Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt has reacted angrily to accusations made by Ariwa Studios boss Neil Fraser that his station had to take some responsibility for the rise of gun crime in the young black community. As reported on Friday, Fraser wrote to the Telegraph last week to support the comments of Culture Minister Kim Howells, who accused urban music that advocated violence as a contributing factor to the rise of gun crime in the UK. Fraser singled out specific shows on Radio 1 and sister station 1Xtra as consistently playing violent advocating tracks.
But Parfitt says the allegations are "extremely unjust" and that all BBC stations take great care to ensure they do not advocate violence. "Radio 1 works tirelessly to make a positive contribution to our young audiences' lives. To claim that Radio 1 or 1xtra contributes to gun crime in Britain is extremely unjust," he said, adding that 1Xtra had launched with a specially commissioned radio documentary on violence in the club world, Too Dangerous to Dance, which had actively condemned violent behaviour.