Tuesday 14 June 2022 10:01 AM Journalist who sued BBC after being branded too 'loud and shouty' loses racial ... trends now
An Arab-speaking journalist who tried to sue the BBC for racial discrimination after he was disciplined for being 'too loud and shouty' has had his case thrown out by a tribunal.
Algeria-born Ahmed Rouaba, who is in his 50s, is said to have upset colleagues at the BBC World Service when he spoke 'violently' after being asked to address a July 2019 meeting in 'formal Arabic' rather than 'Algerian Arabic.'
A colleague said Mr Rouaba was speaking 'like a Bedouin' - a nomadic tribes people partly based out of Northern Africa.
Algerian Arabic, also known as Dardja, is often difficult to understand for Arab speakers from the Middle East.
Following complaints, senior officials at the BBC World Service division began a formal internal investigation during which one staff worker suggested Mr Rouaba should explain himself in a more 'mild way', while one blamed his 'cultural background' for his temperament.
Mr Rouaba complained and the BBC accepted that the comments relating to his culture and ethnicity were 'unacceptable', however they ultimately ruled that they were not meant in a 'harmful or malicious way.'
Algeria-born Ahmed Rouaba (pictured), who is in his 50s, is said to have upset colleagues at the BBC World Service when he spoke 'violently' after being asked to address the meeting in 'formal Arabic' rather than 'Algerian Arabic'
Others reported that Mr Rouaba, who is still believed to work at the BBC, often became 'angry' at meetings.
After being given a final written warning, Mr Rouaba decided to sue the corporation for racial discrimination and harassment claiming it was the climax of a six-year 'systematic victimisation campaign' against him.
He alleged colleagues often made racist comment towards him and accused the BBC of doing 'nothing to protect me from intimidation and racial abuse.'
He also produced medical evidence saying he had 'numerous' GP appointments over the past five years due to work-related stress, which he claims caused him abdominal pain and gastroesophageal reflux symptoms.
But at a tribunal in central London, Mr Rouaba, who has worked at the BBC for 10 years, lost his claim for race-related harassment following the three year legal battle.
The tribunal ruled that his complaint did not enjoy a 'reasonable prospect of success.'
The multi-media reporter, who is fluent in English and Arabic, had joined the Arabic Service department of the BBC World Service in September 2012, filing various news
