Stu Peters: Manx Radio presenter cleared over Black Lives Matter comments

Stu Peters was suspended by Manx Radio following a programme broadcast on 3 June

A Manx radio presenter who questioned the issue of "white privilege" in relation to Black Lives Matter did not break rules, the media regulator said.

The Communications Commission said comments made by Stu Peters in a Manx Radio show could be deemed insensitive, but did not constitute a code breach.

But similar incidents may be "viewed in a different light" in future, it added.

Manx Radio managing director Chris Sully said the station would "learn" from the findings.

He added that the ruling was a "starting point on a journey of open discussion on the subject, rather than the end of the road".

'Preserve human dignity'

The commission said there was no evidence there had been any intention "to stir up racial hatred", but it recommended station staff be given "clear guidance and ongoing support and formal training in relation to identifying and dealing with sensitive issues".

Mr Peters was suspended by Manx Radio following a programme, broadcast on 3 June, in which a caller challenged him for writing "all lives matter" in an online forum.

He told the caller that he had "had no more privilege in my life than you have", adding: "I'm a white man, you're a black man."

The commission said it was likely the comments was intended to "highlight that there are many types of discrimination and prejudice", but it considered them to be "insensitive".

It added that there was an obligation to strike a balance between the expectation for licensed services to "preserve human dignity, as far as possible, and to preserve the right of freedom of expression".