The BBC is facing further criticism after social media posts by a contestant on The Traitors emerged in which he compared Israel to Nazi Germany, prompting outrage from Jewish organisations and fresh questions over vetting standards.
Marzook Bana, known as “Maz” on the prime-time reality series, posted comments on Facebook in 2021 likening an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank to the actions of the Nazis and accusing “Zionists” of forgetting the Holocaust.
Under an image appearing to show an Israeli checkpoint, Bana wrote: “Nazis all over again, the oppressed have become the oppressors!! The Zionists have short memories of what Hitler did. Never again, they said!! The world’s political leaders should be ashamed of themselves of being subservient to ISRAEL!”
In the same thread, he later stated that “to criticise Israel’s behaviour towards the Palestinian people is not antisemitic.”
Further posts attributed to Bana accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of being positioned to “annihilate the Labour Party” and bowing to “his paymasters”. He later liked a reply identifying those “paymasters” as “the pro-Israeli lobby, the Board of Deputies and anyone else who finds the idea of Palestinians having human rights abhorrent”.
Bana, a 59-year-old retired police officer from Preston and a father of five, was eliminated from the programme last week. In a statement, he said: “I apologise for any offence my comments may have caused. It’s never been my intention to offend, marginalise or discriminate against any individual or group. I refute any allegations that I am antisemitic. My viewpoint has always been from a humanitarian perspective rather than a political one.”
Jewish groups said the language used echoed well-established antisemitic tropes, particularly Nazi comparisons and claims of covert Jewish influence over political leaders.
Studio Lambert, the production company behind The Traitors, said the comments were not uncovered during background checks. It said: “We employ reputable companies to conduct thorough background and social media checks as part of our due diligence, which we take extremely seriously.”
The company added: “The comments referenced in the article were made on third-party accounts rather than the individual’s own, so could not be identified through our checking process. We wish to be clear that political views play no part in participation, selection or decision-making within the game. And of course, the content of The Traitors is not political.”
The BBC said it had been unaware of the posts and rejected the views expressed, stating: “We were completely unaware that these comments had been posted on social media, due to the fact they were made on third-party accounts. We do not agree with the views presented.”
