The BBC responded to claims that an Oxford University team mascot, which appeared on a recent episode of University Challenge, was an antisemitic message.
The show University Challenge is a quiz challenge in which two teams, each consisting of four students from a university, compete against one another in trivia knowledge.
Christ Church College of Oxford University was featured in an episode that aired on Monday. The team’s mascot was a plush toy blue octopus that was perceived as a symbol of antisemitism.
After the episode aired, some viewers suggested the team’s mascot was a reference to Nazi imagery, which depicted an octopus encircling the globe with its tentacles to signal control over society. Other viewers noted that one member from the Oxford team covered her hair, and her jacket appeared to have the colors of the Palestinian flag.
David Atherton, a journalist whose Twitter following exceeds 100,000, wrote on social media: “This is Melika Gorgianeh who is doing an PhD in Astrophysics at Christ Church @ChCh_Oxford, @UniofOxford. She appears in Palestinian colours & the deeply anti-Semitic trope of a Jewish blue octopus with its tentacles all over the world. Comments @BBCTwo?” Atherton attached a photo of the student on the Oxford team and included an image of the Nazi propaganda depicting the octopus.
Ben Obese-Jecty, a prospective Parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party, called the BBC “disgraceful” for allowing the student to display “a well-known antisemitic trope.”
The BBC responded to the complaints and clarified that the episode had been recorded months ago.
“We are aware of a number of inaccurate claims being made online in relation to last night’s episode of University Challenge and we utterly condemn the abuse that has been posted and shared,” a BBC spokesperson wrote.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this episode was filmed in March,” the statement continued. “The mascot is one of many chosen by the team during the course of the series and is one of their favourite animals.”
The BBC further dismissed claims that one of the Oxford students was wearing the colors of a Palestinian flag.
“The jacket worn by one of the contestants was navy blue, orange, pink and green, bought from a High Street retailer. It has no connection to any flag,” the BBC said.
Charlotte Nichols, a Labour Member of Parliament, expressed her support on Twitter for the Oxford students, writing: “Solidarity with Melika Gorgianeh and the Christ Church Oxford team, who have been subjected to baseless attacks online following last night’s episode of University Challenge. Shame on those still spreading false information and putting their safety at risk.”
In October, activist Greta Thunberg deleted a pro-Palestinian social media post after critics suggested the octopus plush toy in the background represented an anti-semitic symbol. In response, Thunberg wrote that the toy was a tool to help her manage autism.