U of W radio station suspends program over anti-Semitic content

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This article was published 26/11/2017 (2869 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A local radio station has suspended one of its programs for six weeks following the on-air promotion of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

CKUW 95.9 FM removed Where Angels Fear to Tread from its scheduled programming after B’nai Brith Canada highlighted the content of its Nov. 11 broadcast.

During the episode, the host interviewed Toronto conspiracy theorist Sydney White – described on-air as an “investigative journalist” — who promoted a number of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and tropes.

White claimed Israelis gassed and cremated the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, and accused American-Jewish businessman Larry Silverstein (who leased the World Trade Centre) of making “billions” on the “massacre.”

She repeatedly labelled the United States as “Zionist America” and accused Jewish bankers of instigating and funding the Russian Revolution. In addition, she alleged a Toronto newspaper banned coverage of her talks, claiming a reporter told her the owners of the publication are Zionists.

“Who prints the money? The criminals who print the money and turn every country into a debtor’s prison, those same criminals own the media and print the news,” White said.

The host, April Cherpaw, didn’t question or disagree with White’s claims. According to Cherpaw’s LinkedIn page, she also serves on the station’s board of directors. Despite the suspension of the show, the episode remains available for download on the CKUW website.

In response to the broadcast, a B’nai Brith representative will appear on-air to talk about the rise of anti-Semitism in Canada and the 2016 audit of anti-Semitic incidents.

“We commend CKUW for taking action against anti-Semitism on the air. This hateful content was totally inappropriate for any Canadian radio station, let alone one financed in part by mandatory student fees,” said Michael Mostyn, chief executive officer of B’nai Brith Canada.

CKUW is partly funded by student fees transferred from the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association. It is a non-commercial, university-based, volunteer-run station.

Where Angels Fear to Tread is a weekly, one-hour program broadcast on Saturday afternoons.

The description of the show on the CKUW website reads: “The ‘Powers That Would-be’ have made their intentions quite clear: they need us divided, confused and in a state of fear. Do we really want to live like this? Where Angels Fear to Tread seeks a way through and past these dark intentions.”

On Nov. 25, the radio station delivered an on-air apology for the Nov. 11 broadcast.

The host of the show and the station’s program director were unable to be reached for comment.

ryan.thorpe.media@mail.com