ITV reality show Big Brother has found itself at the centre of a storm – all because it caved in to the pro-Israel lobby over… wait for it… a watermelon.
Big Brother: what’s occurring?
On Wednesday 23 October, viewers were left wondering what was going on, as ITV pulled Tuesday 22’s episode from ITVX:
ITV have confirmed last nights #BBUK and #BBLL will be available to watch on ITVX from later this evening, due to compliance reasons they are re-editing parts of the show.
— sᴜᴘᴇʀ ᴛᴠ (@superTV247) October 23, 2024
It was previously shown on both TV and streaming. However, something had clearly got ITV bosses concerned – as an official account confirmed it had removed the episode form ITVX due to “compliance reasons”:
We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We have been made aware that yesterdays BBUK has been removed because of compliance reasons
— ITVX Help (@ITVXhelp) October 23, 2024
People began speculating why. If you also happen to watch Married At First Sight, you’ll know reality TV this season has a problem with toxic masculinity (but that’s for another article):
https://twitter.com/SH4UNIE/status/1849136903737446485
A lot of X users thought they knew what the problem with the Big Brother episode was:
wait if it’s bc of ali’s watermelon shirt that’s actually stupid.. https://t.co/d7VF3tVcup
— cath (@enjoyurIife) October 23, 2024
I hope this has nothing to do with Ali's pro Palestine t shirt. Big Brother is a social experiment, all walks of life with different views and opinions (Ali happens to have very good ones). Don't go down this road 😒 @bbuk @itvx @BanijayUK #bbuk https://t.co/kScxOo7geH
— Lewis (@lewisjsloman) October 23, 2024
And unfortunately, they were right:
🚨 | Last nights episodes of Big Brother and Late & Live are now reappearing on ITVX…
They have edited out Ali’s Pro-Palestine watermelon t-shirt, which was reported to ofcom by @/antisemitism… #BBUK
Before: After: pic.twitter.com/redkahzTqG
— sᴜᴘᴇʀ ᴛᴠ (@superTV247) October 23, 2024
Watermelons worse than an actual genocide
Ali was indeed wearing a t-shirt with a watermelon. As Bon Appetit wrote:
In 1967, during the Six-Day War fought between Israel and neighboring countries including Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, the Israeli government banned displays of the Palestinian flag within its borders to curtail Palestinian and Arab nationalism. The ban lasted until 1993, when the Oslo Accords loosened restrictions on Palestinians inside of Israel.
In the time between the war and the accords, the watermelon became a protest symbol. A sliced watermelon, with its bright red fruit, green-and-white rind, and speckling of black seeds, contains all of the colors of the Palestinian flag. The fruit was also readily available for use in demonstrations against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, where protesters carried wedges of watermelon in place of the flag.
The watermelon has remained a symbol of Palestinian resistance to Israel illegal – yes, illegal – occupation of their territories. However, clearly ITV and Big borther thought Ali showing solidarity with people currently being subjected to Israel’s “plausible” genocide is also illegal.
Well, it is if you’re pro-Israel lobby group Campaign Against Antisemitism. Because it kicked off (misrepresenting the watermelon symbol in the process). It claimed it had complained to Ofcom (the broadcast TV regulator). Which is probably why ITV then edited out Ali’s watermelon:
How is this becoming the norm?
A Big Brother (@bbuk) ‘housemate’ was seen wearing a T-shirt depicting the map of Israel as a watermelon—a symbol widely associated with anti-Israel sentiment. This graphic has caused significant distress among the British Jewish community, who… pic.twitter.com/NNaOOuojz0
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) October 23, 2024
However, earlier in the series security violently ripped a Palestinian flag out of an audience member’s hands. Not connected?
You cannot tell me ITV taking off the episodes and re-editing it is not connected… @bbuk @itv @itvx #bbuk 🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉 pic.twitter.com/jigld7qark
— Freya Brianna 🦋 (@FreyaBrianna) October 23, 2024
As users on X pointed out, all housemates’ clothing is checked before they go into the Big Brother house. So, clearly Ali’s tee wasn’t a problem before:
really confused by this? obv they had to approve the clothing but did they just double down when they received a complaint? #bbuk https://t.co/88dvKmkV7e
— Hanah Charts & Updates (off-duty) (@sinceramente__9) October 23, 2024
Lobby group Campaign Against Antisemitism has repeatedly weaponised criticism of the Israeli government and state by calling it antisemitic – which it is not. This is another perfect example of that.
Also, Big Brother is an entertainment show – not a news programme. Therefore, rules around impartiality are far more loose – and it is unlikely Ali’s tee did breach Ofcom standards. Yet, ITV still caved in.
Big Brother. What a mess.
As one user rightly summed up:
Ali wearing a shirt with a supposed “genocidal message” is distressing but Israel actively committing genocide isn’t distressing ? You’re not right in the head #BBUK https://t.co/W9z8KU4go2
— The Scarlet Mitch (@mm_itch) October 23, 2024
Israel has slaughtered over 40,000 people in Gaza, including around 16,500 children. As the world saw, it burned the 19-year-old Shaban Al-Dalu alive. He was sheltering in a tent in the compound of Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital with his parents and five siblings when an Israeli bomb hit, one of many such attacks.
A fireball engulfed him whilst he was still attached to an IV drip. Images of this atrocity have gone viral around the world.
But yes – tell me again about watermelons, Big Brother?
Featured image via screengrab
