UK: when did the police start collaring television?

aug 07 WOJ

UK commentators

Remember ‘Undercover Mosques?‘ The report that revealed the hate preachers agenda by the Channel 4 network? Well, the police couldn’t get the cleric’s to admit to committing hate-crimes, so they went back to Channel 4 and accused them of ‘fomenting hatred’ by exposing the Muhammedan ideology in the footage of the reportage.

And who came up with this glorious idea? A certain Anil Patani, an ‘Asian’ police officer. Lets check him out here:

“ANIL PATANI, an Asian police officer in the Nottinghamshire force, was rejected for the post of superintendent after tests told his superiors he was not up to scratch. He complained, and the force, not wanting to be accused of “racism”, upheld his complaint. He was put on the fast track for promotion, being promised “priority” treatment over other applicants. In due course he achieved his ambition and was made superintendent.

But now he is complaining again - and, believe it or not, the complaint is that he has been a victim of - “racism.”

Channel 4's controversial documentary Undercover Mosque was great investigative journalism. That the CPS thought it incited racial hatred beggars belief ...

Sunday August 12, 2007
The Observer

In what appeared to be an unprecedented move, the two bodies issued a joint statement condemning Undercover Mosque and announcing that the West Midlands Police had referred the documentary to the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom. Furthermore, the statement made clear that the police had asked the CPS to look at bringing a prosecution against the programme makers for stirring up racial hatred. Only a regrettable shortfall in evidence stood in the way of criminal charges.

Quite a story, then. The only problem is that the real story should have been about the alarmingly censorial and quite possibly libellous attack on investigative journalism.