Oxford Street incident last year.
One insider said that Gibb had been
conducting his own inquiry into the
case before the intervention last Friday
by Nadine Dorries, the culture secre-
tary, and Ofcom, the media regulator.
Dorries demanded answers from the
BBC and Ofcom put the corporation on
notice that it was considering an inves-
tigation.
The Jewish community accused the
BBC of adding insult to injury after Ha-
nukkah revellers on a bus were abused
by men described as “Middle Eastern”
in appearance. A story on the BBC web-
site said that “a slur about Muslims” was
heard from inside the bus. The same
claim was broadcast by BBC London.
It later emerged that BBC editors
thought that passengers were heard to
call their aggressors “dirty Muslims”.
Reviews of the video footage disclosed
that the phrase used was Hebrew for
“Call someone, it’s urgent”.
A source said that Gibb was “furious”.
Other BBC journalists questioned how
the accusation was reported without
firm evidence.
BBC insiders believe that the issue
has been compounded by its refusal to
hold an investigation after complaints.
The BBC has maintained that its
reporting was verified by a Hebrew
speaker. The corporation confirmed
that complaints were being investigat-firm’s headquarters in Zug, Switzerland.
In its judgment the tribunal said Car-
men Piccini, a black Latino employee,
took part in the show but said there was
“no malice” in the blacking up and that
she was not offended by it.
Mulumba was later posted to Zug and
took offence at the photograph when
she saw it on a filing cabinet.
She also alleged that her bosses told
racist jokes about monkeys while on a
retreat in 2016 and that while on a busi-
ness trip to Uganda a manager said that
“a woman’s place is in the kitchen” and
that “women should stay at home as
they have smaller egos”.
Rejecting the claim, the tribunal said
that the photograph did not “pertain” to
any discrimination towards her per-
sonally. It found that managers at the
company rightfully had doubts over
Mulumba’s performance.
Partners Group said it went to “sub-
stantial lengths to help Miss Mulumba
and in no way treated her less favour-
ably” before dismissing her.
In his ruling Judge Richard Nicolle
acknowledged that Mulumba had “a
genuine belief that her progression had
been stymied”. Although the tribunal
rejected her discrimination claim, it
agreed that she had been unfairly dis-
missed because the company had not
made clear to her or put into writing
that she was to be sacked. Compensa-
tion will be awarded at a later date.Financier loses claim over
Whoopi Goldberg blackface
Jonathan Ames Legal EditorBBC editors questioned
in antisemitism dispute
ed only after Dorries and Ofcom inter-
vened.
It is not clear who wrote the sentence
that has caused anger. Harry Farley, a
religion and ethics journalist, is named
as the report’s author but he has said
the wording was added at the behest of
editors. In private messages seen by The
Times, Farley told an antisemitism
campaigner: “This was actually some-
thing picked up by my editors, not me.”
A correction said: “During the edit-
ing process a line was added reporting
that racial slurs about Muslims could be
heard inside the bus. This line has been
amended to make clear that ‘a slur
about Muslims’ could be heard.”
The BBC declined to comment on
who edited the piece. There also seems
to be confusion about which BBC div-
ision was responsible for the report.
Gibb, a director at The Jewish Chroni-
cle, has previously questioned the
impartiality of Jess Brammar, the BBC
News editor, and was involved in a
review of the BBC’s editorial processes
following the Martin Bashir scandal.
The BBC said: “Our story was a factu-
al report that focused on the individuals
the police want to identify, those who
directed abuse at the bus. We take com-
plaints very seriously.”Jake Kanter Media Correspondent
A financier at the London office of an
investment group has failed in a race
discrimination claim after colleagues
“blacked up” at a Christmas party.
Harmonie Mulumba, an associate at
the Partners Group, a private equity
firm, complained that a photograph of
two male co-workers, who had blacked
up to renact Whoopi Goldberg’s role in
the 1992 film Sister Act, was on show at
its Swiss headquarters.
Mulumba, who earned a salary of
£81,000, claimed that displaying the
photograph racially discriminated
against her. She also made several other
claims against the company.
However, the employment tribunal
ruled that all of her discrimination
claims were without merit because she
had not been personally targeted.
The judge went on to find that
Mulumba, who is originally from the
Democratic Republic of Congo, delib-
erately attempted to find evidence, in-
cluding the photograph, to allege that
she was the victim of a discriminatory
campaign.
The tribunal in London was told that
Mulumba had analyst roles at Gold-
man Sachs and eBay before joining
Partners Group in 2015, until her dis-
missal three years later.
Evidence was submitted of the black-
ing-up incident at a party in 2012 at thePolice issued footage of the men they
want to question about the bus attackGP in sexism
complaint is
struck off
Lianne KolirinA GP who worked in the NHS for more
than three decades has been struck off
after dismissing a colleague’s complaint
as a “vindictive pile of female crap”.
Robert Keane qualified in 1985 and
was a partner at a surgery in Norwich
for almost 20 years before he became a
locum.
In April 2018, after only one day at
Lakenheath Surgery in West Suffolk,
Keane received a complaint from
another doctor named as “Dr A”.
Over the following seven months he
disrespected colleagues in emails, fail-
ed to return important documents and
missed meetings, a disciplinary hearing
was told. In November of that year he
sent an email describing Dr A’s com-
plaint about him as “just a vindictive
pile of female crap”.
When later asked to explain his com-
ment, he said: “Well, 99 per cent of the
complaints in the NHS come from
females and yes, it’s not my finest hour,
but that’s my explanation.”
Keane was taken to a tribunal in
December 2020 for the “inappropriate”
comments and failing to engage in a
complaints process.
He was suspended for 12 months but
has now been removed from the GMC
medical register after a review hearing
found that he had not made any efforts
to apologise.
At his latest hearing, a Medical
Practitioners Tribunal Service panel
concluded that Keane must be re-
moved from the register.
Julia Oakford, who chaired the panel,
said: “Dr Keane has provided no evi-
dence of remediation or insight what-
soever. He appears to now be in a worse
position than in December 2020.”
In December 2020 Keane said that
he was not interested in engaging with
the tribunal process and had retired.T
he diary of a
young British
soldier killed a day
after the Allied
landings in
Salerno has found its way
back to Italy 78 years after
his death thanks to the
passion for history of alocal man (Philip Willan
writes).
Kenneth Hawkins was
killed in heavy fighting near
Salerno on September 10,
1943, after recording his
experiences during the
landing on the previous day
in now-faded pencil. PrivateHawkins, who was from
Carmarthenshire, initially
joined the Gloucestershire
Regiment before moving to
the York and Lancasters.
His “diary of my military
service in the war” began
on January 6, 1943, when
he embarked for north
Africa from Liverpool.
Hawkins saw action in
Algeria and Tunisia, where
he was involved in guarding
20,000 captured German
and Italian soldiers andcaught a glimpse of
Winston Churchill at a
victory parade.
The diary, four service
medals and a few
photographs were bought
on eBay UK a year ago by
Michele Giordano, a garage
owner from Salerno, who
collects memorabilia on theAllied landings, known as
Operation Avalanche. He
paid £80 for the collection
from someone he presumed
was a professional trader.
He said he would be happy
to share the information in
the diary with any members
of Hawkins’s family, but
otherwise planned to
include it in an exhibition.
“If there are no
descendants then it is better
that it should remain in
Salerno,” he said.War diary returns to site
of soldier’s last stand
MICHELE GIORDANOThe diary, photos and medals
that belonged to Kenneth
Hawkins, who is buried in
Salerno, were found on eBay