Impress Rules 5Pillars Podcast Episode Promoted Anti-Jewish And Anti-LGBT Hate

Mark Collett appears in a February episode of 5Pillar’s Blood Brothers podcast. (Screengrab via Dilly Hussain/X)

Media regulator Impress ruled that Muslim news site 5Pillars must remove a podcast episode that promoted “hatred and abuse” towards Jewish and LGBT people.

The February episode of the Blood Brothers podcast titled Ethno-nationalism, western imperialism & the Zionist agenda featured Mark Collett, leader of the far-right group Patriotic Alternative. Listeners reported the podcast saying that during the interview Collett made inflammatory comments about Jews and LGBT individuals.

The report details that Collett, a former spokesperson for the British National Party, claimed that Jewish influence negatively impacts the white population and described gay and transgender people as “poison” and “degenerate.”

Watchdog Impress ruled that these comments breached Clause 4.3 of their standards code by encouraging hatred or abuse against groups based on gender identity, religion, and sexual orientation. The organisation further noted the lack of sufficient challenge from the interviewer, 5Pillars deputy editor Dilly Hussain.

Impress stated that Collett’s remarks had the “cumulative effect” of encouraging hate and abuse, emphasising that the interview’s format failed to challenge these views effectively. The regulator also criticised the platform for hosting the content on Rumble, known for its lenient moderation policies, while also being available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In its defence 5Pillars said the decision to host Collett was “a difficult one” because of his “anti-Islam rhetoric” but said with full editorial control the publication “decided that most of its viewers would be interested in what he had to say.”

However, Impress said it seen a failure to robustly question Collett’s views in a way that gave an impression of endorsement.

As a result of its findings, Impress ordered 5Pillars to either remove or significantly alter the podcast and display a notice of adjudication prominently on its homepage for 48 hours.

Read the ruling in full.

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