Fury at Enoch’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ on Radio 4
A ROW has erupted over a BBC Radio 4 show that features an actor reading Enoch Powell’s inflammatory “Rivers of Blood” speech in full.
The 45-minute speech, in April 1968, saw Powell attack the influx of immigrants into Britain, claiming it would ultimately result in social and racial chaos.
Controversy at the time led to Powell, who was shadow defence secretary, being sacked from Edward Heath’s shadow cabinet.
Fifty years on, the BBC has recorded actor Ian McDiarmid delivering the speech in what will be the first time it has been broadcast in its entirety. News of the programme, to be aired at 8pm on Saturday, caused outrage yesterday when it was announced on Twitter by the BBC’s media editor Amol Rajan.
Last night former Labour minister Lord Adonis wrote to watchdog Ofcom asking it to tell the BBC not to broadcast the speech.
His letter read: “I am writing directly to ask Ofcom to instruct the BBC to cancel its proposed broadcast on Saturday of Enoch Powell’s infamous 1968 speech predicting ‘rivers of blood’ and ‘the black man having the whip hand over the white man’ because of immigration.
“If a contemporary politician made such a speech they would almost certainly be arrested and charged with serious offences.”
Hundreds of other critics took to social media to voice their disapproval, including Londoner Aman Thankar whose Indian family had moved to Britain around the same time, fleeing persecution in Kenya.
He said: “The Rivers of Blood speech was given by Powell to warn about the danger posed by Indians fleeing from Kenya to the UK after being banned from working, Indians like my parents. I am disgusted the BBC are broadcasting this.”
Last night the BBC said: “Radio 4’s well-established programme Archive On 4 reflects in detail on historical events and, in order to assess the speech fully and its impact on the immigration debate, it will be analysed by a wide range of contributors including anti-racism campaigners.”
An Ofcom spokeswoman said: “Ofcom’s powers, granted by Parliament, are as a post-broadcast regulator. We wouldn’t check or approve any broadcaster’s editorial content before transmission.”