Fox News Apologizes for False Claims of Muslim-Only Areas in England and France (huh?)

Fox News issued an unusual on-air apology on Saturday night for having allowed its anchors and guests to repeat the false claim that there are Muslim-only “no-go zones” in European countries like England and France that are not under the control of the state and are ruled according to Shariah law.

The statement was referred to as “a correction” by the Fox Report host Julie Banderas, who said that “over the course of this last week, we have made some regrettable errors on air regarding the Muslim population in Europe, particularly with regard to England and France.”

“Now this applies especially to discussions of so-called no-go zones, areas where non-Muslims allegedly are not allowed in and police supposedly won’t go,” Ms. Banderas continued. “To be clear, there is no formal designation of these zones in either country and no credible information to support the assertion that there are specific areas in these countries that exclude individuals based solely on their religion.”

The claim that such areas existed attracted widespread attention, and a wave of online derision, last weekend when Steve Emerson, a self-described expert on Islamist terrorism, told the Fox News host Jeanine Pirro that parts of France and the entire English city of Birmingham “are totally Muslim where non-Muslims just simply don’t go in.”

Emerson made the statement that Birmingham (the UK’s second biggest city) was Muslim-only and non Muslims weren’t allowed in. That is by far the most ridiculous thing ever said about the UK. About as true as saying only Hispanics are allowed in LA or only white people live in NY.

Ludicrous.

His/Fox’s other UK statements were also flawed. A minority of Muslim thugs have tried to create Muslim patrols and this has made a lot of noise your side of the atlantic, BUT the police and courts have clamped down on these thugs and several, inc at least one white convert, have been jailed.

Other Fox anchors claimed the French police aren’t armed (wrong) and that criminal Sharia Law in the UK exists (it exists as a civil law in five English cities) as the only law in Muslim areas (again utterly wrong). Also that the Muslim patrols and Sharia laws rule (wrong) because the UK police have AGREED not to operate in these supposed areas (complete and utter crap).

I will not speak about France and Europe. They clearly DO have serious problems in excess of the UK.

But Fox have more than a few recent comments to apologise for. Caving in?. I don’t think so. Fox needs to learn facts not spew hysteria.

Emerson made the statement that Birmingham (the UK’s second biggest city) was Muslim-only and non Muslims weren’t allowed in.

I heard that if you even say the word "Birmingham", that Hashisam (Muslim assassins) descend from the sky on rocket-powered flying carpets and behead you.

That is by far the most ridiculous thing ever said about the UK. About as true as saying only Hispanics are allowed in LA

This is actually true.

or only white people live in NY.

No, but only liberals are allowed in NY.

Your statements are all wrong. Every last one of them. Minarets adorn every building in Great Britain, and all religions but Islam are banned. Mandatory prayer is required 5 times a day, and burkahs are the only clothing sold for both men and women. The Koran is the only book sold in Barnes and Nobel stores, and your streets are filthy with camels and goats. I know this because I actually have lived in England for the past 20 years. I live on Sprayberry Street, in Marist-on-the-Pond, West Midlands, which is a good-sized town off A494.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1501/09/acd.02.html
Aired January 9, 2015 - 21:00 ET

COOPER: And, Gary, you know, authorities have said to me, you know, an individual — lone individual is often the hardest attacked to rather prevent. That person may not have a social media profile, may not have be on the radar of law enforcement. The larger a cell gets, the more opportunities there are to connect the dots to try to prevent an attack like this.

But we still don’t know the full extent of this cell here. And it just really goes to show the difficulties for intelligence officials or law enforcer personnel to keep track of this sure number of suspects they have, particularly here in France, the sure number of people it takes to track somebody. Apparently this brothers though they were know, you know at least one of them had served time, that they were on the radar of intelligence officials here, they have been under at some times, some form of surveillance. But it seems like they kind of lay low for a while. Cherif Kouachi got a job in a fish market, seem to be not involved in anything. And clearly, French Intelligence stopped following him or stopped in paying as much attention to him as they have previously.

(GARY BERNTSEN, RETIRED CIA OFFICER): Anderson, the Europeans and the French in particular have problems that are the result of also 751 no-go-zones in France where you have Islamic communities that have formed councils that are managing these areas. And the police don’t go in. If you look at Sweden there are 55 no-go-zones there. You know, fire fighters or ambulance drivers go in there and they’re attacked. Their vehicles are lit on fire, their tires are slashed, and the Europeans have not pushed back against this. They can’t surveil people inside this no go zones if they get and go in there.

And so, consequentially, you have, you know hundreds of thousands people living in areas on enclaves that are completely separated from the government. The government has no control of them and then they can walk out of that no-go-zone and do an attack. The Europeans have lost their minds by allowing these things to be created. We don’t have that in the United States thank goodness but the Europeans are faced...

FLASHBACK:

http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/25/ywt.01.html

VERJEE: Last November, the suburbs of Paris were in flames. The flames have died down now, but the resentment hasn’t. Karl Penhaul talked to some people in Paris, some of the immigrants living in those suburbs. And this is a story that’s part of our look at Europe’s identity cris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It’s nighttime in one of Paris’ toughest high-rise housing projects. This is the so- called city (INAUDIBLE) thousand. For outsiders others than the French police, it’s a virtual no-go zone.

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