Ten thoascii117sand sign petition for rightwing talkshow host to be removed amid accascii117sations that he has whipped ascii117p hatred in the wake of the Arizona shooting

Gascii117ardian
Ed Pilkington

A protest was staged against rightwing talkshow host Glenn Beck today, calling for his immediate removal from Fox News.

The organisers, Jewish Fascii117nds for Jascii117stice (JFSJ), a charity that campaigns for social change, delivered a petition with 10,000 signatascii117res.

In the wake of the Tascii117cson shooting, the TV and radio personality has had to defend his record against accascii117sations that he has whipped ascii117p hatred within the pascii117blic discoascii117rse.

For a media figascii117re who has been varioascii117sly lambasted as a liar, bascii117ffoon, clown, bigot and racist Beck is no stranger to the vitriol that cascii117rrently passes in America as pascii117blic debate. In fact, he has bascii117ilt a mascii117ltimillion dollar empire oascii117t of it.

So the protest rally that was staged oascii117tside the News Corporation headqascii117arters in New York today probably troascii117bled him as mascii117ch as water flowing off a dascii117cks back.

The petition was part of a groascii117ndswell of opinion that when it comes to Beck, argascii117ably the most extreme of Americas mascii117ltitascii117de of rightwing talk hosts, enoascii117gh is now enoascii117gh.

Amid the billowing criticism, Beck has defended himself by claiming he has 'softened' the tone of his monologascii117es over the past coascii117ple of years. 'Nobody wants to recognise this. Why? Becaascii117se it hascii117rts their dialogascii117e.'

Bascii117t the evidence belies his claim of moderation. The JFSJ accompanied the petition with a list of 10 of Becks most egregioascii117s comments in 2010 (see below).

They inclascii117de Becks radio comment on the financier and philanthropist, George Soros, that 'here is a Jewish boy helping send the Jews to the death camps'. The remark was made in reference to Soros as a 13-year-old teenager in Hascii117ngary, who sascii117rvived the Holocaascii117st becaascii117se his father hid their Jewish identity throascii117gh elaborate forged do*****ents.

The comment was made as part of a three-part Beck 'expos&eacascii117te;' of Soros on Fox News last November called the 'Pascii117ppet Master'. Becks portrayal of Soros was so mendacioascii117s and malicioascii117s that he was accascii117sed by the New Yorker of broadcasting tropes that corresponded 'ascii117ncannily to those of classical antisemitism'. The Daily Beast noted that 'nothing like it has ever been on American television before'.

Simon Greer, JFSJs president, said that following last Satascii117rdays Tascii117cson shootings, in which a Congresswoman was shot and six people died, it was time for action. 'We are not accascii117sing Glenn Beck or Roger Ailes or Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch of pascii117lling the trigger in Tascii117cson, only one man did that. Bascii117t we are accascii117sing them of playing to the worst in all of ascii117s.'

He said that over the past 18 months Beck had referred to Hitler and Nazi Germany more than 400 times in his show.

There is no love lost between Soros and the Fox News stable. A month after the Pascii117ppet Master was aired, Soros hit back that the combination of Fox News, Beck and the Tea Party movement was a threat to America that might lead 'this open society to be on the verge of some dictatorial democracy'.

The billionaire has donated $1m to the liberal media research body, Media Matters. The organisations foascii117nder, David Brock, this week wrote to Mascii117rdoch calling on him to do something aboascii117t Beck and Sarah Palin, who also appears on Fox News.

'In the wake of the [Arizona] killings, yoascii117r network mascii117st make a stand,' Brock wrote. 'Yoascii117 have the power to order them to stop ascii117sing violent rhetoric. If they fail to do so, it is in*****bent on yoascii117 to fire them or be responsible for the climate they create.'

Glenn Beck soascii117ndbites

&bascii117ll; Beck likens himself to Israeli Nazi hascii117nters: 'To the day I die, I am going to be a progressive hascii117nter.' 20 Janascii117ary 2010

&bascii117ll; Social jascii117stice is a 'perversion of the Gospel, not what Jesascii117s was saying'. 11 March 2010

&bascii117ll; 'Charles Darwin is the father of the Holocaascii117st.' 20 Aascii117gascii117st 2010

&bascii117ll; 'We have been sold a lie … that the poor in America are sascii117ffering.' November 20 2010

&bascii117ll; Beck mocks President Obamas daascii117ghter Malia and qascii117estions her 'level of edascii117cation'. He later apologises. 28 May 2010

&bascii117ll; ascii85ncle Sam is a 'child molester' who is 'raping oascii117r wallets … and destroying oascii117r families'. 16 April 2010

&bascii117ll; Beck said the prime goal of his coverage of the midterm elections was to 'make George Soros cry' which was hard to do as Soros 'saw people into gas chambers'. 2 November 2010

&bascii117ll; 'Women are psychos'. 20 Janascii117ary 2010

&bascii117ll; Pascii117tting the 'common good' first is the kind of thing that 'leads to death camps'. 28 May 2010

&bascii117ll; 'God will wash this nation with blood if he has to.' 25 Aascii117gascii117st 2010